Crimson Tide (1995)

Submitted by Kelvin_Inman t3_z8faqt in movies

I always enjoy a good submarine movie. I recently revisited Crimson Tide, an excellent movie that is more about the dynamic between the two lead actors than any battle between submarines.

The first of several collaborations between director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington, this one seems to get overlooked when discussing great Denzel performances.

It is rare for a movie with two leads to be equally talented, sometimes one’s presence overpowering the other on screen, but Denzel and Gene Hackman have a perfect dynamic. Just as much as the story develops into old versus new (the characters ages, experience, and perspective on war), you can feel a well established actor challenging and being challenged by a rising talent. It feels like not just Denzel’s character being put through the ringer by Hackman’s character, but Hackman himself challenging (and being challenged by) Denzel the actor.

Notable supporting performances by Viggo Mortenson and Jame Gandolfini add to the intensity.

Highly recommended.

https://imgur.com/a/GlrE35T

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carltonfisk72 t1_iybkcfb wrote

Wanna know a great story/lesson in acting? Straight from a producer's mouth (second-hand, obvs):

I believe it's after the missle-drill scene, when a real fire breaks out. Denzel wants to cancel the drill, but Hackman keeps it going. And the result is, a cook dies from a heart attack.

So the scene is Denzel pleading his case on why that was mistake, and Hackman listens, and listens, and listens... and when Denzel is done, Hackman lays into him, and re-establishes his authority.

And the key to the performance is that Hackman has his eyes/eyebrows lifted open the entire time... but then just before says his line, he *drops* his eyelids dramatically... and suddenly his expression goes from 'friendly' to 'menacing'. Its perfect.

Now, to how that came about:

Scenes are filmed for practical purposes: you light the master shot, then slowly move the gear, lights and crew in for the medium shots, and then finally closeups.

Real actors save "the good stuff" for their closeups. And Hackman is a real actor.

So on the day, Hackman never did his "expression change" for the master or medium shots. He only did that facial move for the closeups.

He was essentially 'directing' the scene with his choice of performance, even though no one realized it during the shoot.

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whogivesashirtdotca t1_iybl04l wrote

Viggo said he used to hang out on set even when he wasn't in scenes, just to have a front row seat for Denzel and Hackman's sparring.

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ColdPressedSteak t1_iybel8s wrote

It's a great popcorn movie elevated by the two leads. The plot gets a little thin but again, elevated by the two leads and good rest of cast too

Great soundtrack

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mickeyflinn t1_iychc8w wrote

A whole bunch of the cast elevated the movie:

  • Matt Craven
  • George Dzundza
  • Viggo Mortensen
  • James Gandolfini
  • Ricky Schroder
  • Steve Zahn
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dropkickninja t1_iybbzjo wrote

Great movie. I'll be watching it again soon!

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Bouron t1_iyblqjc wrote

I knew someone who worked on this. Great film!

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roiki11 t1_iyd2v0p wrote

This movie always made me wonder if submariners sweat all the time.

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Independent_Pool_156 t1_iyeyt15 wrote

Hello, former submariner here! They keep it pretty cold on submarines for two reasons; 1. It’s harder to doze off on watch when you’re cold, and 2. People with hygiene issues aren’t as fragrant at lower temperatures.

The engine room is usually a lot warmer than the forward compartment for obvious reasons, but I hear this has been fixed on the Virginia class boats by beefing up the AC units.

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roiki11 t1_iyezzog wrote

I kinda figured.

So you're just covered in baby oil all the time?

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orangemaroon25 t1_iycxksr wrote

The biggest problem with this movie is the suspension of disbelief that James Gandolfini fits the weight limit to serve on a submarine.

One of the most fun parts is that if you're an NCIS fan the bit parts from Matt Craven and Rocky Carroll can be headcanon as interesting backstory for those men in their youth before they became the NCIS leaders.

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Bothan-Spy t1_iycb373 wrote

Just watched this last week actually for the first time in probably 15 years. It was so much better than I remembered. Agreed the performances are top-notch, especially from the two leads. And the soundtrack is incredible. I think I might say this is my favorite sub movie now, after Red October of course.

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nebkelly t1_iycw1cj wrote

It was savaged by actual Submariners back in the day but I enjoyed it as much as just about every other Tony Scott movie (a lot).

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reefsurfer226 t1_iyf8lv7 wrote

I CONCUR THE MESSAGE IS AUTHENTIC

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Sizzle_Biscuit t1_iyd787q wrote

Listen to that film's soundtrack and the soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid, and I bet you will be amazed at the influence that score had on that game.

It's no wonder Harry Gregson-Williams, who scored Crimson Tide (and many other Tony Scott films), went on to score the later Metal Gear Solid games.

RIP Tony Scott. He made some incredible action dramas.

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[deleted] t1_iybezrz wrote

[deleted]

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sudden_flatulence t1_iybj4xw wrote

afaik the military refused to work with the filmmakers on this one due to the subject matter.

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Muppetude t1_iybprt4 wrote

This is not one of those movies. The military refused to cooperate once they read the script.

In fact, most of the real submarine shots you see were from the film crew spending weeks close to a naval base in the hopes of seeing a sub so they could capture that footage.

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getBusyChild t1_iydplyi wrote

It is a great movie but the one thing that was always confuses me is after they destroy the Akula submarine and are sinking uncontrollably why didn't they just blow all the tanks and then surface? The threat was gone...

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weareallpatriots t1_iyehbxr wrote

Fantastic film! My Tony Scott top three is 1. Top Gun, 2a. Enemy of the State, and 2b. Crimson Tide. Two titans of the acting profession just going head to head. That speech the Captain gives to the crew for heading out was just pure goosebumps. This movie wouldn't play nearly as well today, because back in the 90's it was okay to love America, but it's still a classic. People love Das Boot and The Hunt for Red October, but Crimson Tide will always be my favorite.

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