This fast-paced action-thriller, slickly directed by Tony Scott and released in 1995, is superb. It follows the power struggle that erupts on board a US nuclear submarine, dividing the crew and endangering the lives of the entire world.
Captain Ramsey (Gene Hackman, pictured) finds himself at odds with his second-in-command Lt Cdr Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington, pictured) when they are put on red alert. A volatile Russian nationalist rebel has seized control of a nuclear missile base. He threatens nuclear war if either the American or the Russian governments try to stop him.
The submarine is ordered by the US to make a pre-emptive strike on the rebels. However the ship then receives a second, incomplete message, which seems to suggest that they hold off the strike. Ramsey, playing it by the book, is determined to proceed with the attack, but Hunter refuses to agree. The scene is set for a tremendous, nail-biting climax. Highly recommended.