This is an excellent movie; it’s the best Hollywood blockbuster I’ve seen in a long time. Is it a little bit far-fetched? Yes, but it’s got 2 great qualities: 1) the acting is absolutely incredible (though is that a surprise when you’ve got Denzel and Hackman as the leads and Viggo and Tony Soprano supporting?) And 2) I love it how both main characters are half-right and half-wrong. It makes you definitely think as a viewer. After all, the bad guy is the one actually following official protocol. 9/10

A mutiny staged at conversational distance. Tony Scott shoots policy like action, turning procedure into weapons and a jammed radio into the movie’s main villain. The plot is simple on paper...launch or confirm...but the room keeps getting smaller, the oxygen thinner, and the rules sharper. Gene Hackman is old-school doctrine with teeth; Denzel Washington is cool intellect under pressure. Their standoff isn’t good vs. evil...it’s certainty vs. caution, both armed with the manual. Around them, the crew becomes a barometer: loyalty, fear, and professionalism pulling in different directions. The steel corridors, red alert lighting, and tight framing sell claustrophobia without fuss. The score booms like a hymn for hard choices. Dialogue crackles, but the suspense lands because the film respects how systems work, and how they can fail at the worst possible moment. Verdict: Taut, thunderous, and smarter than it needs to be. A great argument wrapped in a thriller. Pair it with: The Hunt for Red October, Das Boot, A Few Good Men, Thirteen Days.

For me, I didn't fully work because there was no tension, since the submarine wasn't going to be sunk and no one was going to get shot.

No villains. No monsters. Just two great men disagreeing about the fate of the world.

Tension you can chew. One of the best action movies of all time. Thank you Gene Hackman for your brilliance.