In the typical Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer mould(the partnership yielded Top Gun and Days of Thunder, among many other films), this 1995 drama is a combination of one-dimensional but enjoyable performances, lots of high-tech nonsense taking place onscreen, and mechanistic movie-making at its loudest and most seizure-inducing. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington play nuclear submarine officers squaring off over the former's apparent intention to do some unauthorized damage to an enemy. Tony Scott (Top Gun) directed, bringing his lustre and pop commercial sense to go with all that Simpson-Bruckheimer eye candy. --Tom Keogh

This film is set upon a submarine, essentially is about the conflicting opinions of a Captain (Gene Hackman) and his First Officer (Denzel Washington) over a set of orders, the first of which they concur on and a second set which are incomplete, they have totally different takes on what to do, or not.

Both leads are on fine form, particularly Gene Hackman, with good support from James Gandolfini and George Dzundza, there's a good level of tension throughout most of the film as a power struggle ensues between the Captain and his FO.

A fine film which I fully intend to buy on DVD.

There have been a number of films about the USA going to the edge of nuclear war by accident, but the action has usually centred around the big decisions in the Pentagon, or in a bunker in the mid-west. This film traps the viewer in a submarine with the crew of the USS Alabama, trying to resolve a message fragment that might be cancelling the nuclear strike they have been directed to deliver.
Washington and Hackman circle around eachother like predators, with a concealed undercurrent of racism beneath Hackman's character.
Tension mounts as the relationship between the Captain and his Executive Officer goes from indifferent, to good, then to bad as the voyage progresses. When the message fragment arrives - and they disagree on it-the situation boils over into mutiny. Brilliant performances by all, particularly Hackman, and streets ahead of Red October.
One you can watch again and again.

Director Tony Scott does an extremely good job in making this into a great thriller. When a film is set almost entirely on board a submarine it can't be easy to come up with enough excitement to fill two hours. Fortunately thanks to great performances from Hackman and Washington, and a great supporting cast Scott manages to pull this off. It's hard work building up the tension in the first hour without losing the viewer but it's achieved here thanks to a few action set pieces and a bit of pop culture dialogue that was added to the script courtesy of Quentin Tarantino. The last half hour or so is a real power struggle between the two leading men and it almost makes the viewer feel as though they're trapped on the sub with them such is the intesity of the performances. A totally solid and absorbing thriller.

Crimson Tide is a film about a Nuclear US Submarine, call sign ALABAMA. Gene Hackman is the Captain, Denzel Washington is the ExO (Executive Officer). The ALABAMA is ordered to bring an end to a rising in Russia, the man responsible gets his hands on some Russian Nukes belonging to the Govt. The ALABAMA suffers a problem with its communications equipment, and as a result cuts half a message off and doesn't recieve any more. Thus the Capt. and ExO have a disagreement over whether to launch their Nukes or not.
All in all a spectacular film, very true to life (unfortunately), obviously there are protocauls in place to prevent such an incident, but forget about those for a while. This film is a masterpiece because you don't know who's right and who's wrong, who's good and who's bad right until the end.
It is well worth seeing, even if you aren't into the military, although some of you immature teenagers (some, not all) probably won't like this at all.

Gene Hackman and Wesley Snipe play a game of chess in a power struggle that has the fate of the world in the balance. Denzel Washington is Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter, the new XO on a nuclear sub The Crimson Tide, Captained by Capt. Frank Ramsey, Gene Hackman in another typically strong and dis-likable performance. Gene's character is arrogant, slightly redneck, got-there-the-hard-way subdriver and has overbearing manner, right down to an irritating little dog named Jack Daniels. He is slightly intimidated by Denzel's highly education, got there by hard study, and naturally tries to deny this - even to himself - but the personality clash is going to happen.

In the middle of the action, is Weps (Yeppers, Aragon in a buzz cut!!). Viggo Mortensen's character, Lt. Peter 'Weps' Ince, respects both men. He is friends with Denzel, but he has served together with Hackman as more will to work with him.
His character is torn by friends and chain of command, plus his own worry and conscience about the effect upon his family.

Good Support from George Dzundza; Nice cameo at the end by Jason Robards.

Well written, acted and strongly paced.