The Hunt for Red October

Before the Jack Ryan franchise was Affleck-ted by The Sum of All Fears, it was batting a thousand. The Hunt for Red October started it all and gave Alec Baldwin hope for a promising film career. (Who’d have thought Steven would end up being the star of the family?) This long overdue special set, coinciding with the release of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, remains the best of the Tom Clancy bunch, weaving a psychotically complex plot into a tightly drawn Cold War tale of a Russian nuclear sub commander (Sean Connery) seeking defection to America. While the extras are a bit skimpy compared with what we’re used to in a special edition, they’re perfect in their simplicity. Director John McTiernan gives mellow and in-depth commentary (get it, ’cause it’s a sub flick?) and there’s a decent behind-the-scenes documentary, which is guaranteed fun for the whole nuclear family.