The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Before Harrison Ford assumed the mantle of playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan hero in Patriot Games, Alec Baldwin took a swing at the character in this John McTiernan film and hit one to the fence. If less instantly sympathetic than Ford, Baldwin is in some respects more interesting and nuanced as Ryan, and drawing comparisons between both actors' performances can make for some interesting postmovie discussion. That aside, The Hunt for Red October stands alone as a uniquely exciting adventure with a fantastic costar: Sean Connery as a Russian nuclear submarine captain attempting to defect to the West on his ship. Ryan must figure out his true motives for approaching the U.S. McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) made an exceptionally handsome movie here with action sequences that really do take one's breath away. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

Still a fantastic movie

Thought is was nice in DVD, but then decided to take a chance on Bluray.
What a difference. Not in the habit of upgrading a DVD, but now that I've seen and heard the difference that BD makes, I'll be replacing several of my old DVD versions. Just a classic that belongs in anyone's inventory. August 29, 2008

Excellent Movie

This movie is one of the best. Sean Connery gave an excellent performance. All of the other main actors also gave very good performances. This is a movie that, without a doubt, can be enjoyed over and over again for years to come. The fact that it is now available in HD Blu-Ray makes it more enjoyable to watch. August 29, 2008

Almost 20 years old and looking better than ever on Blu-Ray!

Although age is not always a factor in picture quality. Many titles from the last 10 years are showing their age, even on Blu-Ray. While some titles like Casablanca look much better than a movie released just 10 years ago. This title from 1990 looks great. The picture is very, very clean. Easily the best of the 4 Clancy titles on Blu. The picture is very sharp and clean. This movie is filmed without much light. Almost entirely in the sub with low lighting. That being said, the blacks are very nice and deep throughout. A very nice improvement over the standard dvd issue from Paramount. The detail is great also. You can enjoy the small details of each and every scene. The closeups show awesome detail from facial details to the lights on the equipement in the background. Skin tones are very nice and even also. There are no scratches or distractions of note on the film itself . It appears to be well taken care of and cleaned.

The sound is awesome. The voices a very clean and clear. The battle scenes are booming. And all the subtle sounds come through very well. You will probably be seing this title for the first time in this quality release. The surround sound really kicks in on this one. All speakers get good use on this one.

This is a great movie to begin with. Many feel it to be one of the best dramas of the 90's. I agree with that. Great story, acting, visuals. A great Drama/Action Adventure film.

The extras are slim though. Has a commentary with some cast interviews. Im not big on extras anyway. As long as the film quality is nice and sharp with a remastered soundtrack, Im usually pretty happy. Im sure you will be too. August 28, 2008

decent but not great

Not too much to say. I love the movie, but the video wasn't great, as there seems to be some amount of graininess in the dark areas of the picture. Still, in the brighter scenes, it's about what you want from HD. Of course, the HD really brings out the rear projection in the final scene. August 4, 2008

Visually Disappointing But Audibly Exciting on Blu ray

In typical studio fashion, Paramount has transfered this exact same master that was temporarily released on HD DVD early this year which was a mixed bag and not what these films, the fans of the films, or high def owners deserve.

I really enjoy the first 3 Jack Ryan films, the 4th not so much because of Ben Affleck and because it's just too out of sync with the previous trilogy. The first 3 are classic political thrillers that do a great job of bringing Tom Clancy's books to the big screen. His vision and Jack Ryan character are for the most part, executed very well on these films. Many have their preferences as the stronger and better of the bunch but I like Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger individually for their own qualities and suspenseful action.

I've seen all of the Jack Ryan's on HD DVD, and sure enough, the Blu Ray's are exactly the same. Which is too bad because Paramount didn't do a very good job remastering them and they just don't look nearly as good as they should in hi def. I suspect that many Blu Ray owners will be pretty disappointed with the lack of visual pop that they're hoping for. Each of the Jack Ryan's looks better than the one before it which is typical as newer films upgrade easier to high def. And at least they all look better than their standard def counterparts. The problem is, is that most hi def owners have seen older films than these look better than these. Which brings us to wonder, what went wrong here? Granted, these films are a difficult upgrade as most of the scenes take place inside a submarine, house, office, or outside on overcast days, making it more difficult to provide that 3D pop we're looking for. But there are specks and dirt in the transfers and while I didn't find them in abundance or distracting, I do feel it's inexcusable at this point in the Hi Def's life cycle, especially for these movies. There's no reason for them not to be squeaky clean by now, even if they're going to look a little flat. But they are the best transfers available and the best we'll see until they provide us a proper remastering. But one is due.

The audio, well this is finally where these discs pop. And I mean POP!!! We're given some truly thunderous transfers here in Dolby TrueHD. These films sounded good to begin with on standard dvd (especially October) but these new transfers are just incredible. They easily trounce the old ones. The scores, sound effects, gun shots and explosions are absolutely thrilling. This is all moot if you don't have a proper surround system to decode and dish out the TrueHD tracks though. If thats the case, then you may want to consider keeping your standard discs if you have them because the audio is the clear selling point for the upgrade.

Despite my dissatisfaction with the flimsy visual upgrades, I'm still satisfied with these discs. I'd recommend them for any Blu Ray (and home theater) owner looking for a worthy upgrade for their favorite Tom Clancy films. Again, I stress you'll be much more impressed by the HD audio here rather than the passable but not demo worthy HD video. I give this set a 4 out of five because even though difficult, I believe if they really wanted to, Paramount could've and should've given these films a better makeover than they got. The powerful audio will help ease the disappointment with the video. Overall, I still recommend them.
August 3, 2008

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