'The Hunt for Red October' has this timeless message for Americans today
Published March 5, 2020
Many movies tell compelling stories with great acting and writing, though. I think what sets “The Hunt For Red October” apart is its great message, one that never seems out of sync with the times. This is because it’s a message of hope, though set amid the Cold War, about our common humanity.
We who came of age in the Eighties remember the mutual mistrust that marked the United States and Soviet relations. Yet the two main characters, American Ryan and Soviet Ramius, ultimately want the same thing: to live, to laugh and to love in a world that is free. Ryan had it, but against all odds sensed in Ramius a kindred spirit, a human soul yearning to breathe free. And so he did something about it.
Sure, world annihilation hangs in the balance. That’s what makes it such a gripping story. But Ramius’ journey to America wasn’t primarily political or ideological, it was spiritual. Ryan saw this, beyond the superficial to the essence of things, and that made all the difference. It’s ultimately a tale of redemption. We never tire of hearing the tale because this particular longing is etched upon every human heart.
There is always hope for peace – whether of the world, political or even just familial variety – when we don’t lose sight of our common humanity. These are strident and unsettling times, but in the words of St. Thomas More – in an age a tad more trying for him personally – “the times are never so bad but that a good man can live in them.”
Like Ryan and Ramius, our world today makes it easy to see only what divides us. But also like Ryan and Ramius, good men, what joy awaits us when we, as they did, learn to recognize the common longing that unites us all.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/the-hunt-red-october-message-american-mike-kerrigan