THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
Written by
Larry Ferguson & Tom Clancy
ON A BLACK SCREEN, THE FOLLOWING CRAWL:
MOSCOW, 17 JULY 1991. THE KREMLIN
ANNOUNCED THE 'RETIREMENT' OF
MIKAHIL, GORBACHEV AS WELL AS
POLITBURO MEMBERS YAVOLEV,
MENDVENDEV AND BIRKOVO.
DEFENSE MINISTER ULINOV ASSUMED
THE ROLE OF CHAIRMAN. KGB HEAD
LIGACHEV BECAME PREMIER VOWING
"A RESTORATION OF DISCIPLINE."
WESTERN LEADERS BRACED FOR
A NEW ROUND OF COLD WAR.
FOUR MONTHS LATER...
FADE IN
A BARREN LANDSCAPE
beneath slate-grey sky. Frigid rock and stunted trees fall to an
ice-choked coast. Congealed sea on a desolate beach.
MARKO ALEXANDROVICH RAMIUS
bare-headed in cold wind, studies the inclement coast. Bottomless
eyes move slowly across the landscape, missing nothing.
SUPER: POLWARNY INLET
Soviet Submarine Base on the Barents Sea
500 mi north of Murmansk
Ramius wears a tar black winter uniform of Captain First Rank in
the Soviet Navy. Behind him, out of sight, someone SPEAKS:
VOICE (OS)
Cold this morning, Captain.
Ramius shivers. When he replies, he speaks not about the weather,
but of the land:
RAMIUS
It is cold.
(BEAT)-
And hard.
Turning his back on the icy coast, Ramius smi-I fondly at the man
who just spoke to him
CAPTAIN SECOND., RANK VASILY BORODIN
Ramius' executive officer, also in black uniform. Borodin's rigged
with a mike. , Brass .buttons gambol in his Nubian cap like money.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
e your head a bit. No need to
crowd him.
BORODIN
(INTO MIKE)
Come left three degrees. Make your
course three-four-zero. Sonar, let
me know when we pass fifty, fathoms.
A HELMSMAN responds on a SPEAKER in the SAIL. Nautical CROSS
TALK. Orders GIVEN and AFFIRMED. Pulling back, Ramius and
Borodin are revealed standing atop
THE RED OCTOBER
a huge submarine, trading a gigantic rudder a hundred yards aft
her sail. A patrol BOAT and ICEBREAKER escort her to sea. On
SPEAKERS in the SAIL:
HELMSMAN (VO)
Captain, political off=er Putin requests
permission to come to the bridge.
RAMIUS
(GLANCING AT
BORODIN)
Granted.
BORODIN
(under his breath)
Think of it, Comrade.. .son of only a
humble mM worker...
RAMIUS
Quiet as grass, Vastly. Quiet as grass.
(louder, turning)
Good morning, Comrade political off=er
IVAN YURIEVICH PUTIN
block-faced, forties, pink-necked, political officer assigned to Red
October, clambers through the hatch into the air, wheezing:
PUTIN
Ah,, Captain, every time I climb that
ladder, I realize what an over-fed
ox rve become.
Put in smiles. Ramius smiles back, but his eyes are cold. Suddenly,
there's not a lot of Lave on the bridge:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
(EXPANSIVELY)
Such a glorious day. So exciting to
h t ally put the land behind us and
be on our way.
(TO RAMIUS)
Bourgeois of me, I know, but my
enthusiasm at being chosen polidcica].
officer on this historic mission Its
me with pride.
(BEAT)
Me, a man of such humble birth, whose
father was only a mill. worker. Think
of it, comrades, a mill worker.
Borodin CHUCKLES. Putin stares at him. Borodin covers with a
COUGH. Putin keeps starring. Flushed, Borodin looks away. Putin
turns porcine eyes on Ramius:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
(TURNING)
Your father was a Lithuanian, was
he not, Captain?
RAMIUS
You know he was.
PU TIN
I knew a Lithuanian once...
His words hang like rotten fru
PUTIN (CONT'D)
...though I'm sure your father was
nothing like him. Pefmisrdon to go
below?
Smirking, Putin leaves. Ramius watches him go. SPEAKERS in the
SAI :
HELMSMAN (VO)
Conn to bridge, sonar reports we are
crossing sixty fathoms.
BORODIN
it's time, Captain.
St M dealing with Putin's exit, Ramius turns away from the hatch,
contemplating the shore. After a beat, softly:.
RAMIUS
We go.
BORO DIN
(into the headset)
Clear the bridge! Prepare to dive.
Captain coming below. Of cer of
the deck, make signal to escort:.
Ramius and. Borodin disappear. Red October prepares to dive. All
that remains is icy .sea and the Sand. Then, faintly at first, from
the frozen coast:
A RED ARMY CHORUS
rises into the swirling sky. It seems to come from everywhere, the
rocks, the trees, the sea itself. Red October dives. The screen
fades to black and a giant title appears:
KRASNY OKTOBR
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
CHORUS BOOMS. Male VOICES ring in thundering tribute to the
heart and soul of mother Russia. Credits keep rolling. Then, from
THE DARKNESS
A LITHOGRAPH
of John Paul Jones fighting the Serapis appears. It's on the wall. in
a cluttered study. Books crowd every bit of space. Photos, models
and nautical memorabilia, everywhere.
THROUGH A WINDOW
an English suburb in drizzling rain. Red Army CHORUS SINGS
SOFTLY. In a driveway, a late model ROVER waits, lights on,
engine running. At a messy desk
JACK RYAN
early-thirties, good-Looking, disheveled and harried, stuffs papers
into a brief case. Slamming it shut, he reaches for his raincoat.
BEHIND HIM
A LITTLE GIRL
appears in the doorway. Her name is Sally. She's Ryan's
daughter. Wearing a nightgown with butterflies on it, she's
carrying a well-worn Koala bear:
SALLY
Daddy?
RYAN
(TURNING)
Hey.., What are you doing up?
You're suppose to be sleeping.
SALLY
I can't.
Kneeing beside: her, Ryan talks in a steady unpatronizing way. He
loves her to death:
RYAN
What's the matter?
SALLY
Where are you going?
RYAN
I have to go on a business trip and you
have to go to sleep or when you grow up
you'll only be two inches tall.
SALLY
Stanley keeps waking me up.
Stanley is Sally's bear. Ryan talks to it like it was alive.
it makes Sally grin.
RYAN
What's the matter, Stanley? Are you
nuts or something?
SALLY
He's not, nuts. He's lonely.
(SLYLY)
He needs a brother. If he had a brother
then he could go to sleep better.
Before Ryan can answer, a ravishing woman in her ..late-twenties
marches into the study. She is
MARGARET RYAN
English, intelligent features, in tweed suit and raincoat. A matronly
woman hovers in the doorway behind her:
MARGARET
We are never going to make it.
RYAN
Just a minute. -
(TN SALLY)
Daddy has to go, cricket. You and
Stanley go upstairs with Mrs. Wheeler
and go straight to sleep. When I'm
away, I'll see if I can find Stanley
a brother.
SALLY
Promise?
RYAN
CUT TO:
THE ROVER
pulling to a curb in driving rain at Heathrow. Red Army CHORUS
SWELLS. Leaping out, Ryan grabs luggage and races to the
driver's side. Margaret pulls his face through the window.
RYAN
I'm all wet.
MARGARET
(KISSING HIM)
You're sexy when you're wet.
RYAN
(GRINNING)
I'm gonna miss you.
MARGARET
Get out of here, Yank. Or Ml
tear you limb from limb.
(HE STARTS)
Wait! I got you these. They'Il
help you sleep on the plane.
She has a bottle of piUs in her hand. He squints at it, shaking his
head in the pouring rain:
RYAN
Won't do me any good ---
MARGARET
Jack.
RYAN
(SHEEPISH)
OK. I ll try.
Taking the pil3s, he kisses her again. All of a sudden, he wants to
climb inside, park someplace and steam the windows. Her smile is
ALL KNOWING:
" MARGARET
You only have three minutes.
RYAN
(GIG)
Hey.. If I'm lucky, might miss the
damn plane altogether.
CUT TO-0- -
seated beneath the only light in a dark cabin. Engines HUM.
Turbulence RATTLES a TEACUP. A STEWARDESS appears, smiling
down at him:
STEWARDESS
Can I get you anything, sir?
RYAN
' (LYING)
I'm fine. Thank you.
STEWARDESS
Why don't you try to sleep? The
l f ight will go much faster.
RYAN..
I can't seem to sleep on planes.
It's the turbulence.
STEWARDESS
Pardon?
RYAN
(SWALLOWING)
Turbulence. You know. When solar
radiation heats the earth's crust.
Warm air rises. Cool air descends.
Turbulence. I don't like it.
STEWARDESS
Are you a scientist?
RYAN
No. I just read a lot of books.
STEWARDESS
Well, try and get some sleep anyway.
She leaves. Wide awake, Ryan stares out the window at the
spinning dark. Red Army CHORUS BOOMS.
CUT TO:
RYAN
humping his suitcase into a giant terminal at the end of a long line
of travelers. Above the line, a sign:
U.S. CUSTOMS
DU:LLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WASHINGTON, D.C.
A GUY IN SUNGLASSES
moves down, the line, stopping beside Ryan:
I
SUNGLASSES
(RESPECTFTAY)
Mr. Ryan?
Exhausted, Ryan nods. CHORUS SWELLS. Sunglasses takes Ryan's
bags.
CUT TO:.
A BLACK LIIKO
gliding to a stop at the security kiosk outside a suburban office
compound. Sign over the compound's entrance:
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CHORUS PEAKS.
END CREDITS
CUT TO:
ADMIRAL JAMES GREER
sixties; a mane of white hair, in three piece suit, CIA direcbor of
naval intelligence, looking up from behind a mahogany desk:
GREER
Jack, boy. Get yourself in here.
(SQUHTUNG)
Jesus. You look like hell.
RYAN
(EGG)
Thanks, Admiral.
GREER
Come on over here and sit down.
You want coffee?
RYAN
I think I need ooffiae.
Ryan perches on the couch. Greer pours Ryan takes it in
both hands, coaling it with his breath.
GREER
I'm not gonna ask you how your
11 flight was. When's the last time
you slept? --
RYAN
(EYEING WATCH)
Don't know. This thing is still on
London time.
GREER
How's Margaret?
RYAN
Fine. She sends you her best.
GREER
And Sally? What is she now, three?
RYAN
A very precocious five. A week
ago she announced her life would
be a loot less lonely if Margaret
and I would buy her a baby brother.
GREER
(SMILING)
Where you gonna do that?
Ryan grins. Greer eyes him fondly. Putting down his coffee, Ryan
opens his br efse.
GREER (CONT'D)
All right, what's important enough
to get you on a . plane in the middle
of the night?
JUMP CUT TO:
A PAIR OF PHOTOGRAPHS
dropping onto the tihle in front of Greer. They show the bow and
stern of a submarine in dry dock. From the size of the construction
crey, it's obvious the boat is huge.
RYAN
British Intelligence received these
two days ago. She's the Red October.
The Soviet's newest typhoon.
GREER
Jesus. The Brits actually got a man
into the construction shed?
RYAN
(DROPPING MORE
PHOTOS)
This pair was digitally enhanced for
line resolution. This one for color.
RYAN
Twelve meters longer than the normal
typhoon, three meters wider. The
captain's name is Ramixts.
GREER
One of yours?
RYAN
Yes, sir. I did the bio on him last
year. He's taken out the lead boat in
each new sub class for ten years. Fairly
good political connections. He's also
trained most of their attack boat skippers.
They can him the Vilnius schoolmaster.
Greer studies one of the photos with a magnifying glass. Something
captures his attention:
GREER
What are these doors?
RYAN
The doors, Admiral, are the problem.
I don't know what they are and neither
do the English.
(SIPPING CAFFEE)
it's just pole our friends at the
Ustinov Design Bureau have come up
with something new.
(BEAT)
With your permission, I'd like to show
these to someone. Do you know Skip Tyler?
GREER
Sub driver. Did he get hurt or something?
RYAN
(NODDING)
He was Captain on an attack boat. Got
clipped by a drunk driver and lost a leg.
Now he's teaching at the Academy and
doing some consulting for Underwater
Systems Command.
GREER
GREER
When .do you want to talk to him?
RYAN
Right now if it's OX with you? 've.
never met him personally, but -
GREER
I'll take care of it.
(PICKING UP
THE PHONE)
Margie, have a car for Dr. Ryan at
the front gate in tan. minutes.
Ryan retrieves his photographs. Getting Up, Greer watches him,
choosing his words carefully:
GREER (CONT'D)
One of our satellites caught Red October
in Polijarny Inlet this morning.
RYAN
(SHOCKED)
They shouldn't have been sea ready
for weeks.
Ryan closes his case. Greer walks him to the door:
GREER
Relax, son. The Navy's got a Las Angeles
c'la'ss sittJng right off their doorstep.
In a few days we'll know everything
about her but the wok's name.
RYAN
Well, In that case --
(GRINNING)
Can you tell me where I can buy a
bear?
GREER
For Sally?
(RYAN NODS)
Same place you buy a baby brgther,
I guess.
CUT TO:
A BANSHEE WAIL
in blackness. The groan of a primordial beast echoing in the dark,
followed by a deep vibration that rattles bones and shatters
eardrums.
The black screen is moving. A massive cylinder glides over the top
of us like a giant spaceship, outlined by flashes of e1ectxic-blue
phosphorenscence.
SUPER: USS DALLAS
Los Angeles Class Attack Sub
50 mks west of Polijarny Inlet
DEPTH: 400 FEET
ON THE DALLAS
in the sonar shack, a state of the art sonar display glows blue.
High tech graphics pinpoint movements in deep water beyond the
hull..
SEAMAN SECOND CLASS RONALD JONES
listens to a headset and eyeballs the display. A college dropout
with a genius IQ, Jones is the kind of guy who likes tossing dead
cats into crowded cathedrals.
SEAMAN CHARLES BEAUMONT
unruly red hair, a minion freckles and a wary smile, sits beside
Jones. On SPEAKERS in the bulkhead, the PRIMORDIAL HOWL
again, MUFFLED, clued with NOISE TRANSIENTS:
JONES
HEAR I
BEAUMONT
No. Maybe. It's buried in...
JONES
(LEADING)
Yes?
BEAUMONT
Surface clutter? I should go to SAPS?
JONES
Correct, Seaman Beaumont. Surface
Affects Processing. There is hope for
your small brain yet.
(BEAUMONT GRINS)
And like Mozart at Saltzburg, you have
labored to produce...
(ANOTHER HOWL)
hiclocdc.
BEAUMONT
JONES
A whale, Beaumont. A whale. A marine
mammal that knows a fuck of a lot more
about sonar than you do.
Beaumont frowns. Appearing in the sonar shack door, directly
BEHIND JONES
THE COB
Chief of the Boat, a barrel-chested bear, smiles at Beaumont:
COB
He gets to raggin you too bad, kid,
you can always ask him about Pavarattt..
Jones sinks into his chair. Beaumont grins. Sea story coming.
From the look on Jones' face, it promises to be a good one:
BEAUMONT
Tell me, Chief.
COB
(taking his time)
Well, Jonesy here, he's a music freak,
right? And he figures this sonar system
is basically just a big old 300 million
ddllar stereo unit. So he gets this
piece of Pavarmt3i --
JONES
it was Paganini.
COB
Whatever. It's this piece of music he
likes so much he wants to share it,
right? So he re-wires the computer and
figures how to put it in the water with
a gigawatt of juice behind it.
(BEAT)
Now, the Captain, he don't much care.
But about twenty-one boats out of San
Diego, including one way out at Pearl,
starts hearing Pavarotti Doming out their
ass. Jonesy has turned the whole fucking
Pacific Ocean into a stereo speaker.
(LAUGHING)
And all of a sudden we got an Admiral
in the middle of it and we're writing
reports out the yang yang.
Beaumont's LAUGHS. Even Jones sm Ies. Then, a flashing light on
the. sonar display catches his eye. He starts flipping switches.
Beaumont sobers:: up:
BEAUMONT
What should I --
JONES
Be sti 1, I got it.
Jones works in silence, then punches the intervom:
JONES
Conn, sonar.
VOICE
(ON INTERCOM)
Captain, aye. What is it Jonesy?
JONES
Distant contact, submerged bearing zero-
nine-seven. It's a wild guess, but I'd
say we had a Boomer headed out of the barn.
IN THE COMMAND CENTER
forward of sonar, sailers drive the ship beneath a maze of pipes and
equipment. At the center of the Conn, surrounded by fire control,
quartermaster, helm :
CAPTAIN BARTOLOMO MANCUSO
skipper of the DaZa, early-forties, muscular body encased in a blue
jumpsuit, works the intercom on the periscope plat6arm:
MANCUSO
Start a plot, Jonesy. IM be there
in a second.
Leaving the deck, Mancuso glances at his executive offker
LIEUTENANT PHIL THOMPSON
thirties, dark complected, standing at fire control:
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
I'91 be in sonar, PhiL
IN SONAR
Jones is already working on the plot. In font of him on the sonar
display, the flashing light is starting to move. Mancuso sticks his
head in.
MANCUSO
What do you have?
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in Red October's Conn. Much larger than the control center on the
Dallas. Leaving the deck, Ramius heads aft, glancing at Borodin:
RAMIUS
When you see Putin, tell him that when
it's convenient, 191 be in my stateroom.
Leaving the Conn, Ramius enters
A HALLWAY
Moving past a radio compartment on his left, Ramius stops at a door,
ENTERING THE
CAPTAIN'S STATEROOM
C3osing the door behind him, Ramius turns into the room.
Surprised, he sees
PU TIN
seated at a desk, reading a bible. Startled, Putin looks up:
RAMIUS
What are you doing?
PT TIN
It's my responsibility to oversee the
stability of the crew, Captain. You
know that.
RAMIUS
And you accomplish this by searching
through my papers and invading my
privacy?
PUTIN
There is no such thing as privacy in
the Soviet Union, Comrade. It's
antithetical to the oal]ective good.
Suppressing his anger, Ramius moves to a locker, changing into
dungarees. He can fiee]. Putin's weasel eyes crawling up and down
his back. Holding the bible, Put in muses:
PUTIN (CONT'D)
You. surprise me, Captain. A man in your
position reading trash about the end of
the world.
(READING)
"I am coming soon. I will give to each
according to his deeds. I am the
beginning and the end."
(GLANCING UP)
Did you underline these passages?
RAMIUS
The book belonged to my wife. I
keep it only for sentimental value.
PUTIN
Your wife was a beautiful woman. A
tragedy her life was cut so short.
RAMIUS
(TURNING)
I assure you, Comrade. There's
nothing wrong with my mind.
PUTIN
(trying to joke)
Given the amount of fire power on Red
October, I'm sure the whole world will.
breathe a cm1 eotive sigh of relief.
RAMIUS
(LKE ICE)
How many more agents does the KGB
have on my boat?
PUTIN
(STANDING)
Captain, this is not your boat. It
belongs to the Union of the Soviet
Socialist Republics. You would be
well advised to remember that.
(RAMIUS BLANCHES)
Anyway, I am only a political odfioer.
If the KGB has an agent on board,
I would be the last to know.
RAMIUS
I suggest we open our orders.
PUTIN
As you wish.
There's a safe on the wall. Ramius spins the combination. Inside,
another safe with four locks. Both Ramius and Putin have keys.
Inside the second safe, a large envelope.
it has an ornate. scarlet seal, marked 'Top Secret'. Ramius cracks
the seeal, removing four pages of operation orders. Glancing at
Putin; he reads:
RAMIUS
We are to proceed to grid 54-90 and
rendezvous with the Akula submarine,
Konovalov.
PUTIN
Captain Tupalev's boat.
RAMIUS
You know Tupolav?
PU TIN
I know that he is descended from a long
line of aril rats and that he was a
student of yours. it is rumored, he
has no love in his heart for you. Why
is that?
Ramius pours two cups of steaming tea from a silver pot on a
serving tray, offering it to Putin.. Putin takes the cup.
RAMIUS
There is no room in Tupolev's heart
for anyone or anything except Tupolev.
(READING)
Having made contact, we are ordered
to run a series of drfl1 . Tupolev
w2l hunt us while we test our ship.
Putting down his tea, Putin stands, suddenly formal, awkwardly
OBSEQUIOUS:
PUTIN
Captain, this is an historic moment
for all. of us. I should like to make
a request.
RAMIUS
Before you do, I want to talk to you
about something important.
PUTIN
(NOT HEARING)
I know that it is not aooording to
protocxrl, but would you permit me to
post the orders and inform the crew
of our mission?
RAMIUS
(RESIGNED)
As you wash, Comrade.
Putin grins, heading for the door. He never makes it. In a sudden
violent motion,, Ramius kicks Putin's left leg from under him.
Surprised, the; big man tumbles sideways.
Leaping to his feet, Ramius catches Putin, slamming him into a
headlock, driving his thick neck downward, CRACKING his SKULL
in the SHARP corner of the DESK.
Putin gags. Cupping his chin, Ramius forces his entire bulk onto
the man's chest. Putin struggles. His eyes bulge. Ramius strains,
using all of his strength until..
PUTIN'S NECK SHATTERS
and his face goes slack. With surprising gentleness, Ramius lowers
the shuddering body to the deck. Carefully, he checks the pulse in
Putin's neck. Dying, Putin stares into Ramius' face.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
I an sorry my friend. But it is
cyear to me now. Where I would
walk, you cannot fallow.
Whatever his destination, Putin's on his way. Getting up, Ramius
goes to the desk. Returning with the teapot, he drenches the body
with scalding tea.
Replacing the pot on the tray, Ramius puts the orders in a
wastebasket and sets them on are. Removing a duplicate set of
orders from his safe, he' places them on the floor by the dead man.
Satisfied everything is the way he wants it, he moves to an intercom
and takes a deep breath. Pushing a button, he BELLOWS:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Dr. Petrov. Come to my quarters
at once. There's been an aociderit!
CUT TO:
A MINI SUB
resembling an airstream t xxzller with a propeller on the back. It's
floating in a gargantuan tank fSlled with brightly lit water beneath a
vast domed cet'ling:
SUPER: U.S. NAVAL UNDERWATER SYSTEMS LAB
Patuxent, Maryland
SKIP TYLER
built-like a fireplug, a monument to logic and impatience, leans on a
cane, atop a platform by the tank#I watching
WARRANT OFFICER BILL STEINER
thirties, the bane of Tyler's existence. Steiner's head is sticking
out of a hatch on the mini sub. Eyeing him, Tyler BELLOWS:
TYLER
You're never gonna go anywhere, Be..
Unless you close the hatch and start
the goddam engine!
STEINER
Brilliant, Skip. You're one of those
guys you can't hide things from, right?
Tyler. grits his teeth. Steiner closes the hatch. Across the room,
Ryan enters. Spotting Tyler, he moves to the platform, staring at
the mini sub. The propeller starts turning. It submerges.
TYLER
(TURNING)
Ryan?
RYAN
Yes sir.
(re: mini sub)
What it that thing?
TYLER
Deep submergence rescue vehicle.
RYAN
That's what a DSRV looks like.
TYLER
That's it. I designed this one. lt's
aan d the Mystic.
RYAN
What are you doing with it?
Tyler climbs off the piatfarm, working his cane with practiced
precision. Taking Ryan by the arm, he heads for a door:
TYLER
Rigging it with a generic docking acllar
so it will mate with British, German,
other kinds of subs.
(NODDING)
This one here is designed to be super
mobile. We can get it anywhere in the
world in twenty-four hours. If that
lunatic doesn't crash it fast:.
(BEAT)
Admiral Greer says you have some
pdr ures.- -
CUT TO:
TYLER'S OFFICE
high tech naval architecture. Technicians, graduate students move
about in the background. Tyler is hunched over the Red October
PHOTOGRAPHS:
TYLER
Bigger than a regular typhoon.
(SQUINTING)
What are these doors?
RYAN
(GRINNING)
You don't miss much, do you? They're
too big for torpedo tubes. Could you
launch a missile horizontaly?
TYLER
Could. Question is why would you?
Besides, they're symmetrical right
straight through the hull.
RYAN
How about a towed sonar array?
TYLER
Barely clears the screw in the --
Tyler freezes. Somewhere in that vast abundance of grey matter, a
NEURON FIRES:
TYLER (CONT'D)
I'a be go to he'll.! it's a caterpillar!
RYAN
A what?
TYLER
Caterpillar drive. Magneto--hydrodynamic
propulsion. Like a linear induction motor
with saltwater as the ;tat-r. You follow?
RYAN
(SMILING)
Oh sure.
TYLER
Items like a jet engine for water. Goes
in the front, gets squirted out the back.
Only, It's got no moving parts, see. So
it's' potentially very quiet.
RYAN
TYLER
Try silent If this works, we'll have to
find a whole new way to track submarines.
Ryan grapples with the implications. Tyler trips down memory lane:
TYLER (CONT'D)
We messed with it. Years ago. Never
could make it work. They really built
this? This isn't a mock-up or anything?
RYAN
it put to sea this morning.
TYLER
(SHAKING HIS
HEAD)
You know when I was eleven years
old, I helped my daddy build a bomb
shelter in the basement because some
fool parked a dozen warheads in Cuba,
ninety miles from the Florida coast.
(RE: PHOTO)
This thing could park two hundred
warheads off New York or Washington
and nobody'd suspect a thing til
it was all over.
RYAN
Any records of our work on the caterpillar?
TYLER
(GRABBING HIS
CANE)
We got an archive. Let's get dusty.
CUT TO:
PUTIN'S DEAD FACE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
Two Russian sailors lug his zip-locked corpse into a walk-in freezer
in Red October's galley. Three k's assistants carve steaks and
watch. One of them
LOGINOV
tweet 6ts, muscular, in striped sail or shirt and bell-bottom pang,
tosses a hunk of f into a pail.. To Loginov.'s right, Rami:a and
Borodin talk with
DOCTOR NIKOLAY" PETROV
forties;, .thin, bespectacled and careworn. A dedicated Party man
and `compulsive gossip, Petrov is the Red October's medical ofdoer.
Ramius has the; counterfeit orders in his hand:
RAMIUS
If I hadn't spilled the tea, Putin
might never have slipped and ---
PETROV
You must not blame yourself,,- Captain.
Accidents happen. I assume we wall
be returning to base?
RAMIUS
We will not.
PETROV
But how can we continue a m scion without
a political offcer?
RAMIUS
For many years the Russian Navy went to
sea before there were political offScers,
Doctor.
PETROV
Yes, but -
RAMIUS
(RE: ORDERS)
These orders are quite specific. Putin's
unfortunate death wall not change them.
Turning, Ramius spots Loginov and waves his hand. Loginov
freezes.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
You. Come here.
(LOGINAV DOES)
Your name?
LOGINOV
(TREMBLING)
Cook's assistant, Loginov, sir.
RAMIUS
Good. Now, I want you and the Doctor
to witness this, Ioginov. I have
removed Putin's missfle key from his
neck and am keeping it myse f.
Iognov blinks. Petrov frowns. Closing the freezer door, the
sates ]save. Loginov isn't sure what to do. Petrov's agitated:
PETROV
This is all very unnerving, Captain.
The reason for having two missM keys
in the first place is to prevent one
person from...
RAMIUS
From what, Doctor?
PETROV
Making a mistake and...
(EXASPERATED)
We must report this to Red Meet Command.
RAMIUS
Impossible. We are ordered to maintain
strict radio silence.
(TO IOGINOV)
That will be all, Comrade.
Glad to be anywhere else, Loginov returns to his work.
PETROV
Captain, perhaps I should keep Putin's
key until --
RAMIUS
(SHARPLY)
I suggest you return to sick bay,
Doctor. Soon, I will address the
crew and explain our orders. This
is not a decision for discussion.
Shrugging, Petrov disappears. Borodin and Ramius.. follow him.
Freaked, Loginov watches them go.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
bent over Jones' shoulder in the Da11as' sonar shack, concentrating
on the blinking light on the sonar display. Thompson's to his left.
Jones is on a headset:
JONES
(LISTENING)
He's holding steady on zero-two-zero,
twelve knots at about ten thousand
yards.
MANCUSO
Can you identify him?
JONES
Computer's chewing on it. Twin screw
and the plant noise sounds like a
typhoon but -
Computer ptintar CLATTERS. Ripping off the printout, Mancuso
STUDIES IT:
SIGNAL EVALUATION:
SOVIET TYPHOON CLASS SUBMARINE
UNKNOWN IDENTITY
NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED
MANCUSO
Must be a new boat.
(TO THOMPSON)
I miss something in dispatch the last
few days, Phil?
THOMPSON
Fleet hasn't said a word about it.
MANCUSO
Alright. Start a f]e on his, Jonesy.
For now, call his Sierra thirty-five.
(.Leaving)
r91 see if we can work in a little
closer and sniff his out.
Thompson fcDows Mancuso. Beaumont glances at Jones, whispering:
BEAUMONT
Won't the Soviets hear us?
JONES
Not if we stay in his baffles, seaman
Beaumont. Not if we stay in his
baffles. Come in behind his propeller
and he's deaf as a post.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS SPINNING THE PERISCOPE
in Red October's Conn. At all stations, helm, fire control,
quartermaster, sailors work with galvanic prec s4r n. Standing next
TO BORODIN
CAPTAIN LIEUTENANT BORIS KAMAROV
Red October's navigator, watches Ramius i tently. The tension is
palpable. Something extraordinary is about to happen:
RAMIUS
Down scope.
(TURNING)
Any. sonar contacts?
KAMAROV
Sonar is clear, Captain.
RAMIUS
All right. rm going to address the crew.
Ramius grabs the whip telephone. Jaw set, his eyes blaze with
HYPNOTIC INTENSITY:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
Comrades, here are our orders given to
us by Red Fleet Command. it is our
good fortune to make the first test of
our revolutionary propulsion system.
In various locations all over the ship, sailors stop what they are
doing and listen carefully:
IN THE ENLISTED MESS
crowded together at tables, men hear Ramius' voice:
RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
We are to pass quiet as water through
every one of the American's sonar nets.
Maintaining strict radio. silence, we
are to proceed across the Atlantic to
the east coast of the United States.
IN ENGINEERING
beneath a maze of pipes, technicians listen:
RAMIUS (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Once in the home waters of the enemy,
we are to conduct a series of ine
firing tests, targeting major cities on
the enemy's eastern seaboard.
IN THE MISSILE BAYS
S
men are spellbound by their captain's intensity:
RAMIUS (VO -CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
For many years, we have had to stand
helplessly in the wings while poll ns
compromise every advance our military
has made.
BACK IN THE CONN
Ramius stands on the periscope platform holding the phone. All
eyes are riveted on him :
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
it is politicians who have crippled our
armed forces while talking incessantly
of peace. And now it is time, comrades,
to exchange the cuckoo for a hawk.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(INTO PHONE)
Our missies will not be armed, of course,
but imagine, if they were. In one bright
moment, all that we believe in, all that
we honor, would prevail forever.
Ramius is finished. No one moves. Kamarov has goose bumps.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Comrade, navigator.
KAMAROV
Captain?
RAMIUS
Rig for silent running.
KAMAROV
('TURNING)
Reduce engines to quarter speed and
open outer doors.
A sail cr locks a program into a computer.
OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER
in the water, the mysterious doors on the sub's bow begin to open.
Behind them, a strange tunnel is revealed. -
IN THE CONN
Ramius and his men hear the dark RING of STEEL on STEEL in deep
WATER:
KAMAROV
Outer doors are open, Captain.
RAMIUS
Engage the caterpi lar.
OUTSIDE RED OCTOBER
in the water...: An eerie green ring of light starts to glow in the
tunnel behind thedoors. A second light appears. Then a third,
flashing florescent.
Behind the tunnel, in the stern, Red October's giant propeller comes
to a stop. Suddenly, more light appears, distorted by a sudden
rush of water.
CUT-- TO:
JONES
in the Dalla' sonar shack, working his computer. The COB is
behind him, Beaumont to his left. Red October's AMPISFIED HISS
f Ms the room. Suddenly,
THE HISS STOPS
Jones frowns. The blinking light on his sonar display disappears.
Curious, the COB leans over Jones, studying the screen:
COB
What happened?
JONES
Don't know.
COB
What do you mean, don't know?
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
on the deck by the phone in Red October's Conn. Conscious of all
eyes on him, he turns to a HELMSMAN:
RAMIUS
Left full rudder.
HELMSMAN
Rudder is left fuB..
RAMIUS
Navigator, make your new course
two-five-zero.
KAMAROV
Coming to course two-five-zero.
Kama=ov draws a line on his chart. The new course is west into the
Atlantic. Suddenly, the intercom CRACKLES:
SONAR (VO)
Sonar contact, Captains Dead astern.
An American Los Angeles 0ass3
BORODIN
He must have been in our baffles.
We can't have
Raising his hand, Ramius activates the intercom
RAMIUS
Sonar. Is the American turning to
Ballow us?
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
No, Captain. No he's not. He's
continuing on our original course.
RAMIUS
(SLOW SMILE)
He can't hear us.
Silence, Impulsively, Kamarov starts HUMMING the
INTERNATIONALE. Of cers and enlisted men join in. It snowballs.
One at a time, the crew RAISE their VOICES
THROUGHOUT THE BOAT
In the torpedo room, engineering, wardroom and the Conn, the
ANTHEM GROWS LOUDER and LOUDER. Caught in the moment,
Ramius JOINS the CHORUS.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
sticking his head into sonar. The COB and Beaumont are on pins
and needles. Jones is working his computer furiously.
MANCUSO
it did what?
JONES
It disappeared, sir.
MANCUSO
t a d)
What are you talking about? Check
your gear.
JONES
Running diagnostics, now, Captain.
Jones is starting to sweat. He runs his tests. Nothing. urning,
he stares blankly at Mancuso:
JONES (CONT'D)
Sonar is working, sir. The Russian
just disappeared. One minute he was
steady four thousand yards off our
bow and then he was gone. And r
a second, I thought I heard... well ;--
MANCUSO
HEARD WHAT'S
JONES
(RELUCTANT)
I thought, I heard singing, sir.
MANCUSO
Singing?
Jones nods. Hairs stand up on the back of Mancuso's neck:
CUT TO:
A SOVIET SUBMARINE
dead In the water at four hundred feet. 'About the. size of the
Dallas, this one's bualt for speed and maneuverability. They don't
come any better.
SUPER: SSN KONOVALOV
Aku]a Cass Soviet Submarine
Grid Square 54-90
ON THE KONOVALOV
a crew works in the Conn, reading computer displays, checking
COMMUNICATIONS AND
writing emendations on status boards. On the
PERISCOPE PLATFORM
CAPTAIN VIXTOR TUPOLEV
]ate-thirties, intense, leans over a navigator tab] e. A blond man
with a clipboard approaches. He is
LIEUTENANT ANDREI BONAVIA
early-thfrties, Tupolev's executive officer. This Conn is smaller
than Red . October's and the weird vibes perfectly reflect the rampant
paranoia of the Commander:
BONAVIA
Captain Tupolev?
TUPOLEV
What is it2l
BONAVIA
St M no sign of Red October, sir. I
think we should surface and contact Red
Fleet Command.
TUPOLEV
To what purpose?
BONAVIA
To inform them Red October has not
appeared.
TUPOLEV
What makes you think she hasn't?
Tupolev glides to a quartermaster's station. Following him,
Bonavia's stomach growls.
TUPOLEV
Has it occurred to you that Red October
may already be in position? That Ramius
is merely hiding behind his silent drive?
Waiting for me to break radio silence
and make a fool of myself?
BONAVIA
(FRUSTRATED)
BUT -
TUPOLEV
I will not break radio silence. We
wilt lie here quietly for a few more
hours. If Ramius hasn't arrived by
then, I'll contact Red Fleet Command.
BONAVIA
Captain, I am concerned that -
TUPOLEV
I Care little for your concerns, Comrade.
Tupolev leaves. Bonavia glances at the quartermaster. His stomach
growls again.
CUT TO:
A BLACK CHAIKA: LIMO
moving through the security gates fronting a monstrous Stalinist
office building Snow CRACKS beneath cold TIRES.
SUPER: MOSCOW
KARPOTSKIY PROSPEKT
Soviet Navy Pniitical Dir ctorafie
From his post in the portico, a uniformed guard races to the limo
and opens the door for a dyspeptic, grumpy, old man. He is
ADMIRAL YURI ILYCH PADORIN
in an overcoat and a rumpled hat, brim turned up in front.
Climbing stairs, Padorin returns rigid salutes with a sour
yeah-right-leave-me-alone wave, entering
A COLOSSAL LOBBY
Padorin mounts a giant staircase. Naval officers snap salutes.
Padorin answers, dourly. Yeah-
heave-me-alone. Mumbling, he moves through
ANTEROOMS
Leaving a wake of aides and sues crawling all over themselves,
whispered greetings on their lips. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.
Frowning and cranky, Padorin marches into
HIS PRIVATE OFFICE
where he's met by his seventy-four year old PERSONAL ORDERLY.
They've known each other forever and act like an old married
couple.
The orderly takes Padorin's overcoat and hat. Behind a desk,
Padorin lights a morning cigarette. The orderly brings tea things
and incessant small talk. Padorin says nothing.
Finally, Padodn sits, focusing on the morning maiL Twenty or so
letters are laid neatly on a blotter. Yeah-right-leave-me-alone.
Yeah leave-me-alone. Don't heel like dealing with mail„ now.
ORDERLY
There's a note from Marko Ramivs there.
ADMIRAL
(BRIGHTENING)
Ah, Marko.
The old coot: almost smiles. This he'Il read.. Getting the envelope
open, he prepares for a good time. Somewhere in the first
paragraph,. his smile fades.
The -hand holding his cigarette begins to shake. Reaching absently
for. the teacup, nearing the bottom of the pager Padoadn chokes,
spilling everything.
CUT TO:
DALLAS' SONAR SHACK
Mancuso at the door. Beaumont is at his station next to Jones.
Wearing a headset, Jones concentrates on his sonar display.
Suddenly, he rips the headset off:
JONES
Jesus Christ. Somebody just stepped on
the gas.
(RE: DISPLAY)
Sonar contact, Captain. Very loud.
Viktar Class Soviet submarine. Cutting
big holes in the water. Bearing six-
five-zero.
MANCUSO
Put it on the speakers.
WHINING PROPELLERS and CAVITATION NOISE fi]1 the sonar shack.
Suddenly, MORE PROPELLERS:
JONES
Jeez. There's another one. Bearing
.,even-three.
(MORE)
Hold on. There's two more out there.
They're all in a hurry and don't care
who the hell knows it.
(TURNING)
Have the Soviets scheduled submarine
races today, sir?
MANCUSO
I'm gonna radio Fleet Command.
He takes off. Jones hears something buried in the PROPELLERS and
CAVITATION NOISE. A strange WHOOSHING SOUND. Frowning, he
starts a tape rewarder.
CUT TO:
A PHONE RINGING,
Ryan picks it up. He and Tyler are hip-deep in top secret fees in
the naval archive stacks.
RYAN
Yes?
(LISTENING)
No, this is Dr. Ryan.
(PAUSE)
Affright.
He stares at Tyler quizzically, waiting:
GREER'S VOICE
(FROM PHONE)
Jack?
RYAN
Yes, Admiral, I'm ---
GREER'S VOICE
Where the hell are you?! Get your ass
to the south entrance of the Executive
Offtce Buflding in forty-five minutes.
It's across from the White House. Got 3t
RYAN
Yes, sir, but what's -
CUT TO:
GREER
in his ofAce on the phone to Ryan:
GREER
Let's Just say this is no longer a
research project. Now move!
CUT TO:
THE WHITE HOUSE
in the background as Ryan springs from his car, racing up the
steps to the Executive Office Building. At the top of the stairs,
waiting for him, Greer is already in motion:
GREER
Come on.
Ryan follows him past a security guard and into
A LOBBY
decorated with secretaries and suits, all, in quiet motion. At speed,
Ryan trues to keep up with Greer:
RYAN
I got a line on the doors. You
know what they are?
Greer doesn't answer. Impatient, Ryan follows him into
AN ELEVATOR
Greer pushes a button marked SUB LEVEL FOUR. Turning to Ryan:
GREER
A silent propulsion system. -
RYAN
(CHAGRINED)
How did -?
-34-
GREER
Captain of the sub we had following
her radioed in. Thing up and
disappeared right in front of him.
But that isn't the half of it. Read.
He hands Ryan a sheaf of message flimsies. The descending elevator
stops. Doors open. Ryan reads. Greer leaves. Realizing he's
been left behind, Ryan takes off, entering
A SUBTERRANEAN CORRIDOR
Reading and walking, Ryan does his best to keep up with Greer:
RYAN
Jesus... ! This is unbelievable.
(TURNING PAGES)
The Kirov, too. They've sortled
their whale bloody fleet!
GREER
About the size of it.
Glancing up from his reading, Ryan notices a sign at the end of the
CORRIDOR:
SUB LEVEL FOUR
WHITE HOUSE SECURITY
Stopping on a dime, his eyes narrow:
RYAN
Where're we going anyway?
GREER
(F IG)
Brle$ng Jeffrey Pelt. The.
President's National Security Advisor.
Most of the Joint Chiefs will be there.
Along with a few other people.
RYAN
Who's giving the brieefing?
GREER
You are.
RYAN
(WIDE-EYED)
BUT
GREER
The yeoman'fl have the slides all, laid
out. AIL you have to do --
Ten feet ahead, Greer realizes Ryan's no longer faUowing.
Stopping, he comes back:
GREER (CONT'D)
Look. No one knows this material better
than you do. Give him a rundown on the
sub and a precis of the stuff in your
hand. He's liable to ask some direct
questions. Give him direct answers and
say what you think. Yowll do fine.
Come on.
Ryan takes a deep breath.
JUMP CUT TO:
RYAN FOLLOWING GREER
into the White House Briefing Room. Joint Chiefs are gathered
around a thirty foot conference table. Greer introduces Ryan to a
GENERAL and an ADMIRAL, then mingles.
Left alone, Ryan spot, a lectern at the foot of the tabl. Nearby, a
yeoman tends a slide machine, an overhead projector and a large
bulletin board. Ryan heads for the lectern.
The yeoman has a list of slides, some photos and mustrations.
Trying to gather his thoughts, Ryan steps behind the lectern.
JEFFREY PELT
the President's National Security Advisor arrives. In his mid-mss,
wearing wire-rim spectacles, Pelt's nearsighted, brOliant and a
crackerjack poker player.
Generals and Admirals take their places. Pelt site at the head of
the tabl, turning to Greer:
PELT
Let's get started.
GREER
Yes, sir. The preliminary briefing
today w M be handled by Dr. Jack Ryan.
I believe you've seen some of his :work.
PELT
(TO RYAN)
You may begin.
Taking a sip of water, Ryan nods at the yeoman. Projector is
TURNED ON:
RYAN
Gentlemen, the last twenty four hours
have seen some extraordinary Soviet
naval activity. The first to sail was --
(SLIDE)
this ship, the Red October. A variant
of the typhoon class, she's some six
hundred fifty feet long. Thirty-two
thousand tons submerged displacement,
roughly the size of a World War II
aircraft Carrier.
(BEAT)
Unlike the standard typhoon, equipped
to fire long-range missiles from Russian
waters, Red October carries fifty-six
SS-311s, which is a short-range attack
mis it with eight independent warheads.
That's four hundred forty-eight warheads
all spedfically designed to fire close in.
(ANOTHER SLIDE)
We believe these doors on the bow, and
here again on the stern, enclose a
magneto-hydrodynamic drive, or caterpillar,
which may allow the sub to run totally
silent.
(ANOTHER SLIDE)
it is possible this new drive system
allowed the captain, a man named Marko
RAMIUS -
Ryan points out two photos on a bulletin board. One is of Ramius
alone. The other is a wedding photo of Ramius and a beautiful
woman.
RYAN (CONT'D)
to elude one of ' our attack boats,
the Dallas, which trailed Red October
f r om harbor this morning.
(POINTKUY)
This drive, if it's working, could
render Red October invvsihl8 to our
SOSUS warning nets in the Atlantic.
PELT
You would characterize this as a first
strike weapon, Dr. Ryan?
Ryan glances at Greer. Greer smi reassuringly.
RYAN
There's no doubt about that, sir. She
is designed to approach by stealth, and
fire on a target with little or no warning.
ADMIRAL
An offensive weapon. The kind you start
wars with.
RYAN
Precisely, Admiral..
(RE: MAP)
if I may continue. Shortly after the
Dallas lost contact, there were additional
Soviet mailings from Pa tjarny, Leningrad
and the Mediterranean. The Soviets have
SOME --
(CHECKING NOTES)
fifty-eight nuclei submarines headed at
high speed into the Atlantic. And this
afternoon's satellite pass over Policjarny
found head blooms in the engineering plants
of the Kirov, the Minsk and more than
twenty cruisers and destroyers,, indicating
that the bulk of their surface fleet is
also preparing to sail.
Flushed, Ryan sits beside Greer. Pelt turns to Greer:
PELT
Conclusions?
GREER
Absence of activity in the Pacific suggest
this is probably just an exercise having
nothing to do with the Red October.
A General starts to object. He's cut off by JUDGE MOORE, a
white-haired civilian near the top of the table:
MOORE
NSA can speak to that, Mr. Pelt.
PELT
MOORE
I must emphasize the extremi ' sensitivity
of this information and ask that on no
aooount it leave this room.
(PELT NODS)
Before sailing, Captain Ramius sent a
letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin, Chairman
of Soviet Naval Deployment.
Painting at Ramius' wedding picture, Ryan whispers to Greer:
RYAN
That's her uncle!
GREER
Whose uncle?
RYAN
(WHISPEG)
Ramius' wife. Padorin's her uncle!
Greer has no idea what Ryan's saying. Moore's still talking:
MOORE
The contents of the letter are unknown,
but Admiral Padorin immediately demanded
a meeting with Premier Ligachev and
within minutes of that meeting, the
Soviet Fleet sailed with orders to find
Red October --
(PAUSE)
And sink her.
Audible intake of breath round the room. Pelt is the first to
RECOVER:
PELT
Sink her?
ADMIRAL
My god. They've got a madman on
their hands. He's gonna start a war.
A spirited discussion ensues. Tuning it out, Ryan stares at the
picture of Ramius and his wife. Urgently, he whispers to Greer:
RYAN
This is the twenty-gird, isn't it?
Greer nods. Order in the room has broken down. Generals and
Admirals argue vehemently about appropriate. responses. Staring at
the photos, a light goes off in Ryan's brain:
SljenCel. Ryan realizes everyone in the room is staring at him.
PELT
(DRYLY)
You've something to add to the
discussion, Dr. Ryan? _
RYAN
Uhhmm...I was just thinking there
was perhaps another possibility we
ought to consider.
Ryan takes a deep breath.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Ramius might be trying to defect.
Nobody moves. Ryan glances at Greer. Greer rolls his eyes. Too
far out. Ryan's on his own. The.General bristles:
GENERAL
Do you mean to suggest -
PELT
Go ahead, Dr. Ryan.
RYAN
Well, Ramius trained most of their Officer
Corps. He'd be in a position to sect
men willing to help him. And he's not
Russian.
(WARMING UP)
He's Lithuanian by birth, and by heritage.
He was raised by his maternal grandfather,
who was a fisherman. He has no children,
no ties to leave behind and -
(BEAT)
This morning was the first anniversary
of his wife's death.
GENERAL
Oh, come on! Look, what are you doing
here, anyway, Ryan
(TO GREER)
That's his name, isn't, Ryan?
(TURNING)'
You're just an analyst, right? You
can't possi,hly know --
RYAN
I know Ramins, General. He's. been a
maverick for his entire career. I even
met him once at an embassy dinner.
�met captain Ramius, sir? Have you ever
The General darkens. Making a decision, Pelt turns to the Admiral:
PELT
Bottom line, how long before Rami>us will
be in a position to launch his misses
at us?
ADMIRAL
Four days.
-40-
PELT
Alright. I'll brief the President.
That will, be all, gentlemen.
(BEAT)
Dr. Ryan. Would you stay for a
moment, please?
Everyone gets up to leave. As Greer rises, he winks at Ryan:
GREER
I said speak your mind, Jack, but
JESUS --
shaking his head, Greer pats Ryan's shoulder and leaves. Ryan's
mouth is dry. Pelt gets up:
PELT
You slammed the door on the General
pretty hard, Jack.
RYAN
It wasn't my intention, sir -
PELT
(GRINNING)
Yes it was. He was patronizing you
and you stomped on him. In my
opinion, he deserved It.
(BEAT)
Look, I'm a politk:ian, Jack. That
means I'm a liar, a cheat and when
I'm nvt kissing babies I'm stealing
their lallipops. But it also means
I know people and keep my options open.
(BEAT)
Let's assume for a minute that you're
right and he intends to defect What
do you think we should do?
RYAN
Well, somebody has to go out and try- -
to contact him.
PELT
OK. When can you leave?
RYAN
(FLUSHED)
Wait a minute. The General was right.
I'm just an analyst --
PELT
Perfect. I can't ask any of these
cha�tacters to go. None of them would
volunteer putting their reputations
on the line. And anyway, none of
them are expendable.
(RYAN FROWNS)
IR]. give you three days to prove
your theory, after that we won't
have any choice but to hunt Ramius
down and blow him away. Will, you
do it?
Ryan stares at Pelt.
CUT TO:
CHOPPY SEA
below haze-grey sky. A ape breaks the surface, trailing a
small wake. Submarine is below.
IN THE KONOVALOV
Tupolav spins the .periscope in the Konova]ov's Conn. Bonavia
brings him a message. Frowning, Tupolev reads it.
TUPOLEV
Mother of God.
(TURNING)
Down scope. Dive the ship.
Saes in the Conn, prepare to dive. Tupalev is furious. Turning
to Bonavia, he sneers:
TUPOLEV
The entire Soviet Fleet has been
ordered to hunt Ramius down and
destroy him. And where were we?
Out of contact. Dead in the water!
BONAVIA
But, Captain. Have you forgotten
that it was you who -
TUPOLEV
(TURNING)
I have forgotten nothing. All ahead
flank. Come to course three-five-zero.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
at the head of a table in Red October's wardroom, Borodin to his
left. Seven officers sit or stand to the side. Beside Borodin
LIEUTENANT ALEXANDER MELEKHIN
forties, grey eyes, Red October's engineer. At the door
ENSIGN IVAN STADNYUK
nervous, twenties, Asiatic, locks a dead bait, securing the
wardroom. Tension is elect_ic, palpable.
LIEUTENANT VIKTOR TBILISI
thirties, curly brown hair, Red October's sonar offer, stares at
Ramius, anxious to get something off his chest:
T BILLSI
Before we begin, Captain. I would
like to know exactly what happened
to Putin?
(BEAT)
He didn't slip on his tea. Did he?
RAMIUS
No, Vlktor.
Visibly shaken, Stadnyuk waves his hands:
STADNYUK
Captain?
RAMIUS
There is no way we could have
accomplished our task with Putin
aboard. He would have stopped us.
T BILISI
I have no objections to eliminating him.
He was a pig. But it's a decision we
should all have made.
BORODIN
You're not in command.
T BILISI
Don't give me that command garbage,
Vasily. This is no ordinary cruise.
We're all risking our lives. Everything
that happens affects-each of us.
RAMIUS
Enough! Putin is dead. The responsibility
and the guilt are mine.
(PAUSE)
There's something else you should know.
On the morning we sailed, I posted a
letter to Admiral Padorin announcing
our intentions to defect.
Borodin's jaw drops. Tbilisi. is speechless. Kamarov whispers:
KAMAROV
In the name of God, why?
RAMIUS
We needed to burn the bridges. Make
a clean break.
I STADNYUK
(SHRIEKING)
They'll find us! They'll hunt us down!
80RODIN
(HISSING)
Keep your voice down, Ivan. Nobody
can find us.
TBILISI
(TO RAMIUS)
You had to do it, didn't you? You
couldn't` just fallow the plan and turn
the; submarine over to the Americans.
(VOICE RISING)
You had to rub Moscow's nose in it
and make some kind of hare-brained
political statement.
(ANGRY)
Goddammit, Marko. You signed our
death warrants!
RAMIUS
(EYES BLAZING)
How many times have you served in
my command, Viktrxr?
T BILISI
(STAMMERING)
Many times --
RAMIUS
Do you know me to be a man who
talerates insubordination?
Tbili- blanches, but will not look away. Ramius glances at the
OTHERS:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Return to your posts. All of You.
No one moves. Time crawls by. Finally, Borodin gets to his feet:
BORODIN
You heard the Captain. Dismissed!
One by one, the men file out of the wardroom. When they are gone,
Borodin turns to Ramius,... speaking quietly:'
BORODIN (CONT'D)
Captain. I would never disagree with you
in front of the men. But Viktor is right.
We are in this together. What we are
attempting is d'f cult. And --
RAMIUS
Our original orders were to demonstrate
that this ship cannot be found.
(BEAT)
That is precisely what we will do.
CUT TO:
JONES
working his tape recorder in the Dallas' sonar shack. Varying
speeds, €ftering extraneous noise, Jones is isolating the eer9e
WHOOSHING SOUND.:
CUT TO:
SHEET LIGHTNING
in a RAGING STORM. An C-2A GREYHOUND appears, TURBOPROPS
SCREAMING, buffeted like a ping-gong ball on a HOWLING canvas of
PITCH }
IN THE GREYHOUND
Ryan rides out the storm. He's wearing the uniform of a naval
commander. Heavy TURBULENCE. LIGHTNING irradiates WINDOWS.-
A NAVIGATOR
sits directly behind Ryan at a small desk built into the bulkhead.
-45-
Behind the navigator in a cockpit, pilot and copilot. Eyeing Ryan,
the navigator SHOUTS:
NAVIGATOR
Some turbulence. Hey, Commander?
(NO ANSWER)
You don't enjoy flying?
Ryan shakeshis head. Gleefully, the navigator BELLOWS:
NAVIGATOR (CONT'D)
This is a picnic, Commander. You
should've been with me six months ago
when we hit a typhoon in the Sea of
Japan. Guys were puking all. over the
place. The plot puked all over his
window. I puked the radio to death.
Puke was everywhere and I'm not talking
lightweight stuff. I'm talking industrial
strength puke!
RYAN
(SWOONING)
Next time you get a bright idea, Jack,
try putting • it in a memo.
NAVIGATOR
Anyway, when we hit that typhoon
everybody knew what everybody else
had for breakfast. Puke was on the
ceiling. Puke was in the ais1 s
Ryan is green.
CUT TO:
AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
in the STORM, bobbing like a cork in twenty-foot waves, thirty-foot
landing � strip. surging violently in all directions.
USS KENNEDY
The North Atlantic
100 miles south of Greenland-
On the deck, A LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER SCREAMS into a,;.
WALKIE-TALKIE. Rain POUNDS his FACE. Wiping his eyes, he
SPOTS
THE GREYHOUND.
heading for the carrier. PROPELLERS SHRIEK over the STORM.
LSO BELLOWS INSTRUCTIONS into his WALKIE-TALKIE. At the last
moment, WHEELS RIP into the DECK.
A HOOK on the Greyhound's belly CATCHES the last wire. SPARKS
cascade on WET STEEL. Moving across the deck with an ensign
CAPTAIN CHARLES DAVENPORT
fiort ies, in a leather flight jacket, approaches the Greyhound.
SHOUTING SAILORS batten down the plane.
A door opens. Ryan climbs down a ramp on shaky legs. Taking his
arm, Davenport SHOUTS:
DAVENPORT
Charles Davenport, commanding officer
of the Kennedy! The Admiral is
waiting for you in his quarters!
A STEWARD
pouring coffee into a large mug on a tray loaded down with
sandwiches. Setting down the coffee, the steward leaves.
REAR ADMIRAL JOSHUA PAINTER
fifties, a man of puritanical integrity, takes a hit of the ooze in
his quarters on the Kennedy.. KNOCK on the DOOR. Ryan and
Davenport enter.
RYAN;'
(sha)dng hands)
Jack Ryan, Admiral.. Sorry for the
confusion, but, as:-l was just. telling
Captain Davenport, I'm not a naval of cer
(BEAT)
I work for Admiral Greer at the. CIA.
He thought I would draw less attention
if I.was in uniform.
PAINTER
You want coffee? Something to eat?
(RYAN DOESN'T)
Alright:. What can I do.for you, son?
You gonna tell me what all this activity
is about?
Ryan hands Painter a lettew. Opening It, Painter studies the
-47-
contents. Davenport leans on a bulkhead, staring at Ryan. Painter
returns the letter:
PAINTER (CONT'D)
Can't get any higher authority than
that. Now, what's going on?
CUT TO:
JONES
at a translucent status board in the quartermaster's station on the
Dalla. Behind the status board, projected on a screen, a nautical
map of the North Atlantic. Mancuso and Thompson enter.
JONES
(TO MANCUSO)
I know you're busy, Captain. But I
may have something here.
MANCUSO
Go ahead.
JONES
I've been working on a sound I heard
when the typhoon disappeared. I washed
it through the tape machine several times
and managed to isolate it. But when I
asked the computer to identify it, the
answer I got. was magma displacement.
MANCUSO
Magma displacement?
JONES
Yes sir. See, the system we are
using was originally- designed to look
four seismic events and although we
adapted it. to hunt for submarines -
MANCUSO
utto the chase, Jonesy._:.,
JONES
Aye, aye, sir. Anyway,; I got curious,
and. started tracking. the sound on our
lateral array. I located it four
different times. The fifth time it
was gone and I couldn't find it. But
I want to show you what I worked up.
Picking up a grease pencil, Jones makes calculations on the status
board overlaying the nautical map:
-48-
JONES (CONT'D)
The first contact was at zero-nine-Been
hours and the bearing was two-six-nine.
(DRAWING LINE)
Then at zero-nine-thirty hours it was
bearing two-six-zero. And at zero-nine-
forty-eight is was two-ive-zero.
(ANOTHER LINE)
I came back to it at about ten-hundred
and the bearing was two-four-two. The
last signal was real faint and I didn't
have a very good lock on it.
MANCUSO
So?
JONES
Well, I figure it couldn't be very far
away from us, right? Let's say it was
halfway between us and Iceland. That
would put it on a course like this.
Jones makes more calculations on the. status board. Mancuso
recognizes a pattern:
MANCUSO
Headed directly into Red Route One.
JONES
Exactly. Sir, I believe the sound I
heard is the acoustical signature of some
kind of super-quiet Russian submarine and
he's taking the inshore track off the
Iceland coast.
THOMPSON
What do you think, captain?
Mancuso stares-at the status board, then turns to Jones:
MANCUSO
Let me see if I got this straight. The
three minion dollar computer tells you
you're chasing after an earthquake and
you aren't convinced. So you get curious
and came up with this theory: on your own?
JONES
(UNCERTAIN)
Yes, sir.
MANCUSO
Relax, Jonesy. You sold me.
Jones grans.
-49-
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
Let me ask you this. If we get close
to this supers lent sub again, you
think you can track him down?
JONES
Yes, sir. Now that I know what to
listen for, I'1 bag the sucker cold.
CUT TO:
DAVENPORT
frowning at Ryan, who sits opposite him, finishing a sandwich:
DAVENPORT
Christ'_ I've heard some strange stuff,
Ryan, but that takes it. Ramius must
have a hundred men on that boat. They
can't all want to defect. He'd have a
mutiny on his hands.
RYAN
Not ne s_~:4'y. If he personally
recruita d the of6cers, it's theoret i ally
POSSIBLE -
DAVENPORT
Theoretically, anything's p • But
you're not in some cubicle at CIA.
Over by the porthole, Painter clears his throat:
PAINTER
For the sake of argument, let's assume
you're right and Ramius intends to defect.
What are you gonna do with the boat?
You cant keep it. The Russians will.
want it back. And theyRl know you've got
it, :`because the crew wl]l tell them so.
Or do you intend to keep them too?
RYAN
Perhaps it would be enough to get some
I men aboard to analyze the propulsion
SYSTEM -
PAINTER
(SMILING)
F
A Coast Guard Inspection?
RYAN
Perhaps. I'm not sure that ---
L
I
PAINTER
Well, I agree with chuck on one thing,
son. You've got your neck stretched way
out there. Didn't Greer ever teach you
the rules of survival in a bureaucracy?
(Ryan smiles weakly)
Still, it would be nice to keep it.
When's the last time you slept?
RYAN
Can't remember. Every time I get. the
chance, somebody puts me on another
airplane.
PAINTER
OK. Why don't you rack out fear a while.
The chief outside will find you quarters.
(STANDING)
We'll be in CIC in the morning. It's
gonna get real interesting out here
the ' next couple of days.
PAINTER
When you shook hands with him, you
notice the ring on his finger,, Chuck?
(DAVENPORT DIDN'T)
Class of M. Marine Corps.
PAINTER
Greer told me about him. Three weeks
after he was commissioned, he was in
a chopper on a rescue mission in the
Med. They went down. Bad. P11 and
crew killed instantly. That kid spent
eight months in traction with a broken.
back, and two years learning to walk
again. I think lt:'s O K for him to
wear.: the uniform. -
(beat),
Don't you?
-51-
I
closing the door to a stateroom. Exhausted, he tumbles face down
on a lower bunk, head on a pillow. A sliver of light from the door
to a head hits his face:
RYAN
(MUMBLING)
Gotta be pie... Anything's possible
... Under the guise of Coast Guard...
better to keep it.. how do you keep ft?
Ryan's sound asleep.
CUT TO:
MELEKHIN
surrounded by HOWLING NOISE in Red October's engineerin
compartment. The. bulkheads shake. A TECHNICIAN SHOUTS
TECHNICIAN
Converter temperature'is egress
above specks and rising!
MELEKHIN
(SHOUTING BACK)
What's the status of the cryog
TECHNICIAN
(SHOUTING)
Liquid helium discharge pressure is
one. hundred pounds low and drpl g!
Ramius and Borodin race into the compartment, Pet= is right
behind them. The ship GROANS. Ramius. BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
What is It?
MELEKHIN
(SHOUTING BACK)
he cryogenic plant has failed! The
super conducting magnets are not being
cooled and the temperature of the
. caterpiar assembly is rising to
dangerous levels.. If we don't turn
It, off, it's gonna melt!
RAMIUS
(TO TECHNICIAN
Shut everything down!
Ship SHUDDERS. Technicians work at a fever
white as a ghost. in seconds, the RACKET stops.
TECHNICIAN
Caterpi']]ar flows are stabilizing.
(BEAT)
Magnet temperatures are dropping.
PETROV
(SCARED)
Any reactor damage?
MELEKHIN
There was a power spike, but the
reactor scrammed itself automatically.
PETROV
But are there any radiation --
MELEKHIN
(ANGRY)
I. don't know, dammiti
RAMIUS
How long before you can fix it?
MELEKHIN
I have to find out what's wrong first.
It could be a problem with the liquid
helium cycle. Maybe the super conducting
material has failed.
RAMIUS
We're going to have to run an normal
propuLainn. Can you get the reactor up?
MELEKHIN
Y]
PETROV -
Shouldn't-'we first check the
RAMIUS
That will be all, Doctor.
Frightened, Petrov, stares at Ramb, The Captain's indomitable.
Petrov leaves. Borodin has concerns of his own:
BORODIN'
What if we're detected, Captain?
RAMIUS
Pray that we aren't, Vasily.
CUT TO:
JEFF PELT: `
in a chair in his offf in the Executive Office Building. Through a
window, the White House. On a couch opposite him
ANDREI LYSENKO
fifties, dewlapped Soviet Ambassador to the United States, in a dark
suit and tie. Lysenko's uncomfortable. Pelt stares at him:
PELT
Forgive me, Ambassador, for dispensing
with the usual formalities. But the
President views this situation as critical.
Our m,7 ttary counts thirty-two of your
anti-submarine aircraft in the sky laying
down enough sonar buoys that a man could
walk from Greenland to Norway without
getting his feet wet. What's going on?
LYSENKO
we fear she may. be down.
Lysenko leans forward:
LYSENKO (CONT'D)
I hope there won't be any confusion
in this matter.
PELT
So do I, Ambassador Lysenko. Confusion
could be --
(CAREF'ULLY)
Catastrophic.
CUT TO:
A SOVIET BEAR FOXTROT
anti-submarine aircraft, BLASTING through cumulus at thirty
thousand feet, TURBOPROPS HOWLING, a blazing firedog in the
white-hot sun.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, a wall of electronic equipment supports the starboard.
bulkhead.
WARRANT OFFICER ANDREI AMALRIC
twenty, Soviet sonar operator, spots something on a sonar display
simuar to Jones'. Speaking into a headset:
AMALRIC
Sonar contact on buoy number one-
seven-nine. Contact is twenty-seven
mil southwest, ze o-nine-zero.
Data indicates contact is Red October.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtrot:, forward of Amalr4c, PILOT and COPILOT are .
surrounded by dials and switches:
PILOT
(INTO HEADSET)
Acknowledged, sonar. Coming to course.-
zero-nine-zero.
(TO COPILOT)
Contact Red Fleet Command and r2con8rm.
our orders.
Grabbing a mike, the copflct FLIPS toggle SWITCHES above his
head. Leaning on the yoke, the p110t turns the plane.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric works his computer, wiping sweat from his
FOREHEAD:
-55-
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Recommend dropping a four buoy
localization pattern. Will coach
to drop paint.
IN THE SKY
TURBOPROPS SHRIEKING, the Foxtrot ROCKETS out of a cloud
bank at unbelievable speed, leveling off above the racing ocean.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric nudges his computer, punching up one
program after another:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Vector to the drop paint. Zero-
nine-five. Eighteen males.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtrot, the pilot steers the vector. Beside him, the copilot
talks into a phone:
COPILOT
Red Fleet Command, this is Bear Foxtrot
two-eight-four. We have contact
evaluated as Red October. Request
conformation to attack?
(TURNING)
Captain, orders to attack are confirmed.
PILOT
Arm. the weapons.
The copilot starts flipping more toggle switches.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric concentrates on the shimmering display:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Vector zero-nine-six, ten mZ 7es.
Two minutes to the drop paint.
IN THE COCKPIT
of the Foxtxvt, still pushing toggle SWITCHES, the copilot checks a
fire control monitor, glancing at the pilot:
-56-
COPILOT
Weapons are armed. All pre-launch
check is satsfactcry.
IN THE SKY
the Foxtrot chews up the afternoon, a deadly projectile hell bent on
destruction. Below, the ocean streaks by.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, preparing to launch his localization pattern, Amalric
presses a button on his fire control console:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Buoys are away. Recommend standard
turn to the right.
IN THE SKY
four sonar buoys exit the belly of the Foxtrot. Trailing parachutes,
they splash into the ice-cold sea.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in Red October's Conn, talking in hushed tones with Melekhin and
Borodin. Oblivious to their conversation, the crew moves about in
the background.
RAMIUS
What do you mean, „ you stall, don't know?
MELEKHIN
Captain, I need -
BORODIN
Dammit, Alex. If we run any longer on
normal power, weft have the w-hole -
T BILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Captain, sonar! We have just been
overflown by a low altitude multi-
engine turboprop!
RAMIUS
(GRABBING MIKE)
Put it on audio.
SONAR on AUDIO. Ramius glances at Borodin. Ashen, Borodin
puts down a clipboard. At his quartermaster station, Stadnyuk
upends, a mess of pencils.
TBILISI (V O )
(ON SPEAKERS)
Several short transients are close aboard.
Could be water entry of small objects!
RAMIUS
All stop!
(TO MELEKHIN)
We have just run out of time, Comrade.
Get us out of this mess. And hurry!
(MELEKHIN SPLITS)
Quartermaster, sounding?
(NO ANSWER)
Dammit, Ivan. Give me a sounding!
STADNYUK
(STAMMERING)
There are five hundred meters under
the keel..
RAMIUS
(INTO MIKE)
Torpedo room, this is the Captain.
Prepare to launch a counter-measure.
Ramins and Borodin exchange glances. At his quartermaster station,
Stadnyuk is paralyzed with fear.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalrioa wipes his brow, continuing to work his
COMPUTER:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
I have a confirmed and localized target.
I am ready to shift aircraft control to
computer for weapons firing.
IN THE COCKPIT
Of the Foxtrot, the copilot runs a final check. Adjusting his
headset, the pilbt answers Amalric:
PILOT
(INTO HEADSET)
You have permission to shift aircraft
control.
(TO COPILOT)
Ask God for forgiveness, Comrade.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Ama1ric enters a program on his keyboard. Watching
it lock in, he announces:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Computer is now in control, of aircraft.
IN THE SKY
the Foxtrot levels off. Bomb bay doors inch open, revealing a
torpedo, sixteen inches in diameter and eight feet long. As the
plane's nose dips, the torpedo relaasee.
parachute opening behind, a thousand pounds of doomsday device
dive earthward at dizzying speed, splashing into choppy sea.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius listens to SONAR on AUDIO. Faint PINGS
appear, growing inexorably LOUDER, more FREQUENT, the
submariner's worst nightmare:
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
High speed screw l Torpedo in the water!
RAMIUS
(INTO MIKE)
Torpedo room, this is the Captain.
Launch counter-measure.
The Conn SHUDDERS. Metal GRINDS. Within moments, a second
PINGING Is added to that of the TORPEDO on AUDIO.
TORPEDO ROOM (VO)
(ON SPEAKER)
Captain, this is the torpedo room.
Counter-measure has been launched.
IN THE WATER
outskle Red October. The counter-measure, a device similar to a
torpedo, designed to confuse acoustic homing mechanisms, spins
away Pram Red October on high-speed screws.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, torpedo and counter-measure PING LOUDLY on ship's
SPEAKERS. Cool as ice, Ramius turns to Kamarov, at dive control:
RAMIUS
Bottom the ship.
STADNYUK
Wait!
Leaving his quartermaster's station, Stadnyuk stands on shaky legs
between Ramius and Kamarov:
-59-
STADNYUK (CONT'D)
The bottom is five hundred meters
down. We9l be crushed!
RAMIUS
You're relieved of your duties, Ivan!
Return to your quarters.
(BEAT)
Now!
Amplified PINGS. Torpedo's getting CLOSER. The counter-measure
is MOVING AWAY. Waiting until. Stadnyuk has gone, Ramius turns
to the Kamarov:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Bottom the damn ship!
IN THE WATER
Tanks flooding, Red October dives into the abyss.. Beyond, in the
clammering dark, the torpedo hurtles relentlessly forward, death on
wheels.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalrk listens to the torpedo:
AMALRIC
(ON HEADSET)
Weapon has locked onto target and
is homing.
ON RED OCTOBER:.
in the Conn, men bang on. Everything is at a forty-five degree
down angle. Kamarov watches a depth gauge plummet.
KAMAROV
Four hundred meters.
Bulkheads CRACK under tons of pressure. Torpedo and counter-
measure'. PING on AUDIO.
Red October dives under the torpedo. it misses the safl by inches.
Lacking a target, it automatically initiates a wide turn to the left.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot,. Amaltic reports the torpedo's progress, vaice f lat:
-60-
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Torpedo has lost contact.
(LISTENING)
Searching.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, men hang on as the ship dives deeper. Kamarov
watches the depth gauge creep into a red zone. Torpedo PINGS are
farther APART, Less FREQUENT.
TBIISSI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo has passed over us. It's
hunting for a target.
KAMAROV
(READING)
Four hundred fifty meters. Estimate
bottom at five hundred meters.
AIL eyes are fixed on the depth gauge. Bulkheads POP. A
saltwater relief valve EXPLODES. BLASTED in the fame with
WATER, a HELMSMAN leaps to his feet, SCREAMING:
HELMSMAN
We're flooding!
Expressinnless, Kamarov slams him back to his chair and shuts down
the relief valve. The spray stops:
KAMAROV
Keep your teeth on the shelf, boy.
Nobody's flooding.
(READING)
Passing four hundred seventy-fve
meters. Estimate bottoming in
twenty-five meters.
WATER
the Red October hits bottom, kicking up sand and sit, bulkheads
fragile as eggshells.
IN THE FUSELAGE
of the Foxtrot, Amalric strains to hear on his headset. Suddenly,
.his eyes light up:
AMALRIC
(INTO HEADSET)
Weapon has reacquired. Homing againi
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, BULKHEADS GROAN. On the audio, torpedo and
counter-measure PINGS fall into SYNC:
TBIIISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKER)
Captain, the torpedo is homing on
our counter-measure!
PINGS begin a weird contrapuntal DANCE, ultimately becoming
SIMULTANEOUS.
IN THE WATER
two thousand meters from Red October, the torpedo EXPLODES.
TONS'Of WATER are DISPLACED.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, CONCUSSIONS rock the HULL. Sailors cling to the
bulkhead. Equipment CRASHES to the FLOOR. Dust falls from the
ding,.
Lights FLICKER. On the deck, face strobing In the blinking light,
Ramius looks unearthly. The helmsman, water dripping from his
clothes, WHISPERS:
HELMSMAN
Captain, who's shooting at us?
KAMAROV
Easy, boy.
Borodin COUGHS. Confused, the crew watch their Captain. Lights
stay on. Concussions die down. Ships speakers CRACKLE:
MELEKHIN (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Captain, the caterpa`llar is fixed.
silent drive is operational.
Jarred from his reverie, Ramius opens the intercom, speaking to the
ENTIRE SHIP:
RAMIUS
This Is the Captain. The explosion
you Just heard was the first operational
test of a new counter-measure. The
torpedo was launched by our friends
in Soviet aviation.
Borodin stares at Ramius:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Until now, orders required that I keep
this aspect of our mission secret so
that you might be evaluated under
simulated battle conditions.
(TO KAMAROV)
Pump us off the bottom and engage the
c�taerpa'T]ar.
Nobody moves. Ramius is indomitable:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Diving officer, bring the ship to
one hundred meters.
KAMAROV
(TO PLANESMAN)
Pump auxiliaries to sea. Twenty
thousand pounds.
(NO RESPONSE)
Now!
Galvanized, the planesman makes preparations to raise the ship.
Ramius stares at Borodin. Things are getting ragged.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS, MELEKHIN AND BORODIN
in a cramped tunnel beneath Red October's engineering compartment.
Melekhin is holding a steel. pipe. Above, a piece of rope dangles
from some gears. A slipknot has been tied on the loose end.
MELEKHIN
Someone rigged the pipe so that when
we took a down angle it would fall
into the gears.
RAMIUS
MELEKHIN
No doubt about it. And whoever it
was knew exactly how to cripple the
caterpillar in a way not easy to find.
(BEAT)
I st]]. don't know if there's any react=
damage. I9]. have to take a sample of
the axilant. - We are dealing with no
ordinary sailor.
RAMIUS
(to Bo=odin)
We21. have to find a way to get the crew
off this ship, now. We are in danger
every second they are aboard.
BORODIN
But, Captain. There's over a hundred
of them.
CUT TO:
RYAN
brushing his teeth in the head adjacent to his stateroom on the
Kennedy. Through an open door, his unmade bunk. Catching sight
of himself in the mirror:
RYAN
We'd have to get rid of the crew.
(BEAT)
How do you get the crew off a nuclear
submarine?
CUT TO:
JONES
in the Dalla' sonar shack, working furiously with his equipment.
Beaumont watches. The COB's behind him. TRANSIENT ocean
NOISE on SPEAKERS. Over the INTERCOM:
MANCUSO (OS)
Sonar, Conn. Anything yet, Tonesy?
JONES
(INTO INTERCOM )
Conn, sonar. Negative, Captain.
COB
Where is your phantom Russian sub,
Jonesy? According to your calcuiat£ons
we ' should have picked him up hours ago.
JONES
He's close. I can feel it.
COB
Close don't count in anything but horseshoes
and hand grenades.
Beaumont CHORTLES. Jones glances at him:
JONES
Don't encourage the man, seaman Beaumont.
He's very old.
COB-
The hell, you say.
JONES
You're an old man, COB. Way over the
ham. Your trout is so wrinkled it's
about to faU off.
COB
Screw you.
JONES
Speaking of which, what happened to that
Hustler Magazine that was in the head?
COB
(BLANCHING)
Don't start on that crap.
Beaumont grins. The C O 8 and Jones are everything he hoped the
Navy would be:
BEAUMONT
(M AY)
What Hustler magazine?
JONES
For many months, seaman Beaumont,
there was a Hustler magazine located
in the crew's head. it was community
property.
(WORKING SONAR)
Then one day, it disappeared. The
..COB. here was the last person seen
entering the head before it vanished.
BEAUMONT
Where'd it' go?
COB
(SQUIRMING)
Come on, Jonesy.
JONES
I have a theory, seaman Beaumont.
I believe the CO B Is like a black
widow, spider. After he has sex
with a magazine, he eats it.
Beaumont HOWLS. The COB turns pink.
-65-
COS
Goddam you, Jonesy --
JONES
(RAISING HIS
HAND)
Wait!
Jones the tunes a dial. In the distance, barely di i nguishahle
through transient NOISE, the sound of RUSTLING WATER followed
by a fleeting HUM.
CUT TO:
PAINTER
Leaning over a status board in the Combat Information Center on the
Kennedy. Replete with lights, the status board reveals details of
force deployment. Ryan enters, carrying copse:
RYAN
Morning, Admiral.
PAINTER
Sleep well?
RYAN
Like the dead.
(re: status board)
Our friends have been busy.
PAINTER
During the night, they positioned most
of their front line submarines at barrier
stations between Greenland and Iceland.
Here, here and here.
(PIG)
The majority of their Northern Fleet
surface vessels are moving in a line
abreast through here.
(BEAT)
It's an old anti submaxlne tactic. Like
beaters in the jungle making a lot of
noise, driving the prey into the guns
of waiting hunters.
(PIG)
One of our submarines, the Da71as, reports
intermittent contact with Red October and
is positioned here at the bottom of Red
Route One. With luck, the Dallas will
inte pt her.
RYAN
Could you get me aboard the Dallas?
-66-
PAINTER
We could fly you out there in a helicopter.
But I don't think you'd like that much.
RYAN-
(ASHEN)
No other way?
PAINTER
That's all there is, I'm afraid.
Putting down his coffee cup, Ryan stares at the status board. A
sal]ci r arrives with a message. Reading it, Painter glances at Ryan:
PAINTER (CONT'D)
DaIlas found Red October and is
backing her now.
Locking eyes with Painter, Ryan grits his teeth.
RYAN
(FLY)
Memos. From now on nothing but memos.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
at tire control in the Dallas' Conn. Thompson's on the deck.
THOMPSON
(TO MANCUSO)
Captain, we're about a thousand yards
on Red October's port quarter. She's
tracking on course two-one-zero, eight
knots.
MANCUSO
Jones -'studies his w tern - The COB stands behind him. Beaumont
watches. A]l kidding has stopped. This is strictly business:
JONES
(ON MIKE)
Conn, sonar. Signal to noise ratio
is dropping.
(BEAT)
Possib3e aspect change on Sierra
thirty-five, Red October.
IN THE CONN
at fire control, Mancuso is suddenly alert.
THOMPSON
Sonar, Conn, aye.
FIRE CONTROL
Concur, possible zig. Bearing rate
increasing to the right.
IN SONAR
Jones studies his equipment. Beaumont wonders what's going on.
Suddenly, Jones barks:
JONES
(INTO MIKE)
Conn, sonar. Crazy Ivan!
IN THE CONN
like a cat, Mancuso moves onto the deck behind Thompson, eyes
BLAMING:
MANCUSO
(TO THOMPSON)
All stop i Come left and stay in his
baffles.
(F IG)
Rig for quiet running. All compartments
eliminate noise evolutions.
IN SONAR
the COB and Jones ft+eeze. Everything's super-quiet. Beaumont
WHISPERS:
BEAUMONT
What! s ' going on, Jonesy?
JONES
(WHISPERING)
The Soviet Captain has a blind spot
astern in his baffles and he's turning
suddenly to see if he can catch us
there. It's a trick the Soviets use
called a crazy Ivan turn.
(BEAT)
Your average skipper might get caught
with his pants down. Not Mancuso.
We stop all engines and turn with him.
Staying in his baffles. Quiet as a mouse.
Beaumont frowns. Seconds pass. Working his equipment, Jones
WHISPERS into his MIKE:
JONES (CONT'D)
Conn, sonar. Red October is coming
left. My read is he's returning to
base course.
(GIG AT
BEAUMONT)
Skipper got him. The Russian hasn't
got a clue.
IN THE CONN
On the deck, Mancuso glances at fire control.
FIRE CONTROL
Bearing rate has steadied. He's
returning to course two-one-zero.
MAN CUSO
Very well. Secure from quiet running.
RADIOMAN enters.
RADIOMAN
(TO MANCUSO)
Just decrypted this message from
Fleet Command, sir.
Opening the message, Mancuso scans it:
MANCUSO
Damn!
THOMPSON
What?
MANCUSO
!re not gonna believe this.
CUT TO:
THUNDERING ROTORS
on a SH-3 on the Kennedy's flight deck. Ryan and Davenport move
to the waiting chopper. Davenport SHOUTS:
DAVENPORT
The Dallas picked up Red October and
is tracking her again. The Admiral
issued orders for her to fall back and
pick you up.
Davenport takes Ryan's arm.
DAVENPORT (CONT'D)
Ryan, listen to me. Getting someone
on a sub is a nightmare. The Admiral
told me what happened to you in the
Mediterranean. The next hour could
be very rough.
Ryan ftroes a grin. A sax7or helps him into the helicopter.
Davenport steps back. ROTORS ACCELERATE.
CUT TO:
JEFF PELT
in his chair in his office in the Executive Office Building. Sitting
on the couch in precisely the same position as when they last talked,
Ambassador Lysenko wipes his brow:
LYSENKO
The weather in Washington is so
unpredictable, don't you think?
PELT
How can I help you, Ambassador?
LYSENKO
I'm afraid there's been a pew
development.
(PAUSE)
Apparently, the initial reports that
one of our submarines was missing were
not completely accurate.
(PELT IS
silent),
The. submarine in question, Red October,
is commanded' by a Captain Marko Ramius
Apparently r he has suffered some kind
of a nervous breakdown...
(SWEATING)
He -posted a letter just before he
announcing his intentions to
fire his mis' it at the United Stat s.
Pelt stares at Lysenko. Lysenko shifts his weight. _ The Russian
finds Pelt's steady•.gaze unnerving:
PELT
Why didn't you tell me this the last
time we met?
LYSENKO
In my position, I'm sometimes compromised
by the fact that Moscow doesn't tea me
everything.
PELT
So one of your submarine captains has
gone insane?
(LYSENKO NODS)
What is it you want from us?
LYSENKO
The other day you offered your assistance
PELT
The other day it was a rescue mission.
You want us to help you hunt Ramius
down and kill. him?
LYSENKO
Because American lives are at stake,
I've been instructed to ask your
President for precisely that.
(SWALLOWING)
Since you were so adamant about the
consequences of confusion, I thought
we might ask him together.
PELT
I understand.
Pelt picks up the phone.
CUT TO:
BROKEN SUNSHINE
dappling a choppy sea. Ice-cold WIND whips whitecapped waves and
lashes the horizon. The helicopter with Ryan aboard circles into
view.
IN THE CHOPPER
HOWLING. NOISE. PILOT and COPILOT navigate tricky winds.. TWO
SAILORS crouch by an open door, checking a harness on Ryan.
Tuiindng to the pi ot, the copilot BELLOWS:
COPILOT
no contact with the Da'Ha!
# (READING GAUGE)
Fuel capacity is in the red!
PILOT
We can't wait any Unger!
COPILOT
Hang on. I have contact!
PILOT
OK. Tell them to surface.
(RE: RYAN)
Hook him up! But hurry, we don't
have much fuel left!
Sai],or threads cable through a winch by the door. Ryan's white as
a ghost. NOISE Is DEAFENING. Another sa�ar belts a harness to
Ryan's back.
Ryan peers down. Wind from the rotors crushes the waves.
Between his feet, Ryan can see the small white wake from a
periscope.
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso spins the scope. Thompson watches him.
Both he and Mancuso wear life jackets:
MANCUSO
Whoever this guy is, he's in far one
hell of a ride.
( NG)
Officer of the deck. Surface the ship.
A flurry of activity in the Conn. The Dallas prepares to surface.
Mancuso and Thompson move to a hatch by the helm.
IN THE CHOPPER
the saftors i nish strapping Ryan into the sling. One of them leans
forward, painting to a ]ever on Ryan's chest, SHOUTING:
SAILOR
Pull this to release!
Fighting. panic, Ryan glances down. A mitlion miles below, the sea
bans- mine-grey.
ON THE DALLAS
sail in the Conn work like lightning in cramped quarters. A
petty af€'lcer straps Mancuso and Thompson into harnesses.
MANCUSO
You got a man dangling at the end of
a line with no paint of reference and
helicopter rotors generating enough
static electak ty that we have to
ground him or it! l be like grabbing
a hot wire and if he falls in the water
the only way to get him out is with divers
'cause most of the ship's underwater.
(PAUSE)
Fun?
THOMPSON
(G NING)
Why I joined the Navy.
A sager hands Mancuso a phone for the bridge.
THOMPSON (CONT'D)
I put Jonesy in the forward escape
hatch in case he goes in the drink.
MANCUSO
Good. We got no idea who this guy
is or why the Navy wants his on
our boat so bad.
IN THE CHOPPER
Teeth chattering, sta:ugg g with deja vu, Ryan is transfixed by, the
sub-zero ocean. HOWLING WIND and CRASHING ROTORS. Eyes
wide, he watches
THE DALLAS RISE
First the sail, then the foredeck EXPLODE high into the air, finally
CRASHING back to the WATER.
ON THE DALLAS
The COB helps Jones climb into an escape trunk aft of the sail. It's
cramped and brightly lit. Jones checks his equipment.
IN THE CHOPPER
Ryan watches Mancuso and Thompson climb out of the sail onto the
lurching bridge.The sailer leans close, HOLLERING:
SAILOR
Hang on!
He trips a laver on the winch. Cable feeds out a few feet Holding
his breath, Ryan inches into the abyss.
ON THE BRIDGE
Mancuso lays binoculars on Ryan. Thompson ties both of them to
the sail The sub pitches and rolls. Forward and aft are buried
beneath waves.
Fingers freezing, Thompson clamps one end of a jumper cable to a
metal lip on the bridge to ground the sub against static generated
by the helicopter's rut
IN THE AIR
savage WINDS from the chopper's ROTORS start spinning Ryan like
a top. Desperately, he trams to control the dizzying motion.
Above, caught in an unexpected wind sheer, the chopper plummets
seaward. Ryan's line goes slack. Angry sea rushes up at him with
blistering speed.
IN THE CHOPPER
the pilot struggles for control. Behind him, loose equipment SLAMS
into the WINCH, JAMMING the CABLE. CURSING, the pilot regains
control. The chopper stabilizes.
IN THE AIR
CRACKING like a WHIP, the CABLE goes TAUT. Ryan feels like
he's been hit with a sledgehammer. Unable to breathe, he RIPS off
his HELMET.
A rock in a sling, he tries to get his bearings. Everything's grey.
Above, the chopper's rotors CHEW the SKY. Help] s, Ryan starts
swinging like a pendulum.
ON THE BRIDGE
Mancuso and Thompson watch Ryan rocket by at Mach 10. A huge
arc carries him way out over the angry sea. Slowing down, Ryan
starts to spin again.
MANCUSO
(SCREAMING)
See if you can get a ground on his line.
I'm gonna try and catch the bastard!
Way out on the horizon, Ryan reaches the end of his arc and starts
a comet-like ride back at the ship.
IN THE CROPPER
the pilot FEATHERS. CONTROLS trying to reduce Ryan's
mind-boggling-ride. over his shoulder, he BELLOWS:
PILOT
Reel him back in!
SAILOR
(TRYING)
The cable's jammed!
PILOT
If they don't pick him up this time,
we have to cut him Ioxe!
The sailor keeps trying to rewind the cable. No go. sweating, he
wraps gloved fingers around the emergency release on the drum.
IN THE AIR
Ryan watches the Dallas' saw rush at him with unbelievable speed, a
towering black monolith on an ubiquitous canvas of grey.
ON THE BRIDGE
Thompson readies the ground, holding one end in the air. A wave
BLASTS the DALLAS.
THE GROUNDING CABLE
rips free of the bridge. Surprised, Thompson goes overboard.
Caught in his harness, he dangles helplessly above the water.
Mancuso and Ryan reach for each other as Ryan hurtles at the
bridge. All hell breaks loose:
A BOLT OF ELECTRICITY
arcs between their oohed hands. BLITZED, Mancuso is
KNOCKED hard to his KNEES.
IN THE CHOPPER,
the sailor pulls. the release lever, CUTTING the cable. it SLAMS
back inside like a two ton rubber band.
IN THE AIR
unhooked, Ryan sling-shots fifty yards over the pitching bow of the
Dalyas, disappearing beneath the ice-cold water.
UNDER THE. WATER
Bubbles trailing from his mouth, Ryan struggles to free himself from
the harness.
ON THE BRIDGE
a vision of hell, hair blowing in all diYectlons, Mancuso eyeballs the
spot where Ryan went down, SCREAMING:
MANCUSO
(INTO PHONE)
Man overboard!
Thompson drags himself back onto the bridge.
IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK
Jones hears Mancuso's voice BOOMING over SPEAKERS:
MANCUSO (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Man overboard! Twenty yards off
the starboard bow!
The COB SLAMS the HATCH, turning the trunk into an iron tomb.
Jones pulls a mask over his eyes, activates his oxygen and drags
open the exterior hatch.
SEA WATER THUNDERS
in, submerging him in Icy stillness. Securing a line to the
bulkhead, Jones swims out into the swirling brine.
IN THE AIR
the chopper banks hard to the left, climbs Into the mist and starts
circling the Dams.
IN THE WATER
free of the harness, Ryan bobs like a cork in the waves. Fifty
yards away, the keeness sub p bahes violently.
A ' DIVER
surfaces next to Ryan. Removing his mouthpiece, Jones BELLOWS
over the CRASHING SEA:
JONES
Are. you injured!?
JONES
I'm gonna take you in through an
escape trunk!
Jones hooks Ryan to the line. Salt stings Ryan's eyes. His,
breathing's ragged.
ON THE DALLAS
BEDLAM in the CONN. STACCATO orders. Mancuso helps
Thompson through the hatch. Hell on wheels, Mancuso disappears
down a passageway.
IN THE WATER
Jones and Ryan ride waves by the curved hull. of the ship. Jones
offers Ryan his mouthpiece.
RYAN
Wait a minute!
JONES
Listen, you son-af-a-bit h. I'm only
gonna tell you once. Stick this fucking
thing in your mouth and breathe!
Ryan takes the mouthpiece, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. The
helicopter circles above. Jones drags Ryan
UNDER THE WATER
into bruised silence. Pulling themselves downward along the Dalla
rolling hull, Ryan and Jones share oxygen.
IN THE ESCAPE TRUNK
Ryan and Jones pull themselves inside. Blazing light ignites a fire
storm of one-caned organisms. Eyes wide, Ryan watches Jones c3 se
the hatch.
Jones starts draining the trunk. Everything slows down. Echoes
REVERBERATE. The water level in the trunk drops and the
SHRIEK OF PRESSURIZED AIR
ASSAULTS Ryan's EARDRUMS. Hurling the mouthpiece. away, he
gulps air in the rapidly draining trunk like a banked trout.
IN THE HALLWAY
outside the trunk, Mancuso and crew open the hatch. Tumbling
out, Ryan stands; on shaky legs, excited, babbling:
RYAN
Jesus Christ! I cant believe it!
Jesus Christ --»
MANCUSO
Take it easy --
RYAN
When I hit the water, it was like Ice.
I thought I was going to freeze --
MANCUSO
Slow down. You're hypervent it sting.
(RYAN BLINKS)
Now, who are you?
RYAN
(DISORIENTED)
Sorry. I'm Jack Ryan. Are you
Captain Mancuso?
Mancuso nods. The radioman appears with another message.
Mancuso rips it open and starts reading it. Ryan rockets into
PRESENT TIME:
RYAN (CONT'D)
Captain, we have to find the Red October.
She's a Russian --
MANCUSO
(READING)
I already found him, Ryan. Then I
was ordered to pick you up.
RYAN -
(QUIC)DY)
We have to find him again. The
Captain is going to defect and -
MANCUSO
What the hell are you yammering about?
RYAN
I have to talk to -
MANCUSO
Mr. Thompson. Get this man some
dry clothes and coffee.
RYAN
BUT CAPTAIN
MANCUSO
I'Il be in the Conn.
JUMP CUT TO:
at the entrance of the sonar shack, fifteen minutes later. Behind
him, in the Conn, the crew is preparing to man battle stations.
Jones has returned to sonar.
MANCUSO
(TO JONES)
Any sign that he's alerted to our
presence?
JONES
No, sir, captain. operating as before.
Ryan appears in dry clothes. Mancuso ignores him. The of5cer of
the deck turns to Mancuso:
OOD
Captain. Battle stations are manned.
MANCUSO
Very well.
RYAN
What do you mean battle stations?
(URGENTLY)
Look, I've been authorized by the
President of the United States to
talk to the Captain of Red October.
Mancuso takes the last message from his pocket:
MANCUSO
And I have been ordered to blow him
out of the water if he stays on a
course to the United States or
demonstrates any hostile intentions.
RYAN
(STUNNED)
I don't understand.
MANCUSO
(RE: MESSAGE)
According to this he's gone bughouse
and intends to fire his missiles. So
much f= your defection theory.
Mancuso hands Ryan the message.. Ryan stares at. it. Mancuso
turns back to the officer of the deck:
MANCUSO (CONT'D)
Officer of the deck. Make,
RYAN
Wail!
(RE: MESSAGE)
Think about this a second. Naturally
the Soviets would tall us he is insane.
They want us to sink him before he has
an opportunity to defect.
JONES
(TO MANCUSO)
Captain, crazy Ivan.
MANCUSO
All. stop i Come left and stay in his
baffles. Rig for quiet running.
The officer of the deck repeats Mancuso's orders. Mancuso and
Ryan are eyeball-etc-eyeball.. Ryan whispers:
RYAN
Listen to me, Captain. There must
be some way you can establish contact
without violating your orders. I'm
telling you, he wants to defect.
(MANCUSO FROWNS)
If there's ever going to be peace in
the world somebody has to take a risk.
Give the man a chance. He's defecting.
I know it.
(MANCUSO HESITATES)
Please.
MANCUSO
(after a beat)
AIL back two-thirds.
Nobody moves. Jones glances at Mancuso. Mancuso stares at Ryan
The ofSt r of the deck's e d
OOD
Sorry, sir. Would you repeat --
MANCUSO
I said, aill back two-thirds!
HELMSMAN
Helm answers. AIL back two-thirds.
Hell RINGS. Ship SHUDDERS. Ryan's ears pop. Jones glares at
MANCUSO:
MANCUSO
AIL shop!
(TO RYAN)
OK, Ryan. We just unzipped our fly.
Now if he so much as twitches, I"m..
gonna blow the bastard to Mars.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
in the Conn on Red October, surrounded by activity. Urgently, he
speaks into a mike:
_E0-
RAMIUS
Sonar, this is Ramius. Can you
identify the contact?
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
American Los Angeles class attack
submarine. Bearing zero-ftve-
zero, range three hundred yards.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
in the Dalla' Conn, on the deck. Thompson's at fire control. Ryan
is to Mancuso's left. Crew's at battle stations.
MANCUSO
Flood tubes one and two and make
torpedos ready in all. respects.
RYAN
WAIT -
MANCUSO
My orders are specific, Mister.
THOMPSON
Tubes one and two flooded and ready in
all respects.
CUT TO:
RAMIUS
as before in Red. October's -Conn. The crew has come to battle
stations. Borodin is at fire control..
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
the American has flooded his
tubes and is preparing to Orel
RAMIUS
(TO BORODIN)
Prepare tubes three and four and
plot a solution.
BORODIN
Shall I flood the tubes?
(NO ANSWER)
Captain, shall I flood the tubes?
RAMIUS
(after a beat)
No. Lock the (ring solution into
computer. Do not flood the tubes.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
on the DaIIas in the Conn. Eyeing Ryan, Mancuso opens a mike:
MANCUSO
What's he doing, Jonesy? Has he
l f ooded his tubes?
JONES
Negative, Captain. He's just matting
there. Hold on --
(BEAT)
Hull popping. Target's coming shallow.
Mancuso frowns. The crew's a cased spring. Ryan's walking on
RAZOR BLADES:
RYAN
What does it mean?
MANCUSO
It means, he's a very cool customer,
YOUR RUS
sian. He knows we're here and
that we are ready to fire. But he's
not going to provoke us. He's heading
to periscope depth to see what's on the
surface.
(TO THOMPSON)
What's his course, now?
THOMPSON
(READING)
Target is on course north.
MANCUSO
(TO- HELMSMAN)
Right ten degrees rudder. Steer
course north.
(BEAT)
Sonar, Conn. Report all contacts.
JONES
Conn, sonar. My only contact is Sierra
thirty-five, Red October. Bearing two-
seven-zero.
MANCUSO
Conn, aye. Fire control, range to target?
THOMPSON
Range is three hundred yards.
MANCUSO
Diving oar make your depth sixty-
f f ve feet.
(TO RYAN)
He wants to go up and take a peek,
we'll play along.
ON THE SURFACE
Grey sky. Frothy sea. Red October's periscope appears. Seconds
later, three hundred yards away, the Dalla' scope breaks the
surface.
ON RED OCTOBER
Ramius is glued to the eyepiece of his periscope. He spots the
Dallas' scope in the water. Behind him, sailors are tense, wary.
Uncomfortable, Borodin sweats at fire control.
RAMIUS
(ON SCOPE)
Weapons status?
BORODIN
Weapons are armed. Tubes one and
two are not ficoded.
RAMIU S
(AT SCOPE)
Mark this bearing.
QUARTERMASTER
Bearing zero-nine-zero.
in the Conn, Mancuso is glued to his scope just like Ramius. Ryan
can hear his heart nq:
MANCUSO
All right, Mr. Ryan. You wanted
to:. talk to him. There he is. What
do you want to say?
Ryan chooses his words carefully. As he does, Mancuso hits a
periscope light in morse:
RYAN
American government told you intend
to launch mis. lc s. Do not approach
U.S. coast. Repeat. Do not approach
U.S. coast, or you .w>7 . be attacked.
If you understand, ping once.
(TO MANCUSO)
He can do that, can't he?
MANCUSO
He can do that. But is he gonna do
that?
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius is still at. the scope, watching the light in the
Dalla' periscope. After a moment, he, glances at Borodin:
RAM=S
Verify the range again.
(BEAT)
Ping one time only.
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso's at the scope. Ryan is scribbling something
on a pad. Sailors hear a PING. Thompson grins.
MANCUSO
I'D. be dammed.
(TO RYAN)
Now what?
RYAN
(RE: PAD)
Send him this.
MANCUSO
(READING)
Are you out of your mind?
RYAN
Just send it.
(THINKING)
And ten him to ping again if he agrees.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, Ramius is at the scope, watching the flashing light.
After a second, he steps back, face white. Finally, he turns to
BORODIN:
RAMIUS
Verify the range one more time.
BORODIN
But Captain, I just --
RAMIUS
Give me a sounding, ' Vasily! Ping
once only.
Borodin goes to work. Ramius stares at Melekhin. Melekhin frowns.
What the hell is happening?
ON THE DALLAS
in the Conn, Mancuso, Ryan and the crew hear another PING.
Ryan's ecstatic. Mancuso Isn't.
MANCUSO
Down scope.
RYAN
(to Mancuso,.,
EXDITD)
I need to look at a nautical chart. Do
you have --
MANCUSO
Ryan, what's going on?
RYAN
(9 G)
If the Soviets want us to sink Red
October. We just might have to oblige.
CUT TO:
THE DEEP
black as night, reverberating with eerie nightmares. From the
cloying dark, Red October rises, a shimmering phosphorescent giant.
THE REYKJANES RIDGE
Off the coast of Iceland
Morning of the fourth day
in engineering, Petrov and Melekhin stand at a sink on the reactor
bulkhead. Valves and tubing hang over the sink. Technicians in
the background.
Melekhin's in rubber apron, gloves and plastic face shield. Dressed
identicaMy, Petrov halls a book. Signs on the wall indicate
radiation danger.
PETROV
(READING BOOK)
Shut valve three.
MELEKHIN
Valve three shut.
He shuts a valve with a large wrench. Turning a page, Petrov
READS:
PETROV
Place flask under valve four and
draw one hundred m peter coolant
sample.
MELEKHIN
Placing flask under valve four. Drawing
sample.
A tiny stream of fluid fa]ls into the flask. Unexpectedly, an ALARM
GOES OFF. Technicians freeze.
PETROV
Shut the valve and secure the sink!
Melekhin shuts the, valve. Petrov stares at the alarm. Below it, a
meter is flashing red:
PETROV (CONT'D)
Seal that sample in a plastic bag and
take it to the lab. I'I1 get the Captain!
CUT TO:
RAMIUS AND BORODIN
drinking tea and munching black bread in Red October's wardroom.
Nobody else around. Borodin smiles at Ramius fondly:
BORODIN
Do you think they will let me live in
Montana?
RAMIUS
I think they w91 let you live wherever
you want, my find.
BORODIN
Good. Then I will raise rabbits in
Montana and marry a round American
I
woman who will cook them for me.
(SMILING)
And she will have friends who are
Indians and we wiin ride horses on
Sunday.
Ramius laughs. Petrov barges in, talking as he enters:
PET RO V
Captain, there are high Es►sion product
levels in the primary coolant!
(BABBLING)
I knew we should have checked the
reactor before we started it. When
the caterpillar broke down the vare
must have been damaged!
RANIUS
Keep your vcadoe down, Doctor. There
are several explanations -
PETROV
Listen to me. Radioactive fuel is in
the water. If it gets into our air,
it could ' loll us all!
RAMIUS
I said, keep your voice down. The
CREW -
PETROV
(SHRILL)
I will not! We have a level four
radiation leak. And if something
isn't done, we're all going to die! -
Ramius stands. Suddenly, Petrov remembers where he is. Ramius'
eyes are bullet holes. Wilting,, Petrov stammers:
PETROV (CONT'D)
Forgive me, Captain. But -
RAMIUS
it's probably a piece of corrosion in
the pipes. That happens. Now let's
take' another sample. But quietly.
We don't want to panic the crew.
JUMP CUT TO:
ENGINEERING
minutes later. Melekhin and Petrov prepare to draw another sample
at the sink. Ramius stands behind them. Technicians to the rear.
Melekhin struggles with the valve:
MELEKHIN
I may have shut it too hard.
Grabbing the wrench, Ramius leans his weight on it. Suddenly, the
-87-
valve CRACKS. HOT water SPRAYS Ramius in the FACE. Melekhin
FREAKS:
MELEKHIN (CONT'D)
Secure the valve before the water
turns to steam !
Desperately, Ramius tries to plug the hole. The VALVE BREAKS.
BOILING WATER pours out, turning to STEAM, SPLATTERING
Melekhin. ALARMS GO OFF. Ramius BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
Evacuate the compartment-'
Technicians scramble for the door. Searing hot steam chokes the
compartment. Melekhin SCREAMS:
MELEKHIN
in try and stop the leak. Everybody
get the hen out of here!
IN THE CONN
Crew members are panicking. ALARMS are GOING OFF. Dripping
water, Ramius charges in. On the deck, Borodin SHOUTS:
BORODIN
(ON HEADSET)
Captain, radiation alarms are activating
in all compartments. Engineering is
heavily contaminated. Radiation is
spreading forward!
RAMIUS
Get us to periscope depth.We ]i ventilate!
BORODIN
(TURNING)
Emergency surface!
While the crew works to get the boat to the surface, Petrov studies
a radiation detector.' it ALARMS. Gauges are in a red zone.
PETROV
(READING)
Ventilating won't do any good. Ws
getting worse. At these levels it is
only a matter of minutes. We have to
abandon ship!; -
Sailors in the Conn stare at the Captain. Ramins BELLOWS:
RAMIUS
(TO BORODIN)
Alright. Pass word to abandon ship.
Draft a message to Red Fleet Command
telling them our location and situation!
BORODIN
(INTO MIKE)
Stand by to abandon ship! Stand by
to abandon ship! All hands muster on
the miss Bp- deck. Designated personnel
bring lire rafts!
ON THE SURFACE
Red October rises in angry sea. An emergency door on the sail
opens. Seconds later, a hatch on the missile deck opens also. The
sea RAGES.
Climbing out on the deck, Tblllsi and a half a dozen sailors try to
inflate rafts. Red October PITCHES and ROLLS. Wind HOWLS.
Frurated, Tbilisi SCREAMS into a headset.
IN THE CONN
through the open emergency door, the sea CRASHES. Frightened to
death, shivering sailors in life preservers line up to leave. Petrov
counts them. Ramius stands by Sorodin.
BORODIN
Captain. L,ieubenant Tbi3JsJ reports the
sea state is too rough to launch the rafts'
over the she. The men will be gushed!
RAMIUS
All right. Instruct the crew to secure
the rafts to the deck. When all. personnel
are aboard the rafts, we will scuttle
the ship out from under us!
ON THE DECK.
Ocean, ROARS. Fighting gale farce WINDS, sailors Me out of the
hatch and tie down the rafts. Around them, the hounds of hell are
loose on the face of the deep.
IN THE CONN
the last of the crew leaves. Borodin is at the periscope, Kamarov
stands by Ramius. Only offfcers are left.
KAMAROV
Captain, Major Tbilisi reports the crew
are secured in rafts and rafts are tied
down. We should join the crew and
scuttle the ship.
RAMIUS
(TO PETROV)
Do you have a count? Have they all
been evacuated?
PETROV
I think so. I --
BORODIN
(ON SCOPE)
Captain! Surface warship. Closing
fast. Zero angle on the bow. Range
nine miles.
RAMIUS
(ASHEN)
Can you classify it?
BORODIN
U.S. Knox class frigate. She's
flashing light. I']]. read.
(TRANSLATING)
Red October. Stay where you are.
Do not attempt to submerge or we
will are. Stand by to be boarded.
PETROV
(SHRIEKING)
What are we going to do?
RAMIUS
(TO PETROV)
There's only one thing we can do. Go
topside and take care of the crew. I
and my officers wall submerge the ship
and take her elsewhere to scuttle. The
Americans must never have this boat!
All Petrov wants do to is get his ass off the boat. At the door,
Ramius stops him:
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Doctor. When you get home. You will.
hear many stories about me and some
are true. But tell them that in the
end I did my duty.
Petrov splits. Borodin slams the hatch behind him and seals it.
-90-
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
(TO BORODIN)
Submerge the ship.
ON THE DECK
the ocean RAGES. Red October sets to submerge. GEYSERS of
WATER and air EXPLODE hundreds of feet in the sky as she dives.
The BLOWBACK is STAGGERING.
Wild-eyed sailors in rubber rafts hang on for their lives. On the
horizon, Petrov spots the American frigate hurtling forward, light
flashing.
A puff of smoke appears, fbnowed by a muted EXPLOSION. The
frigate's FIRING. As the round comes in, there is an
EARSPLITTING SHRIEK.
A hundred yards beyond Red October's bow, the SEA EXPLODES.
The CONCUSSION and the STORM are mind-bending. Petrov thinks
the world's coming to an end.
In the rafts, men slash at ropes binding them to the deck. One by
one, they drift free of the submerging ship into foaming sea. One
sailor can't cut his rope. His raft's dragged under.
Wind HOWLS. The frigate FIRES AGAIN. Another EARSPLITTING
SHRIEK. Another EXPLOSION. Tons of icy saltwater cascade over
Petxov's head. -
Gulping air, Petrov spots the raft and sail r pop back to the
surface. Red October's sail disappears. Sailors haul freezing men
from raging water. Hell on earth.
CUT TO:
THE FRIGATE
bow slicing through the freezing ocean at flank speed. On the
fantai, a helicopter prepares to take off, ROTORS HOWLING
IN THE COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER
aboard the frigate, thirty sailors work various consoles replete with
computer terminals, status boards and plotting tables. In the middle
of the compartment
ISEUTENANT COMMANDER JIM CURRY
thirties, mans the nerve center of the CIC. Curry has immediate
access to both sonar and radio. In the darkness, to his left, TWO
SHADOWS:
CURRY
(INTO MIKE)
Seahawk One. This is Bravo Command.
You are cleared for take off.
IN THE HELICOPTER
on the fwltml of the frigate, PILOT and copilot are strapped into the
crowded cockpit. Copilot flips a bank of toggle switches above his
head.
PILOT
(INTO MIKE)
Roger, Bravo Command. Seahawk one
request vector to target Red October.
(LISTENING)
Copy that. We're on our way.
IN. THE AIR
the helicopter rises from the fantail of the frigate. In seconds, it
passes over Petrov and his companions floating in rubber rafts in
choppy sea.
IN °THE HELICOPTER
the pilot glances over his shoulder at a SENSOR OPERATOR working
a computer behind the copilot:
PILOT
Torpedo Inputs?
SENSOR OPERATOR
Set and veri ed as ordered.
IN THE WATER
the life rafts converge on the frigate like insects hovering round an
oversized queen. In one of the rafts, Petrov watches as a net is
thrown down at him.
IN THE HELICOPTER
the p eyeballs the sea as it races by. Speaking into a mike:
PILOT
Roger that, Bravo One. Five hundred
yards to the drop paint. Torpedo is
armed and ready.
IN THE CIC
aboard the fcigate, Curry turns to one of the shadows:
CURRY
Seahawk One reports torpedo armed
and ready to fire. Requests final
authorization to drop.
IN THE RAFTS
Petrov and the others climb the nets. Halfway up, the doctor stares
back at the helicopter hovering in the distance.
IN THE AIR
thirty feet above the water, the helicopter releases a torpedo in the
area where Red October went down.
ON THE FRIGATE
Petrov climbs onto the fantail. U.S. sailors are waiting with coffee
and blankets. Fuming, Petrov confronts an officer:
PETROV
I protest! What authority do you
have to fire? I protest!
IN THE CIC
Curry coordinates information. AIL around him, men work intensely.
Curry turns to one of the shadows:
CURRY
Seahawk One reports torpedo is launched
and running normally at forty knots.
I have it on sonar.
(TURNING)
Four hundred yards from drop paint.
Eight hundred yards. Twelve hundred
yards.
One of the shadows leans forward and presses a button on Curry's
console. The button is marked Command Control Detonate. The
SHADOW IS
ADMIRAL GREER
in a white uniform and cap. Beside him, Skip Tyler, leans on his
cane, concentrating on Curry's display.
IN THE HELICOPTER
Pilot studies the sea. Suddenly, it BULGES. Loud CONCUSSION.
Shock WAVE. A giant mushroom cap rises from the depths as gas
bubbles vent.
ON THE FANTAIL
Petrov watches in horror as a huge concave impression vents below
the helicopter. A huge plume of gas and water erupts skyward.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, Curry turns to Greer:
CURRY
Torpedo has detonated.
GREER
And you understand, Lieutenant. I
was never here. That torpedo did not
self-destruct. It hit the target. Right?
(CURRY NODS)
Now, Contact the Dallas and tell them
to proceed.
Curry nods.
CUT TO:
MANCUSO
in the Conn aboard the Dallas with Thompson. Mancuso has a .45 in
a holster on his belt. Thompson reads a message:
THOMPSON
Frigate reports phase one completed,
Captain. We are ordered to proceed.
MANCUSO
OK. Now comes the weird part.
Thompson fo lows Mancuso out of the Conn into
A PASSAGEWAY
running aft. Mancuso and Thompson move at speed. Mancuso is far
FROM HAPPY:
MANCUSO
I don't like leaving the boat, Phil.
But the orders are specific.
THOMPSON
We're gonna be f ne.
Rounding a corner, they start
DOWN A LADDER
Thompson will never get over how fast Mancuso can move. Aren't
guys that big supposed to be slow?
MANCUSO
This has got to be the craziest stunt
I've ever heard of. There's only about
two ml]]k n things that can st]l. go wrong.
At the bottom of the ladder, they enter
A PASSAGEWAY
Ahead of them Jones and Ryan wait by a ladder beneath an open
hatch. Like Mancuso, Jones is armed. Jones starts up the ladder.
Ryan follows. Mancuso turns to Thompson:
MANCUSO
Listen. If anything --
THOMPSON
Captain. We'll be all right.
Mancuso climbs up the ladder, disappearing through the hatch.
Thompson closes it.
CUT TO:
WARRANT OFFICER STEINER
sitting before a wheel at a brightly lit panel, just as cocky as when
we last saw him in the mini sub at Tyler's lab. Next to him, a
COPILOT checks a clipboard.
Behind them, Jones, Ryan and Mancuso climb up through a hatch.
Jones shuts it. Steiner speaks into a headset::
STEINER
OX. Passengers are aboard. Check-off
complete. Request clearance to lift-off.
(TURNING)
Gentlemen, we have clearance. Fasten
your belts and grab your nuts. We're
taking a ride.
Ryan sits opposite Mancuso. Jones is to Mancuso's right. The
bulkhead rocks slightly. Steiner turns a yoke.
STEINER (CONT'D)
Battery sperm?
-95-
COPILOT
Eighty percent capacity. Homing beacon
is five degrees to the right. Recommend
new course zero-seven-five. Range now
five hundred yards.
STEINER
Roger. Coming right to course zero-seven-
ive. Make initial preparations to land.
The copilot starts toggling switches. Behind him, Mancuso checks
the .45 in his holster. Ryan watches.
COPILOT
Contact is two hundred yards below.
One hundred yards ahead.
STEINER
Roger.
(BEAT)
Hit the running lights.
IN THE WATER
-black on black. Then, in a single blinding flash of light
THE RED OCTOBER
is revealed. Hovering above it, floodlights blazing, the DSRV.
Descending, it locks onto a hatch by the sail.
IN THE DSRV
Copilot turns to Steiner:
COPILOT
We have a seal. Skirt is dry.
STEINER
Roger. Open the hatch.
Getting up, the copilot heads for the hatch.
MANCUSO
Wait.
Copilot stops. Reaching into his jacket, Mancuso offers Ryan a .45.
RYAN
(EYEING PI- )
He's defecting.
MANCUSO
And he can't change his mind?
RYAN
He's not going to change his mind.
MANCUSO
Willing to bet your life on that.'
Ryan stares at the pistol. Sighing, he puts it in his jacket.
Copilot opens the hatch. In the gloom below, another hatch.
Copilot raps on it. Somebody opens the lower hatch. Mancuso,
Jones and Ryan climb down into
THE RED OCTOBER
on a ladder at the forward end of the Conn. Waiting for them,
Ramins, Borodin and all the other of Awkward silence.
Nervous, Borodin drags out a cigarette and lights it. Unexpectedly,
RYAN- SMI1 :
RYAN
Russian Cigarette?
(BORODIN NODS)
Could I try one?
Mancuso frowns. Borodin offers Ryan a cigarette. Kamarov has a
light. Ryan inhales and COUGHS:
RYAN (CONT'D)
(GAGGING)
Jesus...
Poking fun, Ryan rolls his eyes. Borodin grins. Ramius
The ice is broken. Men shake hands.
RAMIUS
Gentlemen, I am Marko Ramius. I and
my offers request political asylum in
the United States.
(BEAT)
Before I go any further, I want to know
whose idea is this impos.ih18 plan?
MANCUSO
(RE: RYAN)
His.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Amazing. our intention was to publicly
surrender this boat and request asylum.
it never occurred to us there would be
a way you could keep it. The idea to
stage a radiation leak was inspired --
(FROWNING)
You look familiar. Do I know you,
Commander?
RYAN
You have a good memory, Captain. We
meet briefly years ago. But I'm not
a naval commander. I work for the CIA.
RAMIUS
CIA?
RYAN
Easy, Captain. I'm not an agent. I'm
just an analyst.
(SMRNNG)
I write books.
Suddenly, HIGH SPEED SCREWS passing over the HULL:
KAMAROV
Torpedo! Americans are shooting at us.
JONES
Wrong. Ours growl. Yours whine. It's
Russian!
CUT TO:
GREER
leaning over Curry's console in the CIC aboard the frigate.
Agitated, Curry works his computer.
GREER
What do you mean there's another torpedo?
Where in hell did it come from?
CUT TO:
TUPOLEV
in the Conn aboard the Konovalov. His crew's at battle stations.
Bonavia mans fire cost 'aL opening a mike, Tupolev SHOUTS:
TUPOLEV
Sonar. Why hasn't our torpedo impacted?
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
The weapon enabled on the other side
of the target. It passed Red October
before it armed.
TUPOLEV
(TO BONAVIA)
You had the wrong range, idiot! Fire
again with the right settings. And
reload both tubes.
ON THE DALLAS
Thompson stands outside the sonar shack. To his left, the COB is
behind fire control. Beaumont has taken Jones' position.
BEAUMONT
New oorrtact. Sierra four-one, bearing
zero-one-zero. Aku]a c1a.�.s Soviet
submarine.
(BEAT)
Launch noises. He's shooting again.
THOMPSON
What's the status of Red October?
BEAUMONT
Dead in the water.
THOMPSON
They can't maneuver with the goddam
DSRV stuck to them.
(WHISPERING)
Come on, Mancuso, move it. Get the
hell out of there.
ON RED OCTOBER
BEDLAM in the Conn. Tba'lisi and Jones are on their way to sonar.
Ramius SHOUTS at Melekhin:
RAMIUS
Get back to engineering and give me
some power!
(TO MANCUSO
RE: DSRV)
Get that damn thing off my boat.
Mancuso's halfway up the ladder. He spots Steiner peeking down at
HIM:
STEINER
I think somebody just shot a torpedo
at us!
MANCUSO
No shit, buckwheat. Get the hell. out
of here!
STEINER
(STUNNED)
Where am I supposed --
Mancuso SLAMS the HATCH. Scrambling down the ladder, Mancuso
hears Ramius bel]Dwing at Borodin who is manning the helm:
-99-
RAMIUS
No, Vasily. I need you in fire control.
We must track whoever's out there.
Borodin heads for fre control. Ramius tosses Ryan into the chair
behind the helm :
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
You sit here!
RYAN
BUTICAN'T --
RAMIUS
Do exactly as I tell you!
Stunned, Ryan grabs the helm. Jones and Tbilisi, must have made it
to sonar. Speakers CRACKLE:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
DSRV is away. There's a Russian Akula
about eight thousand yards starboard.
TBILISI (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
It's the Konovalov.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
All ahead flank!
RYAN
(PANIC)DNG)
I told you I'm just an analyst. I
write books.
RAMIUS -
(LEANING FORWARD)
Turn that knob all the way to the right.
Ryan: does. AIL around him the world is going stark raving mad.
Again, SPEAKERS CRACKLE:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo in the water. High speed screws.
Beaming zero-two-zero. I estimate range
at about eight thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Turn the helm to the heft. Steer course
zero-two-zero.
MANCUSO
(TO RAMIUS)
Wait a minute! That's heading into the
t o rpedo. You should turn away from it.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Steady bearing to the weapon. Still
zero-two-zero. Range about seven
thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
Turn that helm to the left until the
dial says course zero-two-zero.
MANCUSO
No! That's wrong. Ryan, don't turn
that goddam wheel!
Ryan stares at Mancuso then at Ramius. Deciding, he turns the
helm left, coming to course zero-two-zero.
RYAN
(TOO MANCUSO)
Sorry, Captain. I think --
MANCUSO
(TO RAMIIUS)
You're heading straight into that torpedo.
RAMIUS
I know.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate. Helms, Greer and Tyler lean over the
display. Curry studies the blips:
CURRY
(EYES NARROWING)
Red October is turning directly into
the t orpedos path.
GREER
Mother of God.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, it's a deathwatch. Ryan thinks of Sally. Mancuso
stares at Ramius. Goddamned if he's gonna be the one to whine.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo steady bearing zero-two-zero.
Range five thousand yards.
RAMIUS
(ON MIKE)
Me]ekhin. Can you give me any more
speed?
MELEKHIN (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Negative. We're going as fast as we can.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Estimate range approximately three
thousand yards. Closing fast.
ON THE DALLAS
Thompson's still outside the sonar shack. The COB's at Fare
control. As before, Beaumont works sonar.
THOMPSON
Why is he heading into the torpedo?
Is he trying to kill himself?
COB
Mr. Thompson. We have a solution on the
Soviet Akula. Shouldn't we shoot back?
THOMPSON
(ANGRY)
She didn't shoot at us. Anyway, I can't
attack a Soviet submarine. I have no
goddam authorization!
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, an. payers have turned to stone.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Torpedo bearing steady at zero-two-
zero. Best range nine hundred yards.
Estimate impact in twenty seconds.
RAMIUS
(TO RYAN)
What books?
RYAN
Pardon?
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Fifteen seconds.
RAMIUS
What books did you write?
RYAN
(HOARSELY)
I wrote a biography on Admiral Halsey,
called, Fighting Sailor. It was about
tam in combat --
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Ten seconds.
RAMIUS
I know this book. I have read some
parts of it.
(RYAN BLINKS)
Your conclusions were wrong, Ryan.
Halsey acted stupidly.
CRASH. The Conn ROCKS. Sound of TORPEDO BREAKING UP.
Metal SCRAPES along the SHIP. Realizing what's going on:
- MANCUSO
I'll be dammed.
RYAN
What happened?
MANCUSO
Combat tack, Mr. Ryan. By turning
into the torpedo,, Ramius closed the
distance before it could arm itself.
I never would have thought of it.
RYAN
So we're safe?
RAMIUS
Not yet. Right now, the Soviet Captain,
a man named Tupolev is removing the
safety features on all his weapons.
He won't make the same mistake twice.
Behind Ramius, Ryan spots a SHADOW at the rear of the Conn. He
can't believe his eyes. The goddam shadow has a pistol in hand.
SUDDENLY:
A FIRE STORM
of GUNFIRE sprays the CONN. Everybody scatters. Borodin is
HIT. SLAMMING into the bulkhead, he falls in a seated position,
eyes wide.
Fire control panel EXPLODES. Behind a console, Mancuso drags out
his .45 and RETURNS FIRE. The shadow disappears.
ON THE DALLAS
Beaumont rips off his headgear, turning to Thompson in the sonar
shack's door, breathing hard:
BEAUMONT
Jesus Christ. Gunge.
THOMPSON
Gunfire?
ON THE KONOVALOV
in the Conn, Tupa]av is furious. He YELLS at Bonavia:
TUPOLEV
Hurry up goddammit! I want all the
enabling devices disconnected!
BONAVIA
Captain, I cannot go any faster.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, cars crawl from hiding. Sparks ERUPT from
WIRES. Fire contra is history. Ramius leans over Borodin:
BORODIN
I would have like to have seen Montana.
And the Indians.
(eyes gT'►g)
captain? - _.
He dies. RAGING, Ramius POUNDS the BULKHEAD. Kamarov
notices a light on a panel:
KAMAROV
He's in the missile compartment!
RAMIUS
(TO MANCUSO)
The ship is yours.
MANCUSO
But the control is blasted to hell.
I can't shoot.
RAMIUS
Then get behind him and stay there.
Don't let him put you in his sights
or we're all dead.
Mancuso tosses Ramius his .45. Catching it, Ramius splits. Ryan
follows.
CUT TO:
TUPOLEV
a caged tiger in the Conn on the Konovalov. Bonavia turns, looking
back at him :
BONAVIA
Enabling devices are removed.
TUPOLEV
ABOUT TIMEL
(INTO MIKE)
Sonar, give me a bearing on Red October.
SONAR (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
She's taken position behind us.
TUPOLEV
Damn.
(TO HELM)
Left full rudder. T11 shake him loose.
ON RED OCTOBER
in a passageway outside a door to the missile compartment, Ramius
and Ryan hug the bulkhead:
RAMIUS
He'll break into a panel and short
-circuit the wiring on a missile. We'll
be blown to pieces.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan follows Ramiais into the
MISSILE COMPARTMENT
coming face-too-face with a BARRAGE of GUNFIRE. Ramius is HIT.
Ryan drags him into a space behind an electrical panel. Mercifully,
the shooting STOPS.
Ryan checks Ramius. His shoulder's a mess. Mind riling, Ryan
studies his surroundings. He's never felt so alone.
The compartment is vast, dominated by twenty tussle tubes six feet
in diameter. Overhead, a catwalk. At the aft end, somebody's
working with a wrench.
RAMIUS
We must stop him before he gets into
a panel..
Ryan stares at Ramius. Ramiii isn't gonna stop anybody.
Resigned, Ryan finds the .45 Mancuso gave him in his pocket,
MUMBLING:
RYAN
(TO HIMSELF)
Next time memos. Only memos.
RAMIUS
Be careful what you shoot at in here,
Ryan. The compartment is very sensitive.
In a daze, Ryan starts walking aft, still MUMBLING:
RYAN
Be careful what you shoot at, Ryan.
Very sensitive.. .in here...
IN THE CONN
on Red October, a handful of men struggle to fight the ship.
Kamarov mans the wheel. Sonar SPEAKERS POP:
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
He's going deep!
MANCUSO
(TO KAMAROV)
Twenty degrees down on the bowl
IN THE MISSILE COMPARTMENT
The wall becomes the floor. Fighting to keep his balance, Ryan
walks on the wall, still MUMBLING:
RYAN
Sensitive stuff...in here ...I have
to... be careful... of course.
The ship turns. Wall becomes cuing. Grabbing the catwalk, Ryan
hangs at a ninety degree angle. GUNFIRE. Bullets RIP into the
BULKHEAD inches from his HEAD:
RYAN (CONT'D)
I have to be careful what I shoot at..
He doesn't have to be careful... He
can shoot at anything he wants.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, curry hunches over a console. Greer and Tyler
WATCH ANXIOUSLY:
CURRY
The Akula is too fast. No way Red
October can stay behind her. lt's
only a matter of time now.
(BEAT)
The Akula's turning. She's fired
another torpedo. This one can't miss.
ON RED OCTOBER
in sonar, Jones and Tbzisi hear PINGING become LOUDER, more
FREQUENT. Holding the mike, ashen:
JONES
Another torpedo, Captain. It has enabled
and is active. It has acquired us and is
homing.
CUT TO:
THE DEEP
Red October looms into view. To the right, the Konovalov shimmers
in the dark. Between them, the torpedo appears. PINGS grow
CLOSER and CLOSER. At the last minute
THE DALLAS
raves into view, rocketing forward at full, bore, streaking between
Red October and the torpedo. it's really something.
IN THE CIC
aboard the frigate, Curry SHOUTS:
CURRY
Jesus Chi i t.
GREER
I
CURRY
The Dallas has moved between Red
October and the torpedo. The
torpedo is chasing the Dallas now!
ON THE DALLAS
in the sonar shack. Beaumont works his equipment, speaking into a
MIKE:
BEAUMONT
Conn, sonar. Torpedo is in acquisition.
Range five hundred yards and c3nsing.
You've done it, Mr. Thompson!
IN THE CONN
on the Dallas, Thompson stands on the deck. The COB is at ballasCt
control, holding the emergency blow handles.
THOMPSON
Chief, release counter-measures and
emergency blow all main valves.
Let's hope to Christ this works!
COB
(ON PHONE}
Signal ejector station. Release
counter-measures.
(PULLING HANDLES)
Emergency blow !
SHRIEK of the BLOW is DEAFENING. The deck angles crazily
upwards at thirty degrees. Gear CRASHES to the FLOOR.
Eardrums SHATTERING, Thompson holds on, fighting gravity.
IN THE WATER
the DAIlas heads for the surface. Counter-measures head for the
bottom. The incoming torpedo chases the counter-measures,
disappearing into the abyss.
ON THE SURFACE
The Da11a ERUPTS from the WATER at THIRTY DEGREES, her
bottom exposed well aft of the sail. A broaching behemoth, she
CRASHES back into the sea, DISPLACING TONS of WATER.
ON THE FRIGATE
neither Soviet nor American sailors on the fantail can believe their
eyes. Peirov's jaw drops. Has the entire world gone completely
insane?.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the missile compartment, blood pounding, Ryan leans flat against
a missile tube. On the other side of the tube, METAL fans on
CONCRETE.
Rounding the tube, Ryan holds the .45 at arm's length. Kneeling
before him, directly in front of an open panel on the missale bay is a
Sovvet sail or with crazy eyes:
IT'S LOGINOV
the cook's assistant who witnessed the Putin key exchange. He's
got a hot wire in each hand. Time stands sthl. Ryan stares at
Loginov. Loginov stares back.
There's something in the Loginov's eyes, an uncompromising,
irrational vi lainy that asks no forgiveness. For a moment, Ryan's
paralyzed, a rabbit before a cobra.
Deliberately, Loginov begins to move his hands together, bringing
the wires closer. Ryan tri es to speak. He can't. Loginov's grin
cracks wide like a rotten egg.
RYAN FIRES
Flame LEAPS from the BARREL of the .45. The pistol KICKS like a
MULE. Loginov is delivered to eternity. Impotent, the wires fall to
the floor.
ON THE KONOVALOV
Flushed, Tupolev towers over fire oontroL Seated before him,
Bonavia tries to hang on to his sanity.
BONAVIA
Directly ahead. Range five hundred yards.
TUPOLEV
Got him. Match bearings and the.
BONAVIA
We are too close. I have to set
TUPOLEV
Shoot now!
Tupolev pulls the lever himself.
ON RED: OCTOBER':
in the : Conn, Mancuso, Kamarov and the others are on pins and
needles. What next? Suddenly, they hear PIN GIN G.
JONES (VO)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Launch transient astern. He's shooting
again. Very close.
MANCUSO
Left full rudder!
JONES
(LOUDER PINGS)
Weapon is alive.
(LOUDER PINGS)
It has acquired.
Sound of torpedo passing close to the hull:
JONES (VO CONT'D)
(ON SPEAKERS)
Weapon passed close aboard. Is
Ong re-attack. Hold on. It's
reacquired. But not on us!
Ryan appears with Ramius aft of the Conn. Pinging grows
QUIETER, more DISTANT.
ON THE KONOVALOV
in the Conn, Tupalev is suddenly confused, disorientaed by the
PINGS.
TUPOLEV
Wait. I -
SONAR (VO)
(OVER SPEAKERS)
Our torpedo missed Red October and
is homing on us!
TUPOLEV
(STUNNED)
How could that be?
BONAVIA
The weapon was not properly programmed.
PINGS CLOSER. LOUDER. Finally, PINGS become a SPINE-
TINGLTNG HOWL. Bonavia SHOUTS:
BONAVIA (CONT'D)
You stupid arrogant bastard. You've
Idiled us all!
IN THE . WATER
Blinding light. The Konovalov disintegrates. Billowing pockets of
gas embrace the deep. Thirty-seven hundred tons of steel. and iron
rip apart in the blink of an eye.
ON THE SURFACE
a white mountain of displaced water rises into the air, compresses
and explodes.
ON THE FRIGATE
in shock, the Russian crew gapes at the explosion. The young
sailor who took courage from Ramius makes the sign of the cross.
ON RED OCTOBER
in the Conn, as the aftershock subsides, Ryan helps Ramius up off
the floor, trying to make him comfortable against a bulkhead:
RAMIUS
Captain Tupalev has just provided your
pantomime with the one thing you could
never have managed.
RYAN
(NODDING)
Wreckage.
CUT TO:
PELT
in his office seated across from Lysenko:
PELT
With the depth of the water and the
wreckage scattered over such a wide
area, it we]. be a long time before
anything is recovered. Your people
are already interviewing the crew and
making arrangements for their r turn.
(Lysenko nods,
SOBERLY)
This has been a terrible tragedy, Mr.
Ambassador. I can only stress that if
you'd come to us earlier, it might have
been avcdded.
LYSENKO
I appreciate your candor in the matter.
PELT
(SMOOTHLY)
And I yours, Andrei..
LYSENKO
(PROBING)
Perhaps in the future, the technology
will be available for a more thorough
I n vestigation of the wreckage...
PELT
(STEADY)
Perhaps.
A long beat as the two men stare at each other. Lysenko finally
breaks it off:
LYSENKO
There is another matter... One I am
reluctant to -
PELT
No. Please go ahead.
LYSENKO
One of our submarines, an Akula, was
last reported in the Reykjanes Ridge.
We have not heard from her for sometime.
Pelt stares at him blankly, time hangs suspended. Finally, Peat
reaches far the bridge of his now as if to stave of a ]dtler
HEADACHE:
PELT
You've lost another submarine?
(BEAT)
Andre...
Lysenko sits, hat in hand. Finally, he averts his gaze.
JUMP CUT TO:
A DRIVER
standing beside a limousine outside the Executive Office Building.
Fuming, Lysenko approaches. The driver smiles. Not a good idea.
LYSENKO SNARL:
LYSENKO
Shut up! Don't speak to me Boris. Don't
ever speak to me unless I speak to you
first. And wipe that smile off your face!
Lysenko pBe into the limo, slamming the door as hard as he can.
Locked inside, he starts shouting and hitting things.
CUT TO:
BRIGHT MOONLIGHT
on the tree studded bank of a large coastal river. A gentle breeze
touches the trees and punctuates the silence. Crickets and frogs
sing on the shore:
SUPER: ORICOKE RIVER
PAMLICO SOUND
NORTH CAROLINA
THE RED OCTOBER
glides quietly up the river's surface. Ramius and Ryan stand on
the sail. Behind them, two junior officers, one American and one
Russian, Conn the ship:
RYAN
We're two hundred miles from the nearest
naval base.
RAMIUS
Interesting notion, hiding a submarine
in a river.
(EYEING SHORE)
How do you know this place?
RYAN
I grew up not far from here.
(PAINTING)
My grandfather taught me to f5sh right
over there on that rock.
Ramius spots a large rock on the shore. So warm and inviting, this
land, when compared to the bitter cold coast he ]eft a ]ifetl,me ago.
Ram hl studies Ryan in the stillness:
RAMIUS
There is one question you have not
asked me.
RYAN
Why?
(RAMIUS NODS)
I assumed you would speak when you were
ready.
RAMIUS
We. are standing on part of the reason.
I've spent my life preparing to fight a
war I hoped would never happen. This
ship was not built to fight such a war.
it was built to start one.
(BEAT)
And there were personal reasons.
RYAN
Your wife?
RAMIUS
(NODDING)
it started there, perhaps.
Ramius glances at the rock. Beside it, a muskrat drops quietly into
the water.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
Or perhaps it was something that started
long ago...
RYAN
Fishing?
RAMTUS
Fishing.
Taking a deep breath, Ramius studies the surrounding hills. Lights
from farms twinkle in the night air.
RAMIUS (CONT'D)
"The sea will, grant each man new
hope, as sleep doth dream of home."
(on Ryan's look)
Christopher Columbus.
Ryan smilm.
RYAN
(QU`EDY)
Welcome to the new world, sir.
DISSOLVE TO:
A STEWARDESS
walking down the aisle of an airplane, checking passengers.
Stopping near the front of the cabin, she glances down at
RYAN
sound asleep in his seat, empty tea cup on a tray beside him. A
blanket hangs on one log. In the seat next to him
A TEDDY BEAR
smi> out at passing clouds. The bear's got a red ribbon round his
neck-and a seat belt fastened over his bulging tummy.
Covering Ryan with the blanket, the stewardess leaves. Tea cup
RATTLES. Ryan doesn't even twitch. Turbulence is a thing of the
past.
FADE OUT
THE END
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