Crimson Tide
“Crimson Tide” was, along with “Bad Boys,” at the beginning of the resurgence of producers Don Simpson (who would pass away in 1996) and Jerry Bruckheimer’s influence over American action films in the mid-’90s, and it remains one of their best offerings. I think part of that comes from the fact that they were reuniting with director Tony Scott, who had directed “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder” for them, and had the terrific “Enemy of the State” he made for Bruckheimer later in the decade. Scott is one of the filmmakers most responsible for the aesthetic we know the producers for, although like in “Top Gun,” this is a much clearer eye for action than some of those filmmakers would have. Probably because he went for a degree of reality, given the military subject matter.
Almost as vital to “Crimson Tide’s” success is the score by Hans Zimmer. He was still working very much with synthesizers, and had not yet really adapted his style to include live orchestral settings in the action realm; it’s probably his finest action score to date. (And still stands up favorably to scores like “The Dark Knight” or “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”) The low-end bass synth sounds are perfect for the claustrophobic nature of the film, and when he breaks out quotations of “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” they have a powerful emotional impact that counteracts the more heroic theme he creates for this story of the USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine being sent to deal with a potential nuclear threat in the Mediterraneans.
The film begins with a civil war breaking out in Chechnya. An ultra-nationalist named Radchenko takes control of a nuclear missile base in the region, compromising Russia’s nuclear arsenal. When Radchenko threatens nuclear attack on America, the crew of the USS Alabama, and its captain, Ramsey (Gene Hackman), are ordered to go to the region and, if needed, launch an attack against Radchenko’s forces if he carries out his threat. But Ramsey’s usual Executive Officer has appendicitis, so Lieutenant Colonel Hunter (Denzel Washington) is assigned in his stead. Hunter is philosophically different than Ramsey, which we recognize immediately in a sit-down between them before they sail off. Hunter is the cooler head, but Ramsey has more experience. When their mission takes them to the brink of a nuclear launch, those differences come into play when they receive only part of a message after being authorized to strike Radchenko with nuclear force, if necessary. What follows is a battle of wills that threatens to tear the crew apart when Ramsey is ready to strike, but Hunter would rather make sure their orders haven’t changed.
“Crimson Tide” is evidently inspired by a true story of something that happened on a Russian submarine during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but if you think “Mutiny on the Bounty,” I certainly wouldn’t blame you. Though the film is nominally about what might happen if a break in the chain of command were to occur that could lead to WWIII, the film is ultimately about Washington and Hackman attack the script by Michael Schiffer as they show off their acting chops for our entertainment. Caught in the middle are sailors played by Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, George Dzundza, Matt Craven, Ryan Phillippe, Steve Zhan and Ricky Schroder, among others, in one of those stacked Bruckheimer casts that gives us scene after scene of pros (and some newbies) digging into dialogue (which, in this case, got a polish from an uncredited Quentin Tarantino) that serves an expositional purpose while also entertaining us. The film takes place mainly in the enclosed sub, but Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski do a great job of giving us a feel for how big the Alabama is, or rather, how big it feels, and making us feel closed in when the story requires it (such as when they are trading torpedoes with another sub) or making it seem like a massive battleground as the power plays between Hunter and Ramsey go on throughout it all. It’s a fantastic credit to Scott that he’s able to make such an enclosed environment feel enormous at one moment, and constrictive the next.
“Crimson Tide” exists not for a profound statement on the nature of war, although it seems to want to be one, but to entertain us with blasts of excitement and suspense as two great actors go after one another, putting the rest of us in the middle. The film succeeds effortlessly in that respect.
