Remember the film The Hunt for Red October? You’re probably aware it’s based on a Tom Clancy novel of the same name, (if you weren’t there’s your new trivia fact for the day). I’ve seen the film a few times over the years but hadn’t read the book until recently. I wasn’t sure if the book would be that enjoyable since I already knew the outcome, and a lot of the thrill of reading a Tom Clancy novel is wondering what happens next. I had no need to worry the book was great, even though I already knew the ending.
When a book is made into a movie it often has a lot cut out, the plot is condensed, and things are generally “hollywoodized.” This is exactly what happened to Red October. For example in the Film Jack Ryan ends up on the American submarine the USS Dallas for a while. In the book he never gets on the Dallas, but instead spends time on the British carrier HMS Invincible. The British involvement is entirely eliminated from the movie, (surprised? Welcome to hollywood).
No matter how you look at it both the film and the book very entertaining, and interestingly, the film doesn’t disappoint as many film adaptations of books do, (maybe it’s because I saw the film first).
