“That’s the problem Sir!” Ryan replied “no-one knows what they are! But I do know someone who might, an old friend, he has top level clearance” before Ryan left the Admiral, worryingly told him that the Red October had been put to sea that morning.
Meanwhile, on the Dallas(an American sub.) Mr. Jones had detected the Red October on the sonar and, as it was a new, unknown submarine, they began to follow them, not allowing the Russian to know of their presence.
Aboard the Red October the Political officer and Ramius had opened their orders, which were to rendezvous with Captain Tupalov and run drills. When they had finished with their orders, Ramius unexpectedly murders the Political officer and rang the doctor saying that the Officer had died by slipping in his tea and banging his head on the table on the way down. Ryan had by now found his friend and asked him what the doors were for. His friend had told him, after a little hesitation, that they were in fact a ‘caterpillar drive’ and that this was a magneto hydrodynamic propulsion system. If this worked the Russian sub.’scouldn’t be detected by their defence systems or sonar array.
Ramius was now on the bridge giving the order to engage the Caterpillar.
Admiral Uri Bedoran , head of the soviet fleet, received a letter from Ramius telling him that he was planning to defect.
Ryan told the Admiral Greer about the caterpillar to find that he already knew and also that he was to give a briefing on the sub., in five minutes. Whilst giving the briefing he found that the whole of the Russian Soviet fleet had been sent to find The Red October, and also that the Head of the fleet was Ramius’ dead wife’s farther. Whilst the others in the briefing talked and argued over the pressing matter, Ryan realized that it was the twenty third day, and that it was the twenty first anniversary of Ramius’ wife’s death. This eventually brought him to a conclusion that Ramius was defecting. Eventually Ryan managed to persuade the head of the meeting but not without the explaining the whole theory behind his conclusion. He even used the fact that Ramus is really Lithuanian by birth. Ryan was told that he must fly over to the Dallas, who he believed had found the Red October but hasn’t informed anyone.
Ryan arrived on the Sub., after a very ‘Wet’ ride over. As Ryan tells the captain of his theory that Ramius is going to defect, they receive orders to ‘hunt and kill’ the submarine. Eventually he mange’s to persuade the captain and they make contact with the Russians. They rendezvous at a place called ‘Laurentian Abyssal’.
There is a stage one radiation leak (which is false) on the Red October. The crew abandon the ship, under orders, then the captain and his men dive again saying that they will attempt to scuttle the approaching ship.
Ryan, the captain and a number of the crew go in a mini-sub, connect to the Red October and enter the sub., via a hatch on the top. There was a long, tense silence, broken by Ryan then Ramius.
Ramius and his crew then request asylum and the captain grants their request. Suddenly a Russian torpedo whizzes past barely missing the outer shell. Then an unknown Russian spy shoots at the crew and heads toward the torpedo bay. The first officer is killed by one of the bullets.
Ryan chases the spy, while the others try to avert the Russian missiles, and with the Dallas’s help destroy the Russian sub., of which the captain is Tupalov, one of Ramius’ students and friends.
Ryan catches the spy and discovers that he is a cook, he also killed him to avert the destruction of the Sub. The Red October arrives in Maine, which is a beautiful last scene.
Throughout the film the Russian anthem is played repeatedly, it is used to emphasize strong feelings in the viewer. I would rate the film at nine out of ten.
