When it comes to fantastic war films, there’s no dearth of recommendations that can go on the list. However, there’s one incredible combat movie that’s often overlooked.

Starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in the lead supported by a stellar cast comprising Matt Craven, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, and Lillo Brancato — this war film deserves a spot on your ‘must watch’ list as per critics and viewers.

The 1995 action thriller has an unmatched plot involving submarines, loosely inspired by real events that occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 onboard Soviet submarine B-59.

Directed by late great filmmaker Tony Scott, Crimson Tide is a fast-faced action thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat throughout its one hour 55 minutes runtime.

Luckily, fans can catch it on television tonight, December 28, at 9.05pm on ITV4.

The film was propped on a $53 million production budget and went on to gross a mammoth $157.4 million at the global box office. With an original score by Hans Zimmer — who bagged a Grammy Award for the main theme track — Crimson Tide left its mark at the time of its release. The war film was even nominated for three Academy Awards: Film Editing, Sound, and Sound Editing.

Recently, in a 2025 interview on The Rich Eisen Show, the film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, announced that they were developing a sequel to the film, in which he was hopeful Denzel would reprise his role as Lieutenant Commander Ronald ‘Ron’ Hunter — a character that was reflective of Soviet second-in-command Vasily Arkhipov during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The list of greats attached to this film doesn’t end there, as additional dialogue and writing, although uncredited, was provided by none other than Quentin Tarantino, who had just come off scripting director Scott’s previous outing, True Romance (1993).

Washington reportedly had an on-set feud with Tarantino on this film over what Washington allegedly felt was racist dialogue the filmmaker added to the film, however the pair managed to “bury that hatchet” several years later, as per Denzel.

With an 89 per cent critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Crimson Tide is a critic favourite through and through, with one reviewer writing: “Crimson Tide is a whale of a movie, an intense and a heartstopping adventure played out against the unnerving threat of nuclear annihilation.”

A second critic said of the film: “Crimson Tide has everything you could want from an action thriller and a few other things you usually can’t hope to expect.”

While another reviewer writes: “Perfectly-paced high stakes drama with a brain, its dilemmas both huge in scope and deeply personal. Heart-stopping as it is watching torpedoes head towards Hackman and Washington’s sub, the arguments and stand-offs onboard are just as shredding.”

Viewers were left equally impressed, with one commending the top-notch acting: “Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington at their best. The suspense, the action, the drama. This movie is often overlooked, but there’s no way you will not enjoy this movie if you stop and watch it.”

While another gushed over the film’s “thrilling moments”: “Two great actors absolutely nail the rivalry between two highly respected men. An absolute classic with a great backstory and more than enough thrilling moments.”

A third fan said in a glowing review: “Crimson Tide is a riveting, claustrophobic, action packed adventure of a film. The brilliant direction putting the viewer inside the submarine along with all the characters as everything plays out in real time is fantastic writing and directing. 

“Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman play off each other throughout the entire film is truly entertaining. This film has a lot going for it. Great acting, fantastic pace, great story definitely puts this film at the very top with a lot of other war movies.”

Crimson Tide will air today, December 28, on ITV4 at 9.05pm.

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