‘In my humble opinion, in the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself...’
Let me just say some words and phrases for a moment. Gene Hackman. Denzel Washington. A submarine. Hans Zimmer. 1995. Tony Scott. Viggo Mortensen. Need I say more? I think not. The chances of me feeling any emotion other than deep devotion for this film were always incredibly slim. And sure enough, it’s terrific…
As with many of Scott’s films, the plot is delightfully simple. We have a grizzled old submarine captain (Hackman), we have a young upstart (Washington). We have a potential nuclear war, arguments about comic book characters and Hackman screaming at everyone for two hours. It’s fucking glorious.
Some films of this era are great to look back upon now because of how ridiculous they are (Hi, Face/Off). Whilst Crimson Tide is wildly entertaining, it’s also a genuinely excellent film. Michael Schiffer’s screenplay is exquisite. Zimmer’s score perfect. Hackman and Washington are having the time of their lives. It’s impossible not to get swept up by it all, particularly when you throw in Scott’s innate ability to build tension. It all comes together beautifully to forge a film that is very much a sausage fest (Washington and Hackman flirt outrageously with each other in their early meetings) but is still incredibly satisfying. Your dad loves this film. Of that, there can be no doubt.
Crimson Tide is a captivating and compelling thriller that is also one of the most underrated films of the 90s. A stone-cold classic.
