Crimson Tide

"Danger runs deep."

1995 1h 56m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 2,086

ThrillerActionDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the Cold War, a breakaway Russian republic with nuclear warheads becomes a possible worldwide threat. U.S. submarine Capt. Frank Ramsey signs on a relatively green but highly recommended Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter to the USS Alabama, which may be the only ship able to stop a possible Armageddon. When Ramsey insists that the Alabama must act aggressively, Hunter, fearing they will start rather than stop a disaster, leads a potential mutiny to stop him.

“Danger runs deep.”

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Cast

Denzel Washington
Lt. Commander Ronald "Ron" Hunter
Gene Hackman
Captain Franklin "Frank" Ramsey
Matt Craven
Lt. Roy Zimmer
George Dzundza
Chief of the Boat Cob
Viggo Mortensen
Lt. Peter 'Weps' Ince
James Gandolfini
Lt. Robert 'Bobby' Dougherty
Rocky Carroll
Lt. Darik Westergard
Jaime Gomez
Officer of the Deck Mahoney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tony Scott
Writers: Michael Schiffer, Richard P. Henrick, Michael Schiffer
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $53M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

284+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tony Scott, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Lebenzon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman and Matt Craven carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tony Scott directs. Dariusz Wolski behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Chris Lebenzon cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $53M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
4284+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Tony Scott, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Chris Lebenzon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman and Matt Craven carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Danger runs deep.".
10IMDB entry: tt0112740 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 19 themes, including "mutiny", "submarine", "missile", "embassy".
12Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Chris Lebenzon
Production design: Michael White
Costume design: George L. Little
Makeup / hair: Ron Scott
VFX supervisor: Hoyt Yeatman
Sound: Kevin O'Connell
Stunt coordinator: Steve Picerni
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $53,000,000
Box office: $157,387,195
Return: 297% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Crimson Tide (1995)

Awards

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Tony Scott

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-08-28
★ 9/10
A mutiny thriller that delivers the goods wholesale. Russian rebels have seized one of their government's nuclear missile bases and are threatening to attack the U.S.A. A patrolling US nuclear submarine is ordered to fire, but almost straight afterwards an incomplete counter order brings uncertainty. The submarine Captain and the Executive Officer come into conflict as to which order to follow, and thus the subs crew are torn as to which officer is right or wrong. Directed by Tony Scott, one could be forgiven for thinking that Crimson Tide would be an outlandish ball of explosions and slaughter, thankfully it isn't, as Scott gives us one of the best underwater thrillers going. Scintilating characters are cloaked in dynamic claustrophobia, and this coupled with the ever increasing unbearable tension, makes this a must see for fans of films that are scary because of what might happen, and not because of what many blockbuster film makers actually show you. This is not a standard good vs evil plot piece, or even a good vs insane cretin film, this pitches old school stickler for the rules Captain Ramsey against the deep thinking common sense purveyor Lt Commander Ron Hunter. Ramsey believes that the completed order, which is basically to blast the Russians before they blast us type thing, should be followed, Hunter on the other hand feels that the second incomplete order must be clarified before any action is taken, because after all this could be nuclear war! The film then twists and turns as the sub is divided into two factions, mutiny is rife, but what will the outcome be? Can the radio be fixed to complete the order? Will it be too late? All these questions are tensely drawn out by Scott to get the maximum impact from what is an admittedly standard global crisis in waiting story. No shortage of machismo here either, brutishly brilliant is how I find Gene Hackman in this, his Captain Ramsey is the quintessential leader of men. Then there is Denzel Washington as Ron Hunter, eloquently spoken and a voice of reason, his ruggedness coming to the fore as the submarine starts to implode. There are few better sights in 90s cinema than watching Hackman & Washington go at each other the way they do here, starting off as just a fractious relationship, it then explodes into a war of belief and wills. It's through these pair that the film's neutral stance shines bright, what would we do in similar circumstances? Who would we follow? Both men ethically right, yet both men accountable for probable disaster. This is a wonderful picture, a lesson in tough tension building that is perfectly wrung out by a rousing Han Zimmer score, with the only weak point being a multi written script that tries to fuse pop culture references with technical lingo, something which doesn't quite sit right. However, even that can't hurt the excellently unfolding sequence of events that closes quite brilliantly with a written piece that all of us should take note of. 9/10
talisencrw2016-05-13
★ 9/10
Probably my favourite Tony Scott film, amidst stiff competition. The acting of both Hackman and Washington, plus the fine supporting cast, is top-drawer, and Scott keeps the suspense up, the film's as tight as a drum. It's rumoured that there were plenty of script doctors, including Quentin Tarantino, but that's no crime--especially when it works. One of my favourite submarine films--it's up there in my books with 'Destination Tokyo' (I haven't seen my DVD of 'Das Boot' yet). It's a great shame that Scott decided to take his life a few years back. He was a much better director than I used to give him credit for. I guess it's true that we don't realize just how good people are until they're gone. This film's essential for war film enthusiasts or those who enjoy suspense films or thrillers: It wouldn't be out of place in the oeuvres of, say, Sir Alfred Hitchcock or David Fincher, and would make a great double-bill with 'Lifeboat' or 'They Were Expendable'.
CinemaSerf2023-08-27
★ 6/10
I'm a big fan of submarine thrillers, and on the face of it - this should have been good. Gene Hackman is the experienced Captain of the USS "Alabama", sent to sea with a new Executive Officer (Denzel Washington) amidst a crisis in Russia that could result in nuclear warfare. Once on their mission, the two men dance around each other, probing and testing until they get a message to launch their missiles. This is where it ought to have become more interesting. The captain determined to obey orders, the XO keen to verify. Tempers flare and when a rogue Russian sub opens fire on them, things pass a point of no return. Which man is correct, and will they fire or not? Sadly, at this point the drama becomes all to farcical as the tautly directed opening scenarios between the two men become absurdly tribal antics onboard - to the point where the last half hour or so just beggars belief. Hackman and Washington are efficient, but nether really convince before an ending that really let's the whole thing down badly. What could have been quite a thought-provoking drama about just how far people will go to follow orders or protocols when push comes to shove is just wasted. Shame, really.