Film / Crimson Tide

"The three most powerful men in the world: the President of the United States of America; the President of the Russian Republic; and the Captain of a United States nuclear missile submarine."

— Opening Monologue

Crimson Tide is a 1995 war film about the United States Navy's nuclear submarine USS Alabama (SSBN-731), which gets sent to the Russian Far East to deter the leader of a Russian civil war, a violent ultranationalist who's threatening to use nuclear weapons against the United States.

The main conflict occurs between the boat's executive officer, Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington), and The Captain, Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman). Their personalities openly clash, Hunter being the modern Cultured Warrior and Ramsey having similarities to the old-fashioned Sergeant Rock. When their orders are Lost in Transmission, Hunter argues that they should not launch their nuclear weapons until they can confirm the orders. Ramsey fears that would be too risky and give the Renegade Russians time to strike first.

Note on the title: "Crimson Tide" is the nickname for the sports teams at the University of Alabama.

No relation to The Crimson Tide, a gamebook.

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Tropes include:

• Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: Near the end when the two commanders refuse to back down, and just sit around hoping the radio gets fixed... and start having a conversation about leadership, thinly disguised as a discussion on horses, in a Call-Back to the conversation they had when they first met.
  • Hunter invoking Star Trek to get Vossler to speed up repairs, lest they start World War III.
  • The scene in the officer's mess, wherein they discuss the nature of war and politics.
• Activation Sequence: It takes 14 minutes for the Alabama's missiles to become ready to launch. It's also mentioned that the Soviet missiles, being much larger ICBMs, would take a full hour to fuel and prepare for launch.
• Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate: Captain Ramsey is the hardass in contrast to the more reasonable XO Hunter.
• America Saves the Day: After a fashion. The plot is loosely based on/inspired by events aboard the Soviet submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, with Ramsey playing the part of Captain Valentin Savitsky, and Hunter playing the second-in-command Vasily Arkhipov. In this case, saving the day means not firing a nuke and triggering a nuclear war. To the film's merit, the script justifies the Americans' involvement, and in the end it's the Russian government's own troops who take back the rebel base.
• Anti-Mutiny: Essentially the entire plot is whether Hunter is attempting this or The Mutiny.
• Artistic License – Military:
  • In real life, the command to launch nuclear weapons cannot be countermanded once confirmed, precisely because of what happens in the film. For that same reason, the Alabama would never have received a conditional order to launch at some indeterminate point in the future. Rather, they would have been directed to get into position, but the final order to launch would be withheld until the desired time. Though if they did that, there would be no story.
  • Multiple members of the crew, including the command staff, are heavily overweight, in one arguable (and plot-relevant) case lethally so. While the Navy's fitness standards aren't extreme, they're not that permissive.
  • During the discussion on whether the Russians have already launched their missiles, Zimmer claims (in somewhat more colorful language) that one doesn't prep nuclear missiles without the intent to immediately use them.^note "You don't put on a condom unless you're gonna fuck!" This ignores the entirety of the Cold War, where both sides armed their missiles at various points but never used them.
  • No captain, regardless of how well-respected they are, would ever be allowed to have a pet (least of all a dog) onboard their submarine.
  • Running a weapons drill during an actual fire emergency is also a huge no-no.^note Ramsey's reasoning that the crew should be tested on their ability to perform even in the middle of an emergency, and that the fire has been extinguished as of his call, is valid, but there already exist drills for that purpose which don't require putting the ship and crew in unnecessary danger, and, as Hunter points out, an "extinguished" fire can still flare up again.
  • Though the Ohio-class is not nearly as cramped as older submarine models, it still does not have crawl spaces large enough for Hunter and Co. to sneak around in.
  • An SSBN would not be called upon to conduct the kind of nuclear strike the situation calls for, due to the very communications issue we see happen.
  • As much of the film tries to present the situation as Both Sides Have a Point (including the final court martial), the reality is that Ramsey committed greater atrocities for the sake of performing his assumed orders (Ramsey is in violation of at least three articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice such as UCMJ Article 133: Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman, UCMJ Article 128: Assault and UCMJ Article 80: Attempted Murder) than Hunter does trying to prevent them (Hunter certainly didn't threaten to kill anybody).
  • American SLBMs^note Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles use solid fuels that do not require fueling^note The missiles do need to be lined up using ship gyros, and the actual position ascertained, input into missile guidance computers and the actual target's position loaded up, which does take approximately 15 minutes, however this is not a refueling process and it is incorrect to call it such, but the fueling sequence allows for a better Race Against the Clock.
  • Dougherty punishing the sailor for not being able to answer the question who played the enemy commander in The Enemy Below would be punished himself for punishing an enlisted sailor for no reason. Fact: Superior officers, commissioned or non-commissioned, or enlisted superior are never permitted to arbitrarily punish junior sailors with physical exercise such as a basic training drill instructor would do. This is considered abusive treatment, an illegal order, and the subordinate is not obligated to obey. Further, the officer can be reprimanded for misusing their authority.
  • Picking Hunter as XO of a SSBN would not be by just by the Captain through a simple interview but by a Navy board or even the SSBN squadron commander, senior to Captain Ramsey.
  • Alabama is repeatedly referred to as a "ship". US Navy nomenclature for submarines is "boat".
• As You Know: During the attacks by the Akula submarine, one crew member repeatedly asks about basic concepts like the Arbitrary Weapon Range of the torpedoes (why Hunter maneuvers the Alabama to a thousand yards from the enemy before firing). In fairness, this is lampshaded when Rivetti becomes aghast at the other sailor's ignorance.
  Sailor: Goddammit, let's just shoot this fucker! What's a thousand yards for?
  Rivetti: 'Cause it takes a thousand yards for the torpedoes to arm! Jesus, who'd you fuck to get on this ship?!
• Attack on One Is an Attack on All: Rebel leader Radchenko tells the world that as president, he will kill nine hundred thousand citizens of any nation who kills one Russian citizen.
• Badass Creed: This exchange, between the captain and the chief of the boat, spoken to the crew before they board as a sort of creed:
  Ramsey: You're aware of the name of this ship ^note The correct Navy nomenclature for a submarine is actually "boat", aren't you Mister COB?
  Walters: Very aware, sir!
  Ramsey: It bears a proud name, doesn't it Mister COB?
  Walters: Very proud, sir!
  Ramsey: It represents fine people!
  Walters: Very fine people, sir!
  Ramsey: Who live in a fine, outstanding state!
  Walters: Outstanding, sir!
  Ramsey: In the greatest country in the entire world!
  Walters: In the entire world, sir!
  Ramsey: And what is that name, Mister COB?
  Walters: Alabama, sir!
  Ramsey: And what do we say?
  Ramsey/Walters: Go Bama!
  Crew: Roll Tide!
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Ramsey notes to Hunter as the Alabama is leaving port that he cannot and will not abide kiss-asses. He has to amend this less than a week in as Hunter's disguised disagreement in front of the crew sets a bad precedent for discipline, emphasising it is to be done in private.
• Black Dude Dies First: Marichek suffers a fatal heart attack during the kitchen fire, making him the first casualty on the Alabama.
• Blood Knight / Colonel Kilgore: In an early dinner table conversation, Ramsey is obviously enamoured with the glory of war and destroying the enemy in the line of duty.
• Both Sides Have a Point: If the Russians are still fueling their missiles, there's a limited window to launch a preemptive counterstrike, and the Alabama may be the only ship able to do so. On the other hand, if they've stopped, a launch would assuredly start World War III.
• Bothering by the Book: Master Chief Walters refuses Captain Ramsey's order to arrest Hunter and replace him with another officer, a gross abuse of power and against regulations.
  Get it straight, Mr. Hunter. I'm not on your side. Now you could be wrong, but wrong or right, the captain can't just replace you at will. That was completely improper, and that's why I did what I did, by the book.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Captain Ramsey threatens Weps with a gun to get the launch trigger. Weps is the only person on the ship that knows the combination to the safe with the launch trigger in it, and refuses to open it. The captain counts to three, but curses when he realizes that if he kills Weps, no one will be able to open the safe. So he points his gun at another sailor's head, and states that the sailor will die on the count of three. Weps is clearly horrified and relents, opening the safe. Fortunately, the delay caused is enough that Hunter is able to remove the launch key in the CIC, disabling the launch system.
• The Captain: It may be the Commander-in-chief's Navy, but this is Ramsey's boat—and if you can't keep up, that strange sensation you'll be feeling in the seat of your pants will be his boot in your ass!
  • Commander Hunter makes for a competent skipper during his short stint in command. In the end, Ramsey's recomendation (which is agreed by the board) is that Hunter should be given his first formal command at the earliest possible date given his performance in this crisis.
• Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: Inverted — Captain Ramsey is the hardass in contrast to the more reasonable XO Hunter. Ramsey, for example, goes into a shouting rage when Hunter refuses to consent to launching the nukes, whereas Hunter doesn't bother reprimanding Walters for saying "Fuck you" to his face.
• "Cavemen vs. Astronauts" Debate: A fight ensues when Rivetti says that the Kirby Silver Surfer was the only true Silver Surfer, and that the Mœbius Silver Surfer was shit. The incident serves to underline the Subtext of tension that is running through the boat as the threat of nuclear war (and the lack of communication with the outside world) erodes morale.
• Chekhov's Gun: Many many times. We get a weapons drill followed by the real thing, a mutiny and counter-mutiny (and counter-counter-mutiny), the EAM, the conversations about horses...
• Chekhov's Gunman: Rivetti. Hunter breaks up a fight between him and Benefield over the Silver Surfer. During the later power struggle, Rivetti helps Hunter to stop Ramsey.
• Chew-Out Fake-Out:
  • Downplayed early in the movie—Hunter scolds Rivetti for getting into a fight over the Silver Surfer, but agrees with him about whose Silver Surfer was better.
  • Inverted immediately after, when Hunter brings his concerns of morale to Ramsey, who then issues a ship-wide announcement after Hunter suggests that the men need some positive news. Ramsey starts off sounding reasonable, and then rips the entire boat a new one, stating that they are a US Navy combat ship with an imminent war posture and if you don't like it, get the hell off his boat.
    Hunter: Very inspiring, sir.
  • The admiral at the end scolds Ramsey and Hunter for the breakdown in the chain of command before commending Hunter for averting a nuclear war and recommending him for his own command.
    Anderson: My primary concern here is the breakdown in the system. In this instance, the system failed because the two senior officers did not work to resolve their differences while preserving the chain of command. Now you may have been proven right, Mr. Hunter, but in so far as the letter of the law is concerned, you were both right — and you were also both wrong. [...] Off the record, you've both created one hell of a mess. A mutiny aboard a United States nuclear submarine. Violation of nuclear launch protocol. For the record, it is the conclusion of this panel that your actions aboard the Alabama were consistent with the best traditions of the Navy and in the interests of the United States.
• Chromosome Casting: Besides Hunter's wife appearing very briefly at the beginning of the film and some women at the end in Pearl Harbor, the rest of the cast are all men. Justified it that at the time women didn't serve aboard submarines.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: The poor crewmen who are trapped in the flooding bilge bay and drown.
• Cultured Warrior: Hunter went to Harvard, and likes to ride horses. Ramsey listens to classical music in his cabin and is the one to initiate philosophical debates on the nature of war.
• Deadpan Snarker: Hunter and Rivetti.
• Death Glare: Hunter gives one to the four officers, especially to his long-term best friend Weps, who busted the Captain out and led him into control at gunpoint to seize control. Every single one of them flinches from it. Weps can't even meet it.
• "Die Hard" on a Submarine: When Hunter and his men fight to stop Ramsey from launching the missiles.
• Dutch Angle: Noticeably used a couple of times in the latter half of the movie, and sometimes justified: some of the dutch angles are a result of the camera staying "level" while the submarine manoeuvres. The Alabama's bridge set was built on a gigantic hydraulic gimbal so that it could actually be tilted, to add a dash of realism, or possibly Enforced Method Acting, depending on your perspective.
• Et Tu, Brute?:
  • Ramsey is surprised and disappointed that Master Chief Walters is among the mutineers.
  • Hunter clearly feels this towards Weps upon seeing him standing with the other officers against him.
• Explosive Instrumentation: A couple Downplayed examples:
  • When a torpedo explodes too close to the Alabama, a few sparks fly on The Bridge, but don't take anybody out.
  • The damaged radio equipment shoots a few sparks while Vossler is trying to repair it.
• Eye Scream: When the bilge bay floods one of the crewmen trapped there gets a flying bolt cap to the face.
• A Father to His Men: Hunter leads from the bottom up, contrasting with Ramsey's lead from the top style.
  • Nevertheless, some of the men have a near fanatical devotion to Ramsey.
• Foil: Hunter vs Ramsey, of course. In many ways the two men are mirror images of one another. Ramsey is the older and more experienced officer having seen actual combat, yet comes from a poorer, less educated background than Hunter. He is the hardass and firmly believes in Good Is Not Soft and is firmly in the Blood Knight category. The way he motivates the crew is through the "man up" approach, with shades of fear and intimidation. Despite his poor background, Ramsey listens to classical music and enjoys intellectual debates. Hunter on the other hand is younger and more inexperienced, having never been in a combat situation, yet comes from a more educated and esteemed background, coming from Harvard. Hunters' preference is a much more positive, softer and inspirational approach to the men, and leans towards being a Martial Pacifist. Yet in his spare time, he's shown doing violent, physical activities, like boxing and exercising.
• Foreshadowing: In the opening, Captain Ramsey comments that Jack Russell Terriers, like his dog, are the smartest animals alive. Bear, the dog, seems to take to Commander Hunter, approving of him. Turns out, the dog made the right call.
  • In a coffee break in the officer's mess, the Captain, his XO, and several officers discuss von Clausewitz and his musings on war. Commander Hunter's assertion that the true enemy is war itself foreshadows how he eventually wins a nuclear war, by not starting one.
• Freak Out: One sailor nearly loses it when the Alabama nearly sinks to her doom.
• General Ripper: Radchenko not only takes control of an ICBM base but starts fueling the missiles with the intent to actually use them.
• God Help Us All: Ramsey believes they should launch their nuclear missiles immediately to obliterate the terrorist faction in Russia. Hunter argues that they should get confirmation before starting a nuclear holocaust.
  Ramsey: God help you if you're wrong.
  Hunter: If I'm wrong, then we're at war. God help us all.
• Godzilla Threshold: The situation that prompts Alabama's deployment to the northwest Pacific: radical Russian ultranationalist rebels have seized a field of ICBM silos in the Kamchatka Peninsula, have gotten their hands on the launch codes, and are threatening a massive launch against the continental United States. The Russian army is fighting to recapture the facility, but if the rebels start their launch sequence, Alabama will have a brief window to make a flat-trajectory ICBM launch with half her payload of Trident missiles to destroy the facility before they can fire. While using strategic nuclear weapons against Russian soil is extremely serious, the target is in a sparsely-populated area, and the alternative will result in tens of millions of American civilian lives lost. The Russian government understands this, and would not view it as an act of war. If, however, somebody were to nuke the place after the crisis has been averted....different story.
• Good Is Not Soft: Hunter may be heroic and moral, but he doesn't hesitate to destroy the Akula that attacks the Alabama and he orders Hellerman to seal the bilge bay and let three men drown in order to save the ship.
• Good Versus Good: Ramsey and Hunter are both doing what they think is best for America in a difficult situation; however, Hunter is the more sympathetic character. And Ramsey isn't.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Radchenko.
• Ham-to-Ham Combat: Hunter and Ramsey get into a full-on shouting match over what orders they're supposed to follow.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: Weps jumps from Hunter’s side to Ramsey’s and back again. Ramsey is his Captain, but Hunter is a longtime friend, so he is the most torn between the two men of anyone on the Alabama.
• Heel Realization: The expression on Captain Ramsey's face when the EAM is read looks like this.
• Hero Antagonist: This is mostly a Good Versus Good situation, with dabs of Greyand Gray Morality dealing with nuclear weapons. Ramsey is a good person at heart wanting to do what's best for America, but narratively he's the antagonist; he is the darker and tougher military man, is the one to escalate situations (compared to the always cool headed Hunter), resorts to physical violence, and in the end is proven wrong.
• Heroes Love Dogs: Okay, Ramsey's more of an Anti-Hero (or Anti-Villain, depending on how you look at it), but he really does love his dog. Hunter, who's higher up on the heroic scale, is also fond of the dog. He also has his own dog whom he clearly cares about.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Four crewmen remain behind in the flooding bilge bay to try and plug the leak, and ultimately drown when the hatch is sealed.
• Hero of Another Story: Russian soldiers are fighting to secure the missile base before the ultranationalists can launch. We find out at the end that they succeeded.
  • Averted insomuch as its noted that the rebels more or less folded when the Russian Army stormed in, with less than a hundred killed in the clash before loyalist control was restored.
• Hero Protagonist: Hunter. He's ultimately proven right and is literally The Protagonist of the story.
• High Turnover Rate: It's briefly mentioned that Ramsey has gone through eight or nine XOs in 1994.
• Hope Spot: The crew celebrates when they destroy the Akula...and then they see one more torpedo coming for them...
• Hot Sub-on-Sub Action: The Alabama gets into a skirmish with an Akula class hunter-killer. The first round damages the comms on the Alabama; round 2 ends with the destruction of the Akula and the near-sinking of the Alabama.
• Hypocrite: Ramsey, twice. For merely pausing and using different wording than him, he takes Hunter aside and lectures him about never contradicting or undermining each other in front of the men. When Hunter brings his concerns about morale to him, Ramsey gets on 1MC and essentially tells the entire boat that he has heard Hunter and doesn't care, undermining his XO's authority in front of everyone. In their first confrontation, Ramsey tells Hunter that their rules are explicit, unambiguous, and not subject to personal interpretation or discretion; but when Hunter refuses to approve the launch, Ramsey tries to ignore those same rules to have him removed and replaced.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: When Hunter and Weps are watching the footage from Russia, Weps idly suggests that maybe it's not as bad as it looks. Cue Hunter's home phone ringing, along with Weps' beeper. It is as bad as it looks.
• Interservice Rivalry: "I expect and demand your very best. Anything less—you should have joined the Air Force!"
• Irrevocable Order: Deconstructed as the basis for the internal conflict of the crew. When the new message is interrupted by the enemy sub, Ramsey chooses to continue with their existing order to launch, having no orders to the contrary in hand, and on the basis that the other subs with redundant orders may have been destroyed. Hunter wants to try to repair the radio, arguing that the new message could be an order to change targets, or cancel the launch entirely. Ramsey and Hunter both argue the merits of their positions to the officers and crew forming their respective factions. Hunter even explicitly points out that if they fire, and they're wrong, they will have caused World War III when Russia retaliates. Ultimately subverted when they repair the radio and confirm that the new message IS, in fact, an order to cancel their launch, as the rebel missile site had been recaptured by the Russian government.
• It's Not About the Request: Some of the Alabama's officers and NCOs use some version of this to justify their reaction to the conflict between Ramsey and Hunter. The most notable case probably being Master Chief Walters, who makes it clear that he's not exactly on Hunter's side about launching or not launching the nukes, but while he agrees with Ramsey he balks at Ramsey's decision to replace Hunter as Executive Officer because Ramsey is overstepping his authority and Navy regs by doing so.
• Karma Houdini: Dougherty, Zimmer and Westergard launch a mutiny (counter-mutiny?) against Hunter (and come across as colossal jerks in the process) that nearly launches the war after all, but are never shown to have been reprimanded in the aftermath due to the brass's decision that it was a Good Versus Good conflict.
  • To be fair, in a deleted scene which slightly extends the Court Martial scene, we see Zimmer walking out of what would seem to have been his hearing ... and he very much looks like the board took a hammer to his career.
• A Lighter Shade of Grey: Played straight with Ramsey and Hunter. Despite the some efforts of the film to tell the viewer that both Ramsey and Hunter are equally right and wrong when dealing with nuclear warfare and weapons, the fact of the matter is that Hunter is portrayed in a more heroic light than Ramsey: he keeps his cool in nearly all situations, is Harvard educated, a Martial Pacifist, willing to technically disobey orders for the greater good, and ends up being right. It also helps that he's The Protagonist. Ramsey on the other hand is a rough and darker military man, being Sergeant Rock with bits of The Neidermeyer sprinkled in. He punches Hunter in the face twice and threatens to outright murder another sailor in order to force Weps to launch the missiles. Ramsey was always the one to escalate situations, and was in the wrong to order Hunter's removal when Hunter refused to relay his order for a nuclear strike. While Hunter might've been partially wrong, Ramsey was wrong on all counts.
• Lost in Transmission: The main conflict revolves around the differing opinions of the captain and the executive officer after they receive an interrupted emergency message that begins "Nuclear missile laun...". Having previously been ordered to launch their nuclear weapons, and being unable to reestablish communications, the captain feels they must ignore the incomplete transmission (which due to this trope has no authentication code) and launch immediately, as per their orders in hand, while the executive officer wants time to ask for confirmation before they start a nuclear holocaust.
  Weps: If they order him to launch, we'll launch, and we'll blow 'em all to hell. But I'd rather go down myself than get this one wrong.
• Make the Bear Angry Again: By way of Renegade Russian General Radchenko, though in this case the angryness is extinguished by the bear itself before it goes completely and irreversibly angry.
• Manly Tears: Quite a few are shed both while the Alabama is sinking and when they barely escape a watery grave. Even the ones who don't weep are just barely holding it together.
• Martial Pacifist: Hunter. He fights back against an Akula that attacks the Alabama, but he won't launch the nukes if there's a chance that the order has been rescinded.
• Mexican Standoff: During the climax, half the people on The Bridge have weapons pointed at each other.
• Mildly Military: There was a lot of Artistic License, but Real Life submariners actually thought the film got a surprising amount right.
• Military Maverick: Captain Ramsey.
• Missing Mission Control: Pretty much the central factor behind the plot: the USS Alabama suffers a radio equipment malfunction while in the middle of receiving a high-priority message: The crew does not know whether their orders are to launch their nuclear missiles or to abort, and The Captain and the Commander Contrarian end up unable to agree on their next course of action.
• Mission Briefing:
  • Ramsey and a visiting admiral brief the officers of the Alabama on the situation in Russia before they set sail. It also serves to introduce Hunter to the rest of the crew.
  • Hunter then gives the men another briefing when they get new information about Radchenko's forces.
• The Mutiny: There's a mutiny aboard a submarine during rising tensions between the United States and Russia that were set to go nuclear. Tricky, in that none of the participants are sure who the mutineer actually is, as both sides claim legitimate authority within the Articles of War governing the United States Navy.
• Mutually Assured Destruction: Discussed when Hunter warns of what will happen if the Alabama improperly launches the nukes and Russia retaliates: "Nuclear holocaust."
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Several Alabama crewmembers demonstrate that even when they don't understand the logic of his decisions, they'll follow Captain Ramsey loyally to the bitter end. Part of the friction with Commander Hunter is that he is slightly less willing to follow the Captain all gung-ho.
  • One gets the impression that if the Alabama had launched an unconfirmed strike and triggered a world ending nuclear war; if the crew stood trial (if anyone was left to try them) they'd still defend their commander's orders.
  • It's also clear that Ramsey's loyalists don't have much love for Hunter, thinking that he's chickening out when he delays launching the nukes.
  • Subverted with Master Chief Walters, who makes it clear to Hunter that while he supports Ramsey, he is taking Hunter’s side because Ramsey has overstepped his authority and out of fear of causing a nuclear war.
    Hunter: Thank you, COB.
    Walters: "Thank you"? Fuck you. Get it straight, Mr. Hunter. I'm not on your side. Now you could be wrong, but wrong or right, the captain can't just replace you at will. That was completely improper, and that's why I did what I did, by the book.
    Hunter: I thank you anyway.
• The Neidermeyer:
  • When he's not being a Colonel Kilgore to his officers, talking about how "war is the continuation of politics by other means", Ramsey is The Neidermeyer to the crew during normal day-to-day operations. When informed by Hunter that morale is low and that they might need some words of encouragement from their beloved captain, Ramsey takes the opportunity to chew them all out over the intercom for being lazy and feckless. He also orders a missile drill in response to news of a fire breaking out in the ship's kitchen, just to test the crew's readiness.
  • Lt. Dougherty persecutes a poor seaman on the bus because he didn't address him correctly. He demands the crewman answer an obscure question from an old submarine film and makes him drop and give him 20 when the crewman fails to answer.
• Nerves of Steel: Hunter is almost always calm under pressure, be it arguing with Captain Ramsey, getting punched by Captain Ramsey or in a fight with the Akula - he never loses his cool.
• Never My Fault: Zigzagged. At the end Ramsey says that Hunter was right, but then reveals he's taking about horses that each thought was from a different country although its possible that he means both.
  • Several of Ramsey's supporters from the various mutinies also lack much contrition or introspection once it turns out that Hunter was indeed right.
• New Meat: Played with. Hunter is new to the Alabama, but has extensive theoretical education and earned his way into the position. This forms a a major part of the conflict, as he's too young to have seen real action, whereas Ramsey is stated to be one of the last officers in the Navy with experience of war. Hunter handily dispels any doubts to his competence by taking out the Akula, and proves himself able to make the big decisions when he firmly gives the order to seal drowning crewmembers in the bilge bay to save the ship.
• Newscaster Cameo: Richard Valeriani, a long-time White House correspondent, played himself reporting the backstory leading to the plot.
• Noisy Guns: When it's all gone seriously wrong, near the close, two groups of submariners are pointing guns at each other. Every move they make seems to result in their guns being cocked, going by the soundtrack.
• Novelization: By co-writer Richard P. Henrick.
• A Nuclear Error: The captain of a US nuclear submarine was, until recently, permitted to release his nuclear weapons if he could not communicate with the President after the order to arm the warheads was given. In 1995, this was also the Russian policy for sub commanders.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Chief Walters is only ever referred to as "COB", his rank as Chief of the Boat^note  senior enlisted advisor to the CO and XO. We don't even get his first name.
• Only the Creator Does It Right: In-Universe, this is the crux of the fight between Rivetti and Benefield, as the former only likes the Silver Surfer as originally done by Jack Kirby while the latter prefers the Jean "Moebius" Giraud interpretation.
• Plot-Driven Breakdown: The buoy winch malfunctions at the worst possible time. Not only does it prevent contact with Washington, it also reveals the Alabama's position to the Akula.
• The Protagonist: Most of the movie is from Hunter's point of view and Denzel get's the most screentime, with the movie opening up with a birthday party at his house. Several characters are Deuteragonists.
• Race Against the Clock: For the captain this trope is literal. The Russians have begun fueling their missiles and so they will be ready to launch in one hour. If that's correct, then he needs to launch preemptively.
• Red Alert: The captain of the Alabama is depicted ordering back-to-back drills for "Battle Stations, Torpedo" and "Battle Stations, Missile" while a very real fire is being fought in another compartment. The climax of the film occurs with the crew at Battle Stations, Missile.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blood Knight Ramsey and Martial Pacifist Hunter, respectively.
• Renegade Russian: Vladimir Radchenko. Ramsey even notes that this guy is playing a whole different game than the good old-fashioned commies did. A deleted scene elaborates on this, showing him (quite seriously) telling a reporter that he believes Russia should conquer the Japanese islands, and that a suitable foreign policy would be to kill 900,000 people for every Russian killed by a foreigner.
• Repeat to Confirm: Especially prevalent whenever they receive and authenticate an Emergency Action Message. Then again, with megaton-scale bombs under their control, there's absolutely no room for ambiguity.
  Zimmer: Captain, we have a properly formatted emergency action message from National Command Authority for strategic missile launch. Captain.
  Westergard: I concur, sir.
  Ramsey: Get the authenticator.
  (Zimmer and Westergard get the authenticator)
  Zimmer: Sir, request permission to authenticate.
  Ramsey: Permission granted. Authenticate.
  (Westergard breaks open the authenticator)
  Zimmer: Bravo-Echo-Echo-Charlie-Alpha-Tango-Alpha.
  Westergard: Bravo-Echo-Echo-Charlie-Alpha-Tango-Alpha.
  Zimmer: Message is authentic, sir.
  Westergard: I concur, sir.
  Hunter: I concur, sir.
  Ramsey: Message is authentic.
• Resigned in Disgrace: After Ramsey is proven wrong, the Navy accepts his early retirement rather than having him Court-martialed.
• Retirony: A deleted scene reveals that Walters is on his last cruise. He doesn't die though.
• Rousing Speech:
  • Defied by Ramsey when Hunter tells him that the crew may need a pat on the back to improve morale. The Captain makes an immediate boat-wide speech that essentially says "man up or get off the boat".
    Ramsey: May I have your attention, please. Mr. Hunter has brought it to my attention that morale may be a bit low, that you may be a bit...
    Hunter: (mouthing) On edge.
    Ramsey: ...on edge. So I suggest this: Any crewmember who feels he can't handle the situation can leave the ship right now. Gentlemen, we're at Defcon 3. War is imminent! This is the captain. That is all.
    Hunter: Very inspiring, sir.
  • The Captain had played this straight before the crew boarded, but did promise a boot in the ass of anyone who couldn't keep up.
    Ramsey: Little ducks...there's trouble in Russia...so they called us. We're going over there, and bringing the most lethal killing machine ever devised. We're capable of launching more firepower than has ever been released in the history of war for one purpose alone: to keep our country safe. We constitute the front line and the last line of defense. I expect and demand your very best. Anything less...you shoulda joined the air force! (the men laugh) This might be our Commander-in-Chief's navy...but this is my boat! All I ask is that you keep up with me, and if you can't...that strange sensation you'll be feeling in the seat of your pants...will be my boot in your ass! (the men laugh)
• Seinfeldian Conversation: These pop culture conversations were apparently added by Quentin Tarantino, who was a script doctor for this film:
  • Rivetti and Benefield get into an argument over which Silver Surfer is the best one.
  • Dougherty and some other officers talk about submarine movies, including The Enemy Below.
  • The ongoing conversation between Hunter and Ramsey about horse racing.
• Sensor Suspense: All throughout the skirmish with the Akula, with her appearing, disappearing, and reappearing and firing torpedoes.
• Serious Business: Several of the men get into a physical fight over which Silver Surfer was the "true" one. The incident is meant to emphasize just how on edge they all are due to the tense situation with the nuke dilemma.
• Shout-Out:
  • Hunter invokes Star Trek: The Original Series to encourage Vossler to work as fast as possible.
    Hunter: Well I'm Captain Kirk, you're Scotty, I need more power.
  • Hunter reassures Rivetti that, "anyone who reads comic books knows that the Kirby Silver Surfer is the only true Silver Surfer."
• Silent Running Mode: During their encounter with the Akula, they rig for "ultra quiet."
• Sinking Ship Scenario: Hunter finds himself in this situation with him forced to order flooding sections sealed with men inside.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Okay, pretty much all the sailors swear like, well, sailors, but Ramsey is the worst offender.
  "I'M THE COMMANDER OF THIS FUCKING SHIP! GIMME THE GODDAMN KEY!!"
• Skewed Priorities: A deleted scene shows several members of the crew watching Radchenko on the news, and showing more interest in the size of the reporters breasts than the threats Radchenko is making.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: The majestic music that plays while the Alabama is sinking and three sailors drown in the bilge bay.
• Stout Strength: COB Walters is a chubby man (a deleted scene even has Ramsey concerned about how overweight he is), but one who seems to have some muscle and proves steadfast during the Mutinies.
• Suddenly Shouting: How it becomes clear that the breakdown in command unity has reached a critical point, which occurs during the second conversation between Hunter and Ramsey on what to do about the cut off EAM transmission.
  Ramsey: Mr. Hunter, I've made my decision, I'm captain of this boat, NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP!
• That's an Order!: Hunter giving the order to seal the bilge bay to save the ship, even though three men will drown.
  Hunter: Lieutenant Hellerman, you have your orders! Now seal the goddamn bilge bay before we all go down!
• This Is Not a Drill: When they really do get the order to be on standby. Played with as there was a drill before.
• True Companions: Rear Admiral Anderson and Captain Ramsey, judging by the unshakable trust between them.
  Rear Admiral Anderson: I have known Captain Ramsey for almost 30 years. We served together on more than a few occasions. If he is lying this will be the first I've heard of it.
• Two-Keyed Lock:
  • The conflict between Ramsey and Hunter demonstrates why there are two keys necessary to launch the missiles, so that one of them can stop the other from starting World War III. The launch trigger itself is kept behind a third lock with only the weapons officer having access.
  • When a launch order comes in, the communications officer and operations officer are both needed to authenticate it. The authenticators are kept behind two safe doors and each officer only has one of the combinations. And then those two, plus the CO and XO, have to agree that the order is authentic.
• War Is Hell: Espoused by Hunter. "In my humble opinion, in the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself."
• Wicked Cultured: Ramsey has a Schubert piece playing in his cabin during an early scene with Hunter.
• With Due Respect
• World War III: Averted at the end.
• Yes-Man: Both Discussed and Defied—Ramsey makes it clear that he won't tolerate a kiss-ass. Hunter quickly proves that he's no kiss-ass.

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"As of January 1996, primary authority and ability to fire nuclear missiles will no longer rest with U.S. submarine commanders...
Principal control will reside with the President of the United States."