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Crimson Tide
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Tom Williams (2nd June 2006). |
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The Film
 Crimson Tide was an excellent movie when it was first release, and time has not dulled its edge- although it’s hard to see the value in its DVD re-release unless you don’t already have a copy. Its story is simultaneously small-scale and epic, following the impact two top officers on a US nuclear submarine can have on the rest of the world. Denzel Washington is Lt. Commander Ron Hunter, a family man assigned to the submarine U.S.S. Alabama. The Alabama is commanded by Gene Hackman‘s Captain Frank Ramsay, who is in many ways Hunter’s polar opposite. Ramsay is not prepared to be undermined by Hunter in front of his men due to the risk it would pose to the chain of command- and in a private meeting, tells Hunter that while Hunter has been taught to ask why about certain orders, Ramsay has been told only where the button is and when to push it. By far the most interesting and important quote of the film comes from Hunter, who observes to Ramsay that in the nuclear world the true enemy is war itself- a motif that is echoed in the film. In one dryly hilarious scene, Hunter breaks up a fistfight that has begun on the Alabama between two crewmen who disagree over the best authors of the Silver Surfer comic, pointing out firstly that this sort of behaviour is counterproductive to their extremely important mission, and secondly that Stan Lee‘s Silver Surfer is clearly superior. More importantly, the Russian insurgents- the nominal reason for the Alabama actively patrolling where it is- are not so obviously a group of bad guys to be overcome, but rather an objective to be achieved or not. The enemy to be defeated is not the insurgents, but a war with them- and it’s a question of whose outlook is the best to prevent war from breaking out. The Alabama receives an EAM, an emergency action message, instructing the Alabama to ready its missiles for a pre-emptive launch against the Russians, who are ready to fire their missiles. As the missiles ready, an enemy submarine engages the Alabama- and as it loses radio contact, the Alabama receives a partial EAM that may or may not countermand the first order. The tension in the film then rises to its maximum as the two commanding officers disagree about what to do. Predictably, Ramsay is on the side of following Navy regulations, which state that unless the EAM is explicitly countermanded, the orders stand, including situations like this one, where communications have been cut off. Hunter sees nuclear war as being too high-stakes and wants to pursue further contact. Mutiny ensues. Though this drama verges on melodrama, the cast and crew help to make the entire encounter believable. Surprisingly articulate directing by Tony Scott maintains the tension from the beginning of the film, and allows the main characters to develop- if at the expense of the supporting characters in the film. Strong performances from James Gandolfini and Viggo Mortensen before they were famous as well as other strong actors like George Dzundza and Matt Craven are almost overshadowed by the overbearing drama that stems from the difference in attitudes between the two men- and indeed, their struggle for dominance becomes more important to the viewer than the possibility of starting WWIII. The movie is also strengthened by a sweeping, heroic score from Hans Zimmer and a well written script that does tend towards exposition over characterisation, but is also realistically filled with technical terms and slang, creating a gripping and realistic depiction of life on a submarine. Crimson Tide is not a complex film, but it is certainly one worth watching. The simple tension between the two sides provokes thought and debate: Wait for more information at the cost of enemies deploying nuclear weapons against your country, or deploy your own nukes even when there’s a significant chance your orders have been changed? It’s not a question that’s easy to answer, as a coda at the film’s end emphasises. This version of Crimson Tide includes extra scenes which give the film its unrated badge, adding up to perhaps six or seven minutes of film total- and to be honest, it’s not hard to see why they might have been left out of the original edit.
Video
Presented in the film’s original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1, this anamorphic transfer is very good, and is a significant improvement over the older non-anamorphic R1 release. The image is generally sharp and fine detail is clearly visible, colors are brilliantly rendered, although the reds tend to flare out a little and do bleed causing a loss of detail especially in the faces of the actors. Black levels are solid throughout especially since this film takes place in a submarine without any natural light there are lots of dark areas in this film and they hold up well, as does shadow detail.
Audio
This film includes only one soundtrack in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and this track delivers just as much as the transfer does. I had no problem believing I was inside a nuclear submarine. The surrounds were entirely immersive and makes excellent use of the full 5.1 space. Dialogue as expected is clear and distortion free and the music was brilliantly mixed into the soundtrack and never felt out of place or too overbearing over the dialogue or action sequences. The track provides the right balance of action effects surrounds, dialogue and music that work in harmony to create this aural experience. Optional subtitles are also included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
First up is a collection of 3 deleted scenes: - Movie Trivia on the Bus which runs for 30 seconds, sees Weaps (Viggo Mortensen) and Dougherty (James Gandolfini) playing some trivia as they board the bus before they are to report to the sub for briefing. - Sara Interviews Radchenko runs for 1 minute 31 seconds, and sees a reporter interviewing the Russian President Radchenko (Daniel von Bargen) who appears to be taking a hard line stance. I can see why this scene was dropped, considering von Bargen’s Russian accent is the worst I’ve seen since Harrison Ford in K-19: The Widowmaker (2002). - Awaiting the Naval Hearing runs for 1 minute 12 seconds, in this scene Hunter waits patiently outside the hearing as other officers are called in before him. There is also The Making of Crimson Tide featurette, which is predictably enough mostly promotion for the film and runs for 19 minutes 55 seconds. Although the second featurette, an All Access: On The Set Of Crimson Tide, features some horsing around between various members of the cast which is quite fun, even if it makes you yearn somewhat for a commentary. This clip runs for 10 minutes 17 seconds. Rounding out the extras are a collection of start-up trailers, which can be skipped by pressing the Menu button on your remote: - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead man’s Chest which runs for 1 minute 46 seconds. - Remember The Titans: Director’s Cut which runs for 2 minutes 28 seconds. - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe which runs for 2 minutes 28 seconds. - Glory Road which runs for 2 minutes 31 seconds. - Eight Below which runs for 2 minutes 23 seconds. The special features on the DVD were something of a disappointment. I can appreciate the difficulty of getting cast and crew together for a commentary some ten years after the film’s release- especially when almost all your stars have only got more famous- but without even a director’s commentary, the disc is left a little wanting.
Overall
The special features do not make a second purchase of this film worthwhile. As the film itself is excellent, if you don’t already own it this re-release seems like a perfect opportunity to grab the film, which stands as one of the most suspenseful and exciting Bruckheimer films out there- and all within a very tightly enclosed space.
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