Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hunt for Red October

The cook/political officer was true to reality also. It was the practice for the party to place both a publicly designated political officer and secret political officers.

Another vote for reading the book(s). A lot of good insight is missed in movies.

I've read most of Clancy's books to the point Ryan is president. Been awhile, I need to break them out again. Just finished listening to "Without Remorse"

Have you read "Without Remorse"?

Best one, I can't remember the name, but it's all about John Clark. Great book. Lesson learned to bad guys, careful who you screw with.

Clancy wove Ramius’ethnicity in the story line purposely and it may not have been fully appreciated by some readers or movie goers. In real life, the Soviet Navy would have never given the keys to Red October to a Lithuanian. They would have been concerned that as soon as Ramius made the North Sea, Moscow would start taking on the appearance of the back side of the moon.

Yes, John Kelly became John Clark to escape the law after he killed some bad guys in Baltimore after they killed a woman that he was trying to save. John Clark killed a lot of bad guys in a lot of different venues, just like you'd expect a SEAL to do.

IIRC, Ramius' father was a high ranking member of the Soviet Communist Party, so it was assumed that Ramius was a loyal communist.

In real life, it is unimaginable that any Balt since WW ll could have been placed in a key command position in the Soviet military system. There was just too much bloody history between the Balts and Soviets for that to happen. However, I have a few cousins in Vilnius with whom I correspond and I’ll ask if they are aware of any Balts that made it to the top of the pile in the Soviet military.

Correct. They felt that only a true Russian would have an unwavering allegiance to the homeland.

Tom Clancy movies are, like "Lord of the Ring" movies, entertaining in the fact that it is interesting to see how the director might depict a specific scene here or there.

But neither the works of Clancy, nor Tolkien has ever been, nor ever will be totally and successfully rendered to film. The written volumes are just too complex to do so. Even a production equal to "Game of Thrones" could not accurately capture either of these authors.

Admittedly I last read Clancy in 2002 when Red Rabbit was released. But as I remember with Clancy and especially with Tolkien, the authors spend much time depicting their characters' thought processes and feelings. Emotions are fairly well expressed on the screen, feelings less so, and I have never seen any director/actor combination who could actually tell us what is going through a character's mind.

The Clancy novels depicting the life of "Jack Ryan" are best read in the order they were released, starting with "Red October" in '84 and ending with "Red Rabbit" in 2002.

Yes, the movies are entertaining in their own right. But to know the story, you gotta go read the book!

If you like the technology, science, and SONAR in Red October, look for another volume credited to Tom Clancy titled SSN. It is basically a tutorial to a Fast Attack Submarine Simulator also titled SSN. The book is written in novel form, and as a novel falls on its face. But as a read along while playing the scenarios in the video game it takes on a new life.

MY favorite paperback cover of all time was on a Zane Grey's "Nevada Smith".

Feller had a revolver - I think cap and ball, but maybe cartridge - firing - with the cases just flying out to the side.

I wish I'd kept it.

I think his point is they both suck. At least that's my take.

The Hunt for Red October is one of my all time favorite movies. I've seen it multiple times, but have never taken the time to read the book. Like Hatari, I've wondered what the cook has to do with the whole story. He just comes out of nowhere towards the end of the movie for a dramatic gun fight with Ryan. I suspect he ties in the saboteur sub-plot. I guess reading the book would answer that question.

However, the one big head scratcher for me is the whole plot premise. The Russians spend lots of time and money to develop the super secret and stealthy Red October, only to be found out on its maiden voyage by a hot shot audio technician on the Dallas completely independent any of Ramius' plans. Bad luck for the Russians? Good luck for the Americans? Clancy's commentary on the sophistry of war? Maybe the book address this too.

As for Mr. Baldwin as Jack Ryan; I really hate, but gotta say that IMHO he's the best most believable of the four (by my count, Baldwin, Ford, Pine, and Krasinski) actors that have played him.