剧情：本片根据汤姆·克兰西畅销名著改编。 1984年11月，苏联正处于戈尔巴乔夫上台前夕，也是美、苏两个超级大国明争暗斗的冷战高潮时期。苏联研制了一艘新型核潜艇“红十月号”，并派老练的雷米斯负责该艇的首次试航演习。此时，美国中央情报局也获取了有关“红十月”号的情报。途中，艇长雷米斯杀死了发现他隐私的专横政委并命令潜艇改变航向。他向全体官兵声称此举是要利用该艇先进的无声推进系统去通过美国海军的监视网并纵情游览美国的海岸线。一个苏联高级将领秘密挟带一艘超级军用潜艇“红月十月号”，究竟是想投奔美国，还是制造一场核战争？苏联国防部大为震动，遣派军队追捕，美国中央情报局亦派出精英部队拦截，一场联系美苏两国军事平衡的追击行动由此展开。 Ramius and his colleague Vasili Borodin (Sam Neill) discuss the cold - and hard - morning before an accompanying tugboat sounds a horn. Borodin, using binoculars to scout, notifies Ramius that it is time. The submarine prepares to submerge. The film changes scenes to a room in a building (in London) and scans books and artifacts (as the opening credits roll) as Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) packs for a trip. His daughter, Sally, stands nearby - claiming that Stanley (her stuffed teddy bear) "keeps waking her up". Ryan promises Sally he will buy Stanley a "baby brother" before he and his wife leave for Heathrow airport. Upon arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport, Ryan is met by two CIA agents who escort him to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. He meets with Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) who he shows photographs from British Intelligence of the Red October a Typhoon-class submarine which is 12 meters longer than a standard Typhoon sub and three meters wider. He also reveals that he wrote a bio on Ramius during the previous year, who captained the lead submarine of each new class for the last ten years, has fairly good political connections and trained most of the Soviet attack boat skippers. Ramius is known as Vilnius Nstavnic (Vilnius Schoolmaster). Greer notices strange doors on the Red October, which both Ryan and the British do not know the purpose of. Ryan wishes to share the pictures with Skip Tyler (Jeffrey Jones), a sub driver who lost his leg to a drunk driver and is doing teaching at the Naval Academy and consulting with Navy laboratories at Top Secret clearance minimum. Greer calls his assistant and orders a car for Ryan within 10 minutes - revealing that the was caught by satellite in Polyarny Inlet. USS Dallas, Los Angeles Class Attack Sub, 100 Miles Northwest of Polyarny Inlet The sub passes overhead and the film a monitor sonar pingings showing on it, scanning around the room where Seaman Jones (Courtney B. Vance) (nicknamed "Jonesy") tutors a younger seaman on the Signal Algorithmic Processing Systems only to find a whale. Chief of the Boat Watson (Larry Ferguson) interjects and persuades Jones to talk about a story about Pavarotti. The story is interrupted by a new contact signal, which Jones reports to the Conn. Captain - Cmdr Bart Mancuso (Scott Glenn) acknowledges. The film switches to the interior of the Red October, where Borodin notifies Ramius that it is time to open the orders and that the Political Officer, Putin (Peter Firth) is in the captain's cabin. Ramius becomes suspicious and hands over Conn to Borodin and investigates to find Putin reading a book about the end of the world, which Putin objects to Ramius owning such a book. Ramius responds that it belonged to his wife and he keeps it for sentimental value. Putin suggests opening the orders. Ramius opens a vault (which requires two keys - which Ramius and Putin carry) and reveals an envelope. The orders are to rendezvous with the Alfa-class submarine Konovalov captained by Tupolev (who was a student of Ramius), where they will test the Caterpillar drive while Tupolev hunts him. They are to return to Polyarny following the test. Putin ambitiously requests permission to post the orders and inform the crew of the mission himself which Ramius reluctantly grants. As Putin turns to leave, Ramius slams him against the table and kills him, telling him that he cannot follow the captain's path. He spills tea on the floor next to Putin's body and calls the doctor to his cabin, while producing a concealed set of orders and burning the original orders.