This week, the Two Cents crew dive into 1995’s Crimson Tide, where Hackman goes toe-to-toe with a young and hungry Denzel Washington over the fate of the world.
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
Almost a full month in our Hackman retrospective, and I can’t help but feel like he may have been the absolute best to ever do it. A craftsman, through and through, he seemed to kick down the doors of Hollywood in the early ’70s, a true and remained a marquee name all the way up to his retirement in the early 2000’s. It didn’t matter if he was in a prestige drama or a junky action film, Hackman gave exactly 100% in each and every performance, and, a few weeks months since his passing and a few decades since his retirement, you can still feel the absence of his presence and ability in the industry.
The Pick: Crimson Tide (1995)
Crimson Tide is a film that, for many people, kind of falls between the cracks when it comes to discussing Gene Hackman. The ’80s & ’90s were a hectic time for Hackman’s career, as he usually acted or stared in multiple movies a year. But, Crimson Tide is something special in Hackman’s career; an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest rising stars of the time, Denzel Washington.
And battle, they did! this is just a brawl of raw acting power, start to finish, as the two actors with mirrored abilities take big, dramatic swings at each other. It might not have gotten the same attention as other Hackman performances, both from audiences and award bodies, but this is an absolute A-tier performance, where Hackman allows himself to be a bit showy in his capabilities. Incredibly excited I was able to get this in under the wire, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the Cinapse team thought.
The Team:
Spencer Brickey
Crimson Tide has always felt overlooked to me. Be it in the conversation of best Tony Scott films, or best ‘90s action films, or even best performances in both Hackman’s and Washington’s careers. But, after what has to be a rewatch in the double digits for me, I can’t help but feel like this is something completely and utterly special; a tense, propulsive action film that is mostly just two of our greatest actors shouting at each other in a room.
This is essentially a feature length boxing match, with Hackman and Washington going all 12 rounds. Hackman was never a showy actor, but here he is firing on all cylinders, giving us the full works of Hackman’s ability; smarm, charm, and the thunder. His back and forth with Washington is filled with immense tension, right from the first conversation about horses. Hackman is domineering and cheeky, and escalates with fury the minute Washington questions him (Hackman’s delivery of “now, SHUT THE FUCK UP” is such a shocking tonal change that it still catches me off guard after all these viewings).
Washington is no slouch, though. A younger mirror image in many ways, he easily goes toe-to-toe with Hackman, able to be both charming and intimidating in the same breath. He is the anti-war voice against Hackman’s hawkish nature, the two of them giving each other no more than surface level niceties, a frustration bumbling under the surface.
These two titans, one on the back half of an illustrious career, and the other ascending to his peak, came together in 1995 to not only give us a no-holds-barred show from two of our greatest, but to also create one of the best anti-war films of all time. Tony Scott gets maligned as an “all fluff, no substance” director, but Crimson Tide is a perfect example of Scott’s true strength as a director; being able to give actors the space and tools necessary to put on a clinic. That is why Crimson Tide is a bonafide action classic.
Ed Travis
“You were right, and I was wrong” – Hackman’s Ramsey to Washington’s Hunter
A feat of cinematic perfection in terms of the escalation of tension, Crimson Tide utilizes every major tool the medium has to offer to spin an impeccable thriller. Michael Schiffer and Richard P. Henrick’s script lays out the stakes effectively and then presents a perfect scenario to test and strain the system for delivering nuclear warheads from a submarine. The specifics of the situation are intricate, but flawlessly laid out in order to make us root for Denzel’s character, yes… but also to see Hackman’s characters’ motivations, and to find they’re fairly sound as well. It’s a tale of mutiny and high stakes, where everyone is doing the best they can to do their duty to their country. Unlike last week’s Unforgiven, where there really were no heroes, Crimson Tide really doesn’t have villains. It’s got Denzel’s unstoppable force meeting Hackman’s immovable object, and the collision is explosive. These performers going toe-to-toe are another element of the perfection of escalation here. And then you’ve got that Hans Zimmer score, Chris Lebenzon’s editing, and of course, the glorious direction of Mr. Tony Scott. Craftsmen of the highest order, top to bottom, crafted what can only be described as one of the greatest submarine thrillers ever made.
What most fascinates me, however, is the finale. Hackman and Denzel have come to blows, drawn weapons on one another, screamed at the top of their lungs. But in the end, neither is a villain, even if Hackman is clearly an asshole. Yet, when it turns out that Denzel was right, their final communication only partially received WAS an order to stand down, and not an order to launch nukes that would bring about armageddon, Hackman has the dignity and decency to own up to his mistake. What an honor and privilege it feels like to watch a provocative and compelling military drama in which, at the end of the day, leaders own their mistakes and shortcomings, and step aside when they’re defeated, to entrust leadership to the next generation. Hackman’s final words “You were right, and I was wrong”… even if they are followed by an ongoing conversation about horses between the two leads, is music to my ears in an era where leaders seem to be rewarded for passing blame, never admitting defeat, and lying their way to victory. Hackman may be a son of a bitch here, but much like his Little Bill from Unforgiven, he comes by it honestly and has the dignity to admit defeat and concede; and it’s music to the ears of this weary American.
Brendan Agnew
Crimson Tide is a minor miracle of a film in that it retains almost all of its powerful tension and thrills no matter how many times you’ve seen the film. This was one of the later Tony Scott films I came to, already being familiar with Top Gun and Enemy of the State, but almost immediately became a comfort watch even above other enjoyable Bruckheimer productions of the ‘90s. Not only is the cast a who’s who of superstars and character actor greats, but there’s also the thrill of seeing faces like a pre-LotR Viggo Mortensen rubbing shoulders with Denzel Washington.
But the electric and often antagonistic charisma between Washington and Gene Hackman is the engine that powers this, and it never stops going once the movie introduces them to each other. A lesser film would have had both men being prickly and heated with each other from the start, but Scott and his actors sculpt a carefully considered relationship of mutual respect in spite of differences of generation and school of thought, only to see it fall apart in front of us. It’s a film sold on the promise of these two legends tearing into each other, but they’re so enjoyable to watch get along that you don’t really want that to happen.
Then there’s the entire 2nd half of the film where nuclear war is hanging over everyone’s head as well as potential mutiny and hostile submarines. Between Scott’s (restrained but still dynamic) direction and the snappy script, not only does the film make even hushed conversations feel like rollicking set pieces, but the added bits of color (however much they’re obviously Tarantino punch-ups at times) make the crew feel like real people rather than job titles and jargon. This feels like a lot of incredibly talented people confidently hitting every single mark, and balances world-ending stakes with a scope that never extended further than the torpedo tubes. Arguably Scott’s best movie, and one of Hackman’s best roles of this period in his career.
Austin Vashaw
Military chain of command is something we tend to take for granted, even in movies, but when it breaks down, it can mean major problems.
I think the most intriguing aspect of Crimson Tide is that both CAPT Ramsey (Gene Hackman) and LTC Hunter (Denzel), who find themselves on different sides of a power struggle in a nuclear submarine cut off from the world, are both essentially correct and working from valid points of view (at least until Gene unforgivably lets his dog piss all over the place, then later pulls a gun on Aragorn and threatens to start shooting). The real stakes aren’t as much about whose derived authority is more valid, as that making the wrong choice will can trigger a nuclear catastrophe.
Both actors are tremendous here, with a relatively young Denzel serving as the new upstart to Hackman’s grizzled old guard, in a crackling relationship that sizzles with tension, anger, and defiance, but also some moments of tremendous warmth and mutual respect. If there’s one thing that our revisit to Hackman’s catalog has impressed on me, it’s his range – he’s a great screen asshole, but can also be pretty charming too, and here we get to see him demonstrate both.
Keep your eyes peeled for supporting turns from future stars Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, and Steve Zahn. And mad props to Tony Scott for sneaking in a surprise Jason Robards!
