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The Hunt for Red October poster

Movies that feel likeThe Hunt for Red October (1990)

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. Lone CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find Ramius, too. The hunt is on!

If you loved The Hunt for Red October, the closest films we have are Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), True Lies (1994) and The Warriors (1979). All three share The Hunt for Red October's kinetic and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Air Force One (1997).

πŸ… 88% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. John McTiernankinetictense
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Hulu

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If The Hunt for Red October hit the spot, these will too

Die Hard: With a Vengeance poster
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
1995 Β· dir. John McTiernan
πŸ… 60%β˜… 7.6action Β· thrillerHulu

The same hand behind both of them: John McTiernan

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.

True Lies poster
True Lies
1994 Β· dir. James Cameron
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.3action Β· thrillerHulu

Kinetic and tense in the same breath

A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.

The Warriors poster
The Warriors
1979 Β· dir. Walter Hill
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.5action Β· thrillerNetflix

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.

Air Force One poster
Air Force One
1997 Β· dir. Wolfgang Petersen
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.6action Β· thriller

Thriller with a pulse of tension, in both cases

When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world's most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country's dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.

Speed poster
Speed
1994 Β· dir. Jan de Bont
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.3action Β· thrillerNetflix

Both lean on momentum more than on action

Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.

Diamonds Are Forever poster
Diamonds Are Forever
1971 Β· dir. Guy Hamilton
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.5action Β· thrillerPrime Video

Tense thriller in both cases

Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smuggling mission to find out who's guilty. The mission takes him to Las Vegas where Bond meets his archenemy Blofeld.

Hunter Killer poster
Hunter Killer
2018 Β· dir. Donovan Marsh
πŸ… 38%β˜… 6.6action Β· thrillerPrime Video

Common ground: nuclear submarine

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

Untested American submarine commander, Capt. Joe Glass of the USS Arkansas, is on the hunt for a U.S. sub in distress in the Arctic Ocean. He soon learns a secret Russian coup is in the offing, a conspiracy that threatens to dismantle the world order. With crew and country on the line, Glass must coordinate with an elite group of Navy SEALs to sneak through enemy waters, rescue the kidnapped Russian president, and hopefully prevent World War III.

Thunderbolt poster
Thunderbolt
1995 Β· dir. Gordon Chan
β˜… 6.3action Β· thriller

Both play action straight

In order to release his kidnapped sister, sports car mechanic, Chan Foh To, has to defeat a super-criminal street racer.

Unstoppable poster
Unstoppable
2010 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller

Thriller of the same temperament

When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.

Homefront poster
Homefront
2013 Β· dir. Gary Fleder
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.5action Β· thrillerNetflix

Both are action through and through

Phil Broker, a retired DEA agent, leads a quiet life with his daughter Maddy, until a school bullying incident draws them into a conflict with Morgan β€œGator” Bodine, a local crime boss.

Safe House poster
Safe House
2012 Β· dir. Daniel Espinosa
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.7action Β· thrillerNetflixStarz

The thriller is handled with the same confidence

A dangerous CIA renegade resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.

No Escape poster
No Escape
2015 Β· dir. John Erick Dowdle
πŸ… 46%β˜… 6.8thriller Β· actionPrime Video

The same action instincts

In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Hunt for Red October’s defining feeling.