Scene Anatomy 101: Crimson Tide
Posted by George H. Sirois on 07.11.2006
Who’s right? Who’s wrong? They both are.
There's an old rule in writing: show, don't tell. When you're being introduced to two characters that are obviously going to clash down the road, a great method for showing how they will interact when the plot really kicks in is to show how they will react in a smaller, yet strikingly similar, situation. This not only reveals certain traits in the clashing characters, but it also keeps the movie going without having to stop and reveal exposition.
This device was used very effectively in the 1995 Tony Scott hit film Crimson Tide. One of my favorite films of the year, this was the story of two naval officers – Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) and Executive Officer Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) – who are working on a submarine together for the first time. The USS Alabama has been sent out as part of a fleet of submarines ordered to attack the Russian Republic if their missiles are being fueled. (A rogue Russian named Vladimir Radchenko has assumed control over one of their ICBM bases.)
Ramsey is an old-school soldier that has been concentrating on submarines for so many years, and he's coming to the twilight of his career. Hunter, on the other hand, is a graduate of Harvard and has a very logical method of thinking involving orders that Ramsey would otherwise follow without a second thought. It was inevitable that the two of them would clash over something, and it happens when a fire in the galley breaks out. Hunter makes sure that the fire is extinguished – he hits the C02 button himself – and once the report that it's out makes its way to Ramsey's ears, Ramsey immediately afterwards orders the initiation of a weapons systems readiness test.
Hunter rushes to the conn to take part in the weapons test, and while he's standing beside Ramsey, he quietly mentions to him that the fire in the galley could possibly flare up again. Ramsey hushes his XO, saying now is not the time, and proceeds with the test. It only comes to a halt when a report comes out that crew member Marichek has gone into cardiac arrest. Contrary to what people believe about Ramsey, he shows that he does have a heart and he orders the drill to be cancelled. Unfortunately, Marichek dies, a result of stress from dealing with the fire.
The scene in question opens with Ramsey and Hunter walking into Ramsey's room. He sits down at his desk and curiously looks at his executive officer. He's curious to pick his brain about what had just occurred on the conn.
RAMSEY: So, Mr. Hunter, do you think I was wrong to run that drill?
HUNTER: Not necessarily, sir.
RAMSEY: Do you think I got that man killed?
HUNTER: No, sir. One thing had nothing to do with the other. It was an accident.
Fair enough of a response, but Ramsey hasn't quite found out what he needs to know about his new executive officer.
RAMSEY: Would you have run the drill?
HUNTER: No, sir, I wouldn't have.
RAMSEY: Why not?
HUNTER: The fire in the galley could have flared back up. I would have seen to it first, sir.
RAMSEY: I'm sure you would have.
He's right on that point. Hunter had the safety of the ship in mind, and a missile drill is a controlled situation. The captain has the authority to start and stop it at his leisure, so it would have behooved Hunter to conduct the drill as long as nothing serious is happening throughout the ship.
But Ramsey has a slightly different method.
RAMSEY: Me, on the other hand, I tend to think that that's the best time to run a drill. Confusion on the ship is nothing to fear. It should be taken advantage of. Unless you forget, Mr. Hunter, we are a ship of war, designed for battle. We don't just fight battles when everything's hunky-dory.
Now, Ramsey's right on this point as well. The point of a missile drill is to be an enactment of a battle situation. When an enemy is poised to strike against you, they're not going to wait until you're ready before they fire. They're going to do it at the most in-opportune times.
Ramsey thinks it might be best to deflate some of Hunter's opinions about him before they interfere with his job.
RAMSEY: What'd you think, son? I'm just some crazy old coot putting everyone in harm's way as I yell, "Yee-Hah!"
HUNTER: That was not my first thought, sir. There was no excuse, I was fighting the fire in the galley and I did not agree with your call, sir.
He still doesn't agree with what Ramsey did. The look on Ramsey's face shows a little bit of patience thinning with his executive officer.
RAMSEY: Take a seat.
Hunter sits down. Ramsey runs his hands across his face, trying his best to stay calm as he presents his case to the Harvard grad.
RAMSEY: Just so we understand each other, I don't have any problems with questions or doubts. As I've said to you before, I'm not seeking the company of kiss-asses. But you got something to say to me, you say it in private. And if privacy doesn't permit itself, then you bite your fucking tongue. Are we clear about that, commander?
HUNTER: As a bell, sir.
Okay, he got that far with what he needed to say. Now it's time to drive his point home.
RAMSEY: Those sailors out there are just boys, boys who are trained to do a terrible, non-thinkable thing. If that ever occurs, the only re-assurance they'll have that they're doing the proper thing is gonna derive from their unqualified belief in the unified chain of command. That means, we don't question each other's motives in front of the crew. It means, we don't undermine each other. It means, in a missile drill, they hear your voice right after mine, without hesitation. You agree with that policy, sailor?
HUNTER: Absolutely, sir.
Ramsey's calm now. The two of them are on the same wavelength, so there shouldn't be any more problems like this one.
RAMSEY: We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it.
Ramsey turns back towards a few pages of notes on his desk. The discussion, as far as he is concerned, is over.
RAMSEY: There'll be a memorial service in the enlisted men's mess at 1100 hours. See to it.
HUNTER: Yes, sir.
Hunter gets up to leave.
RAMSEY: Oh, Hunter, short of the outbreak of World War III, the ship sinking, being attacked by a giant octopus, I'd like to be un-disturbed for the next 30 minutes.
HUNTER: I'll see to it, sir.
Just as Hunter is about to leave, Ramsey feels it best to let Hunter know that he is very much aware of the men on his ship and that he always has their safety in mind.
RAMSEY: By the way, it was Marichek's 300 pounds that killed him. Not the fire.
Hunter takes that in and nods in response to his captain's last statement.
RAMSEY: Dismissed.
Hunter leaves the room, leaving Ramsey alone to look through his notes. Even though this situation is over and done with, Ramsey is very much aware that Hunter's analytical approach to everything will likely spark another clash between the two officers.
Meanwhile, Hunter knows that, due to his captain's simple-minded approach to everything around him, Ramsey will fire a missile towards their target at the drop of a hat. All he needs to know is where and when, while Hunter is more concerned of where, when and why. This obviously causes quite a bit of friction later on when they receive an incomplete emergency action message. Hunter wants to know what the rest of the message is, while Ramsey is prepared to fire their missiles, per their previous instructions.
This is an extremely tight situation where both men are right, but they cannot come to an agreement on how to handle the problem. But we wouldn't be prepared to know how these two characters would react if it wasn't for the problem with the weapons systems readiness test. Thanks to that much smaller clash, we have an understanding of how Hunter would react to an incomplete message and how Ramsey would react.
Like I said before, writers Michael Schiffer and Richard P. Henrick set out to show us without telling us how Hunter and Ramsey would eventually clash later on in the film. And they definitely succeeded.
Next week, we'll start looking at another powerful weapon for the writer, exposition. It only works if the filmmakers know how to use it properly.
