Crimson Tide
I was reminded of the film so decided to revisit it. It is a very good film. It gives the impression it is based on real events with beginning and end text, but it's not. Largely the film is about power dynamics, attitudes towards the military and the use of nuclear weapons. Given Denzel is portraying our protagonist it's easy to sympathise with his point of view, especially as Gene Hackman's character is so wrong. The antagonism between Hackman's Ramsey towards Washinston's Hunter is clear from the outset through what I can only describe as heavy handy subtly. With stakes really high and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the submarine the tension ramps up considerably.
My big complaint is the ending. It tries to invoke some sort of sympathy towards Ramsey, but his actions were monstrous. It wants to give a feel good happy ending and not take sides in an issue the film otherwise takes a very clear stance on. This is not surprising given the film had the cooperation of the US Navy and they are notorious in insisting that films do not paint them in a bad light. After all, Hunter could have been wrong. The only problem is Hunter is never wrong. Except in the case three quarters of the way through the film where a line of dialogue suggests he is wrong in following procedure. Honestly, I think this is in service to the cop out ending, because it doesn't entirely fit with all the procedure babble that came before. Like they pulled it out their arses. So I don't count it.
Aside from the dissonance, the drama is superb in the film. The acting is wonderful with Denzel and Gene playing off each other really well. And it gets really exciting, especially towards the end.
