clontzville.com

One of the topics for which I’m willing to have a fistfight to the death is that “The Hunt for Red October” is one of the best movies ever made. I’ve seen it a whole bunch of times — it’s a mainstay on basic cable and can generally be found playing at least once in any 24-hour period.

If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s directed by John McTiernan, who famously directed “Die Hard” and then some genuinely terrible other movies including “The Last Action Hero,” and it’s the story of a Soviet submarine captain who decides that the submarine that his country has built, the eponymous Red October, is too dangerous a weapon of war to exist in his government’s hands. With the help of a small number of like-minded crewmates, he conspires to steal the sub on its maiden voyage and hope that he can hand over the boat and its nukes to the Americans (yeah, it’s Clancy, we’re unabashedly the good guys).

It’s a perfect movie. Sean Connery plays the Russian captain and makes absolutely no effort at a Russian accent, while Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan, played in subsequent Clancy properties by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and John Krasinski. The action is thrilling, clear and the motivations are both personal and, potentially, catastrophic. After all, the Red October is a submarine capable of traveling undetected with an arsenal of nuclear missiles.

Even the bit parts are great. Legendary creep Jeffrey Jones, who was great as the space monster in “Howard the Duck,” has a great turn where he lays out the stakes. I’ll link the YouTube video below, but basically his point is that the Red October’s “caterpillar” silent propulsion system would enable the Soviets to park dozens of nuclear warheads within a stone’s throw of Washington, DC. It’s all just great, and super-tight from a storytelling perspective.

So what does that have to do with relationships? Glad you asked.

There’s a great scene in the movie — pardon the spoilers, but it’s from 1989, so you really should have watched it by now if that’s a concern — where the Americans have boarded the Red October and they’re still not sure what to make of it’s defecting captain. Another Russian sub out to sink the Red October fires a torpedo that’s homing in, and they’re trying to decide how to respond. Ramius, the captain played by Connery, tells the American piloting the sub to turn toward the torpedo, much to the incredulity of the other Americans onboard.

The pilot does so and there’s a tense moment when it seems that the sub might be doomed. And then the torpedo bounces off the hull harmlessly. We realize that Ramius has a full understanding of the situation, and that his Russian opponent would have set the torpedo to detonate only when it had traveled a certain distance. By turning toward it, they closed the distance before it had the opportunity to arm, and the torpedo bounces off the hull.

I’ve used “turn into the torpedo” as an analogy often over the years, both personally and in business relationships. What it means to me is that, if you’re dealing with a situation that’s fraught, that could blow up in your face, that could be tense, that you shouldn’t run from it, but you should try to embrace it. If there’s someone that you don’t get along with, make an effort to get to know them. If you’re screwed something up and someone’s mad at you, talk to them personally and apologize, try to make amends. If there’s a project that you’re intimidated by, talk to people about it and ask questions.

The times I’ve regretted the most are when I was in a difficult situation and avoided it. I’ve never made a scary situation better by ignoring it, and I’ve often been able to improve things by owning up to my mistakes and being open about my failures and weaknesses.

“Turning into the torpedo” is hard. It’s natural to want to hide when you’ve screwed up or you’re intimidated, but it’s almost never the right thing to do. I’ve never regretted speaking up and owning my mistakes, but I’ve often regretted when I didn’t. If you’re avoiding a difficult conversation, don’t. Just start it and see where it goes. Own your mistakes, and other people will celebrate your successes.

“The Hunt for Red October” ends when the same opposing captain gets his submarine blown up by one of his own torpedoes. The last thing he’s told is by his first mate: “you arrogant ass, you’ve killed us,” is another line that I’ve always dug. Confronting stressors is critical to overcoming them, and we’re often our own worst enemies.