The Hunt for Red October

Label: MCA Records
Release Year: 1990
Barcode: 076732642825
Country: UK
Product Type: CD (Pre-owned)
Score or Soundtrack: Score
Composer: Basil Poledouris

The Hunt for Red October (1990), directed by John McTiernan and based on Tom Clancy’s bestselling novel, is a tense Cold War thriller about a Soviet submarine captain, Marko Ramius (played by Sean Connery), who secretly plans to defect to the United States with his cutting-edge ballistic missile submarine. As the Americans race to determine whether Ramius is defecting or preparing to attack, CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) must piece together his intentions and avert catastrophe. The film balances geopolitical intrigue with underwater suspense, blending taut action sequences with a cerebral edge.

Basil Poledouris’s score is as commanding and layered as the film itself, fusing Russian choral traditions with modern orchestral suspense writing. The opening hymn, "Hymn to Red October", sets a majestic, almost sacred tone for the submarine and its crew, evoking both patriotism and gravitas. Poledouris contrasts this with tense, pulsing cues that underscore the cat-and-mouse games beneath the ocean’s surface, blending brass, percussion, and electronic textures to heighten suspense. The result is a score that not only enhances the film’s drama but also stands on its own as a powerful piece of symphonic storytelling.

Track Listing

Hymn To Red October (Main Title)
Basil Poledouris

Nuclear Scam
Basil Poledouris

Putin's Demise
Basil Poledouris

Course Two-Five-Zero
Basil Poledouris

Ancestral Aid
Basil Poledouris

Chopper
Basil Poledouris

Two Wives
Basil Poledouris

Red Route I
Basil Poledouris

Plane Crash
Basil Poledouris

Kaboom!!!
Basil Poledouris

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