Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Crimson Tide

 Crimson Tide
type
TVTItem
 Crimson Tide
label
Crimson Tide
 Crimson Tide
page
CrimsonTide
 Crimson Tide
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide
fetched
2024-04-25T05:02:04Z
 Crimson Tide
parsed
2024-04-25T05:02:05Z
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to Downplayed: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to Foil: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to GoodVersusGood: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to StarTrek: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to StarTrekTheOriginalSeries: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Crimson Tide
processingComment
Dropped link to TheEnemyBelow: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Crimson Tide
processingUnknown
Downplayed
 Crimson Tide
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Crimson Tide / int_1206d299
type
Can't Kill You, Still Need You
 Crimson Tide / int_1206d299
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_1206d299
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_1206d299
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_1206d299
 Crimson Tide / int_14180452
type
Instantly Proven Wrong
 Crimson Tide / int_14180452
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_14180452
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_14180452
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_14180452
 Crimson Tide / int_1501e2dd
type
Hero Antagonist
 Crimson Tide / int_1501e2dd
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_1501e2dd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_1501e2dd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_1501e2dd
 Crimson Tide / int_170cf4b6
type
Heroes Love Dogs
 Crimson Tide / int_170cf4b6
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_170cf4b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_170cf4b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_170cf4b6
 Crimson Tide / int_19d06ef7
type
A Father to His Men
 Crimson Tide / int_19d06ef7
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_19d06ef7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_19d06ef7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_19d06ef7
 Crimson Tide / int_1c6ded94
type
Wicked Cultured
 Crimson Tide / int_1c6ded94
comment
Wicked Cultured: Ramsey has a Schubert piece playing in his cabin during an early scene with Hunter.
 Crimson Tide / int_1c6ded94
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_1c6ded94
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_1c6ded94
 Crimson Tide / int_1e584efa
type
Cruel and Unusual Death
 Crimson Tide / int_1e584efa
comment
Cruel and Unusual Death: The poor crewmen who are trapped in the flooding bilge bay and drown.
 Crimson Tide / int_1e584efa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_1e584efa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_1e584efa
 Crimson Tide / int_21f60711
type
Good Is Not Soft
 Crimson Tide / int_21f60711
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_21f60711
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_21f60711
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_21f60711
 Crimson Tide / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Crimson Tide / int_22cf536c
comment
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...
 Crimson Tide / int_22cf536c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_22cf536c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_22cf536c
 Crimson Tide / int_280333d4
type
Hollywood Heart Attack
 Crimson Tide / int_280333d4
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_280333d4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_280333d4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_280333d4
 Crimson Tide / int_2dae4381
type
My Master, Right or Wrong
 Crimson Tide / int_2dae4381
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_2dae4381
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Crimson Tide / int_2dae4381
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_2dae4381
 Crimson Tide / int_2f69c343
type
Resigned in Disgrace
 Crimson Tide / int_2f69c343
comment
Resigned in Disgrace: After Ramsey is proven wrong, the Navy accepts his early retirement rather than having him Court-martialed.
 Crimson Tide / int_2f69c343
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_2f69c343
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_2f69c343
 Crimson Tide / int_30dff15f
type
Physical Fitness Punishment
 Crimson Tide / int_30dff15f
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_30dff15f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_30dff15f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_30dff15f
 Crimson Tide / int_31254f02
type
Two-Keyed Lock
 Crimson Tide / int_31254f02
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_31254f02
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_31254f02
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_31254f02
 Crimson Tide / int_353f2b06
type
"Die Hard" on an X
 Crimson Tide / int_353f2b06
comment
"Die Hard" on a Submarine: When Hunter and his men fight to stop Ramsey from launching the missiles.
 Crimson Tide / int_353f2b06
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_353f2b06
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_353f2b06
 Crimson Tide / int_3994d78b
type
Irrevocable Order
 Crimson Tide / int_3994d78b
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_3994d78b
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Crimson Tide / int_3994d78b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_3994d78b
 Crimson Tide / int_3d2c6d30
type
Skewed Priorities
 Crimson Tide / int_3d2c6d30
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_3d2c6d30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_3d2c6d30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_3d2c6d30
 Crimson Tide / int_4691c64f
type
Mission Briefing
 Crimson Tide / int_4691c64f
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_4691c64f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_4691c64f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_4691c64f
 Crimson Tide / int_48e24f
type
Anti-Mutiny
 Crimson Tide / int_48e24f
comment
Anti-Mutiny: Essentially the entire plot is whether Hunter is attempting this or The Mutiny.
 Crimson Tide / int_48e24f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_48e24f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_48e24f
 Crimson Tide / int_496569e8
type
Race Against the Clock
 Crimson Tide / int_496569e8
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_496569e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_496569e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_496569e8
 Crimson Tide / int_49d5dd74
type
"Cavemen vs. Astronauts" Debate
 Crimson Tide / int_49d5dd74
comment
"Cavemen vs. Astronauts" Debate: A fight ensues when Rivetti says that the Kirby Silver Surfer was the only true Silver Surfer, and that the MÅ“bius 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.
 Crimson Tide / int_49d5dd74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_49d5dd74
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_49d5dd74
 Crimson Tide / int_4c455537
type
Plot-Driven Breakdown
 Crimson Tide / int_4c455537
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_4c455537
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_4c455537
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_4c455537
 Crimson Tide / int_4c5724ab
type
God Help Us All
 Crimson Tide / int_4c5724ab
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_4c5724ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_4c5724ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_4c5724ab
 Crimson Tide / int_4e8b83a
type
That's an Order!
 Crimson Tide / int_4e8b83a
comment
That's an Order!: Hunter giving the order to seal the bilge bay to save the ship, even though three men will drown.
 Crimson Tide / int_4e8b83a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_4e8b83a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_4e8b83a
 Crimson Tide / int_500696c6
type
Seinfeldian Conversation
 Crimson Tide / int_500696c6
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_500696c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_500696c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_500696c6
 Crimson Tide / int_5037b961
type
Et Tu, Brute?
 Crimson Tide / int_5037b961
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_5037b961
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_5037b961
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_5037b961
 Crimson Tide / int_508ef715
type
The Bridge
 Crimson Tide / int_508ef715
comment
When a torpedo explodes too close to the Alabama, a few sparks fly on The Bridge, but don't take anybody out.
 Crimson Tide / int_508ef715
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_508ef715
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_508ef715
 Crimson Tide / int_581f6468
type
Hero of Another Story
 Crimson Tide / int_581f6468
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_581f6468
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_581f6468
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_581f6468
 Crimson Tide / int_5a29f9f6
type
Sinking Ship Scenario
 Crimson Tide / int_5a29f9f6
comment
Sinking Ship Scenario: Hunter finds himself in this situation with him forced to order flooding sections sealed with men inside.
 Crimson Tide / int_5a29f9f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_5a29f9f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_5a29f9f6
 Crimson Tide / int_5bad2ab4
type
Military Maverick
 Crimson Tide / int_5bad2ab4
comment
Military Maverick: Captain Ramsey.
 Crimson Tide / int_5bad2ab4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_5bad2ab4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_5bad2ab4
 Crimson Tide / int_5ce2c9c6
type
Suddenly Shouting
 Crimson Tide / int_5ce2c9c6
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_5ce2c9c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_5ce2c9c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_5ce2c9c6
 Crimson Tide / int_6004e99c
type
Activation Sequence
 Crimson Tide / int_6004e99c
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_6004e99c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6004e99c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6004e99c
 Crimson Tide / int_618c7492
type
The Protagonist
 Crimson Tide / int_618c7492
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_618c7492
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_618c7492
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_618c7492
 Crimson Tide / int_627264e0
type
Death Glare
 Crimson Tide / int_627264e0
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_627264e0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_627264e0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_627264e0
 Crimson Tide / int_6383a034
type
The Mutiny
 Crimson Tide / int_6383a034
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_6383a034
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6383a034
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6383a034
 Crimson Tide / int_6439de78
type
Heroic Sacrifice
 Crimson Tide / int_6439de78
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_6439de78
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6439de78
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6439de78
 Crimson Tide / int_6454966e
type
World War III
 Crimson Tide / int_6454966e
comment
World War III: Averted at the end.
 Crimson Tide / int_6454966e
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6454966e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6454966e
 Crimson Tide / int_64e975cf
type
Manly Tears
 Crimson Tide / int_64e975cf
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_64e975cf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_64e975cf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_64e975cf
 Crimson Tide / int_6b35bdff
type
Serious Business
 Crimson Tide / int_6b35bdff
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_6b35bdff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6b35bdff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6b35bdff
 Crimson Tide / int_6bcecad1
type
Make the Bear Angry Again
 Crimson Tide / int_6bcecad1
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_6bcecad1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6bcecad1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6bcecad1
 Crimson Tide / int_6eb4e408
type
Artistic License – Military
 Crimson Tide / int_6eb4e408
comment
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 SLBMsnote Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles use solid fuels that do not require fuelingnote 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".
 Crimson Tide / int_6eb4e408
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_6eb4e408
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_6eb4e408
 Crimson Tide / int_70af5e15
type
Anthropic Principle
 Crimson Tide / int_70af5e15
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_70af5e15
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_70af5e15
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_70af5e15
 Crimson Tide / int_713e479
type
Sensor Suspense
 Crimson Tide / int_713e479
comment
Sensor Suspense: All throughout the skirmish with the Akula, with her appearing, disappearing, and reappearing and firing torpedoes.
 Crimson Tide / int_713e479
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_713e479
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_713e479
 Crimson Tide / int_72856b70
type
Godzilla Threshold
 Crimson Tide / int_72856b70
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_72856b70
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_72856b70
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_72856b70
 Crimson Tide / int_79503ae9
type
Stout Strength
 Crimson Tide / int_79503ae9
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_79503ae9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_79503ae9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_79503ae9
 Crimson Tide / int_7d32da92
type
Lost in Transmission
 Crimson Tide / int_7d32da92
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_7d32da92
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_7d32da92
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_7d32da92
 Crimson Tide / int_7f2c7fae
type
Explosive Instrumentation
 Crimson Tide / int_7f2c7fae
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_7f2c7fae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_7f2c7fae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_7f2c7fae
 Crimson Tide / int_7fbe9a30
type
Freak Out
 Crimson Tide / int_7fbe9a30
comment
Freak Out: One sailor nearly loses it when the Alabama nearly sinks to her doom.
 Crimson Tide / int_7fbe9a30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_7fbe9a30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_7fbe9a30
 Crimson Tide / int_80ed8406
type
Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough
 Crimson Tide / int_80ed8406
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_80ed8406
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_80ed8406
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_80ed8406
 Crimson Tide / int_83f0971b
type
Mexican Standoff
 Crimson Tide / int_83f0971b
comment
Mexican Standoff: During the climax, half the people on The Bridge have weapons pointed at each other.
 Crimson Tide / int_83f0971b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_83f0971b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_83f0971b
 Crimson Tide / int_8411ab92
type
Red Oni, Blue Oni
 Crimson Tide / int_8411ab92
comment
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blood Knight Ramsey and Martial Pacifist Hunter, respectively.
 Crimson Tide / int_8411ab92
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_8411ab92
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_8411ab92
 Crimson Tide / int_857744e7
type
Chew-Out Fake-Out
 Crimson Tide / int_857744e7
comment
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. 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.
 Crimson Tide / int_857744e7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_857744e7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_857744e7
 Crimson Tide / int_86bbf6b5
type
Newscaster Cameo
 Crimson Tide / int_86bbf6b5
comment
Newscaster Cameo: Richard Valeriani, a long-time White House correspondent, played himself reporting the backstory leading to the plot.
 Crimson Tide / int_86bbf6b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_86bbf6b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_86bbf6b5
 Crimson Tide / int_86c192f4
type
Badass Creed
 Crimson Tide / int_86c192f4
comment
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:
 Crimson Tide / int_86c192f4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_86c192f4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_86c192f4
 Crimson Tide / int_889f217f
type
Hot Sub-on-Sub Action
 Crimson Tide / int_889f217f
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_889f217f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_889f217f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_889f217f
 Crimson Tide / int_8fd7af48
type
Sir Swears-a-Lot
 Crimson Tide / int_8fd7af48
comment
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Okay, pretty much all the sailors swear like, well, sailors, but Ramsey is the worst offender.
 Crimson Tide / int_8fd7af48
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_8fd7af48
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_8fd7af48
 Crimson Tide / int_9591377d
type
Heel Realization
 Crimson Tide / int_9591377d
comment
Heel Realization: The expression on Captain Ramsey's face when the EAM is read looks like this.
 Crimson Tide / int_9591377d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9591377d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9591377d
 Crimson Tide / int_95f4a369
type
Attack on One Is an Attack on All
 Crimson Tide / int_95f4a369
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_95f4a369
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_95f4a369
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_95f4a369
 Crimson Tide / int_967edd3a
type
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
 Crimson Tide / int_967edd3a
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_967edd3a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_967edd3a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_967edd3a
 Crimson Tide / int_973d220f
type
Never My Fault
 Crimson Tide / int_973d220f
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_973d220f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_973d220f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_973d220f
 Crimson Tide / int_97522514
type
Heel–Face Revolving Door
 Crimson Tide / int_97522514
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_97522514
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_97522514
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_97522514
 Crimson Tide / int_9788e2b1
type
Black Dude Dies First
 Crimson Tide / int_9788e2b1
comment
Black Dude Dies First: Marichek suffers a fatal heart attack during the kitchen fire, making him the first casualty on the Alabama.
 Crimson Tide / int_9788e2b1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9788e2b1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9788e2b1
 Crimson Tide / int_9843be73
type
As You Know
 Crimson Tide / int_9843be73
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_9843be73
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9843be73
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9843be73
 Crimson Tide / int_9aeb1d20
type
This Is Not a Drill
 Crimson Tide / int_9aeb1d20
comment
This Is Not a Drill: When they really do get the order to be on standby. Played with as there was a drill before.
 Crimson Tide / int_9aeb1d20
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9aeb1d20
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9aeb1d20
 Crimson Tide / int_9b06e314
type
Greater-Scope Villain
 Crimson Tide / int_9b06e314
comment
Greater-Scope Villain: Radchenko.
 Crimson Tide / int_9b06e314
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9b06e314
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9b06e314
 Crimson Tide / int_9b2aefbf
type
Hero Protagonist
 Crimson Tide / int_9b2aefbf
comment
Hero Protagonist: Hunter. He's ultimately proven right and is literally The Protagonist of the story.
 Crimson Tide / int_9b2aefbf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9b2aefbf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9b2aefbf
 Crimson Tide / int_9cc7c9fe
type
A Nuclear Error
 Crimson Tide / int_9cc7c9fe
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_9cc7c9fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9cc7c9fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9cc7c9fe
 Crimson Tide / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Crimson Tide / int_9d12bbc1
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_9d12bbc1
 Crimson Tide / int_a1b76006
type
Nerves of Steel
 Crimson Tide / int_a1b76006
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_a1b76006
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a1b76006
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a1b76006
 Crimson Tide / int_a2b38d3b
type
Eye Scream
 Crimson Tide / int_a2b38d3b
comment
Eye Scream: When the bilge bay floods one of the crewmen trapped there gets a flying bolt cap to the face.
 Crimson Tide / int_a2b38d3b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a2b38d3b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a2b38d3b
 Crimson Tide / int_a67b86a7
type
General Ripper
 Crimson Tide / int_a67b86a7
comment
General Ripper: Radchenko not only takes control of an ICBM base but starts fueling the missiles with the intent to actually use them.
 Crimson Tide / int_a67b86a7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a67b86a7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a67b86a7
 Crimson Tide / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Crimson Tide / int_a70223
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_a70223
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a70223
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a70223
 Crimson Tide / int_a7850fbf
type
Only Known by Their Nickname
 Crimson Tide / int_a7850fbf
comment
Only Known by Their Nickname: Chief Walters is only ever referred to as "COB", his rank as Chief of the Boatnote  senior enlisted advisor to the CO and XO. We don't even get his first name.
 Crimson Tide / int_a7850fbf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a7850fbf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a7850fbf
 Crimson Tide / int_a863ef67
type
Cultured Warrior
 Crimson Tide / int_a863ef67
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_a863ef67
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_a863ef67
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_a863ef67
 Crimson Tide / int_aaece264
type
Rousing Speech
 Crimson Tide / int_aaece264
comment
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". 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.
 Crimson Tide / int_aaece264
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_aaece264
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_aaece264
 Crimson Tide / int_ab24b030
type
Red Alert
 Crimson Tide / int_ab24b030
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_ab24b030
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ab24b030
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ab24b030
 Crimson Tide / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Crimson Tide / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: The majestic music that plays while the Alabama is sinking and three sailors drown in the bilge bay.
 Crimson Tide / int_abad35b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_abad35b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_abad35b4
 Crimson Tide / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Crimson Tide / int_ae3d6438
comment
Deadpan Snarker: Hunter and Rivetti.
 Crimson Tide / int_ae3d6438
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ae3d6438
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ae3d6438
 Crimson Tide / int_b06bbf4b
type
Be Careful What You Wish For
 Crimson Tide / int_b06bbf4b
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_b06bbf4b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_b06bbf4b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_b06bbf4b
 Crimson Tide / int_b7475a74
type
Bothering by the Book
 Crimson Tide / int_b7475a74
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_b7475a74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_b7475a74
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_b7475a74
 Crimson Tide / int_b7c53a22
type
Blood Knight
 Crimson Tide / int_b7c53a22
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_b7c53a22
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_b7c53a22
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_b7c53a22
 Crimson Tide / int_be192f18
type
Yes-Man
 Crimson Tide / int_be192f18
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_be192f18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_be192f18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_be192f18
 Crimson Tide / int_be5d0950
type
Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate
 Crimson Tide / int_be5d0950
comment
Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate: Captain Ramsey is the hardass in contrast to the more reasonable XO Hunter.
 Crimson Tide / int_be5d0950
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_be5d0950
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_be5d0950
 Crimson Tide / int_be991863
type
The Neidermeyer
 Crimson Tide / int_be991863
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_be991863
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_be991863
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_be991863
 Crimson Tide / int_bf609406
type
New Meat
 Crimson Tide / int_bf609406
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_bf609406
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_bf609406
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_bf609406
 Crimson Tide / int_c00afbbd
type
With Due Respect
 Crimson Tide / int_c00afbbd
comment
With Due Respect
 Crimson Tide / int_c00afbbd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c00afbbd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c00afbbd
 Crimson Tide / int_c02f148d
type
Both Sides Have a Point
 Crimson Tide / int_c02f148d
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_c02f148d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c02f148d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c02f148d
 Crimson Tide / int_c18c22e8
type
Colonel Kilgore
 Crimson Tide / int_c18c22e8
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_c18c22e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c18c22e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c18c22e8
 Crimson Tide / int_c18d469b
type
Mutually Assured Destruction
 Crimson Tide / int_c18d469b
comment
Mutually Assured Destruction: Discussed when Hunter warns of what will happen if the Alabama improperly launches the nukes and Russia retaliates: "Nuclear holocaust."
 Crimson Tide / int_c18d469b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c18d469b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c18d469b
 Crimson Tide / int_c313d43a
type
True Companions
 Crimson Tide / int_c313d43a
comment
True Companions: Rear Admiral Anderson and Captain Ramsey, judging by the unshakable trust between them.
 Crimson Tide / int_c313d43a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c313d43a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c313d43a
 Crimson Tide / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Crimson Tide / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: The crew celebrates when they destroy the Akula...and then they see one more torpedo coming for them...
 Crimson Tide / int_c3c18143
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c3c18143
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c3c18143
 Crimson Tide / int_c515d358
type
America Saves the Day
 Crimson Tide / int_c515d358
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_c515d358
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c515d358
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c515d358
 Crimson Tide / int_c54d550d
type
Novelization
 Crimson Tide / int_c54d550d
comment
Novelization: By co-writer Richard P. Henrick.
 Crimson Tide / int_c54d550d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c54d550d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c54d550d
 Crimson Tide / int_c621dd28
type
Silent Running Mode
 Crimson Tide / int_c621dd28
comment
Silent Running Mode: During their encounter with the Akula, they rig for "ultra quiet."
 Crimson Tide / int_c621dd28
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c621dd28
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c621dd28
 Crimson Tide / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Crimson Tide / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Hunter invokes Star Trek: The Original Series to encourage Vossler to work as fast as possible. Hunter reassures Rivetti that, "anyone who reads comic books knows that the Kirby Silver Surfer is the only true Silver Surfer."
 Crimson Tide / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c75df49a
 Crimson Tide / int_c7eaae49
type
Renegade Russian
 Crimson Tide / int_c7eaae49
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_c7eaae49
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c7eaae49
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c7eaae49
 Crimson Tide / int_c8a8c595
type
Retirony
 Crimson Tide / int_c8a8c595
comment
Retirony: A deleted scene reveals that Walters is on his last cruise. He doesn't die though.
 Crimson Tide / int_c8a8c595
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_c8a8c595
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_c8a8c595
 Crimson Tide / int_ce632fb
type
It's Not About the Request
 Crimson Tide / int_ce632fb
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_ce632fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ce632fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ce632fb
 Crimson Tide / int_d1438872
type
Missing Mission Control
 Crimson Tide / int_d1438872
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d1438872
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d1438872
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d1438872
 Crimson Tide / int_d52d28b6
type
Hypocrite
 Crimson Tide / int_d52d28b6
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d52d28b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d52d28b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d52d28b6
 Crimson Tide / int_d54b9eb3
type
Inter-Service Rivalry
 Crimson Tide / int_d54b9eb3
comment
Interservice Rivalry: "I expect and demand your very best. Anything less—you should have joined the Air Force!"
 Crimson Tide / int_d54b9eb3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d54b9eb3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d54b9eb3
 Crimson Tide / int_d5a66b3c
type
Noisy Guns
 Crimson Tide / int_d5a66b3c
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d5a66b3c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d5a66b3c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d5a66b3c
 Crimson Tide / int_d63d86ec
type
Only the Creator Does It Right
 Crimson Tide / int_d63d86ec
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d63d86ec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d63d86ec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d63d86ec
 Crimson Tide / int_d78ea1dc
type
A Lighter Shade of Grey
 Crimson Tide / int_d78ea1dc
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d78ea1dc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d78ea1dc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d78ea1dc
 Crimson Tide / int_d8d22bb0
type
Dutch Angle
 Crimson Tide / int_d8d22bb0
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d8d22bb0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d8d22bb0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d8d22bb0
 Crimson Tide / int_d99d9918
type
The Captain
 Crimson Tide / int_d99d9918
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_d99d9918
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_d99d9918
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_d99d9918
 Crimson Tide / int_dcbe8a6e
type
Chekhov's Gunman
 Crimson Tide / int_dcbe8a6e
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_dcbe8a6e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_dcbe8a6e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_dcbe8a6e
 Crimson Tide / int_e7c671f3
type
Mildly Military
 Crimson Tide / int_e7c671f3
comment
Mildly Military: There was a lot of Artistic License, but Real Life submariners actually thought the film got a surprising amount right.
 Crimson Tide / int_e7c671f3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_e7c671f3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_e7c671f3
 Crimson Tide / int_eb0df85e
type
Ham-to-Ham Combat
 Crimson Tide / int_eb0df85e
comment
Ham-to-Ham Combat: Hunter and Ramsey get into a full-on shouting match over what orders they're supposed to follow.
 Crimson Tide / int_eb0df85e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_eb0df85e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_eb0df85e
 Crimson Tide / int_ec02c97e
type
Defied Trope
 Crimson Tide / int_ec02c97e
comment
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".
 Crimson Tide / int_ec02c97e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ec02c97e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ec02c97e
 Crimson Tide / int_ed46da54
type
Martial Pacifist
 Crimson Tide / int_ed46da54
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_ed46da54
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ed46da54
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ed46da54
 Crimson Tide / int_ef255df8
type
High Turnover Rate
 Crimson Tide / int_ef255df8
comment
High Turnover Rate: It's briefly mentioned that Ramsey has gone through eight or nine XOs in 1994.
 Crimson Tide / int_ef255df8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ef255df8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ef255df8
 Crimson Tide / int_ef85d7e5
type
Repeat to Confirm
 Crimson Tide / int_ef85d7e5
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_ef85d7e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ef85d7e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ef85d7e5
 Crimson Tide / int_f1d6144a
type
War Is Hell
 Crimson Tide / int_f1d6144a
comment
War Is Hell: Espoused by Hunter. "In my humble opinion, in the nuclear world, the true enemy is war itself."
 Crimson Tide / int_f1d6144a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_f1d6144a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_f1d6144a
 Crimson Tide / int_ffb79066
type
Chromosome Casting
 Crimson Tide / int_ffb79066
comment
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.
 Crimson Tide / int_ffb79066
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_ffb79066
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_ffb79066
 Crimson Tide / int_name
type
ItemName
 Crimson Tide / int_name
comment
 Crimson Tide / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Crimson Tide / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crimson Tide / int_name
 Crimson Tide / int_name
itemName
Crimson Tide

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
A Father to His Men / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Activation Sequence / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
African-American Media / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Anthropic Principle / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Anti-Mutiny / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Attack on One Is an Attack on All / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Backed by the Pentagon / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Blofeld Ploy / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Building of Adventure / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Can't Kill You, Still Need You / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
"Cavemen vs. Astronauts" Debate / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Chromosome Casting / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Colonel Kilgore / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Communications Officer / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Crack is Cheaper / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Cultured Warrior / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Dare to Be Badass / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Dead Man's Switch / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
"Die Hard" on an X / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Dueling-Stars Movie / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Films of 1995–1999 / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
General Ripper / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
God Help Us All / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Heroes Love Dogs / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Hot Sub-on-Sub Action / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Inter-Service Rivalry / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Irrevocable Order / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Just Following Orders / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Lost in Transmission / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Make the Bear Angry Again / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Military Maverick / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Missing Mission Control / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Newscaster Cameo / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Noisy Guns / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Pop-Cultured Badass / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Real Time / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Recycled Soundtrack / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Red Alert / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Renegade Russian / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Rookie Red Ranger / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Scotty Time / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Sensor Suspense / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Silent Running Mode / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Sub Story / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
The Captain / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
The Chain of Command / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
The Mutiny / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
The Neidermeyer / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
The Radio Dies First / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
This Is Not a Drill / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Two-Keyed Lock / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Velvet Revolution / int_6edca17b
 Crimson Tide
hasFeature
Wicked Cultured / int_6edca17b