The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy's first novel, appeared in 1984. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius, and a CIA analyst named Jack Ryan.

Trivia

• Many of the actors playing American sailors took a cruise on a real submarine to get a feel for their roles. Scott Glenn, who played the commander of the USS Dallas, trained for his role by temporarily assuming the identity of a submarine captain (the sub's crew all took 'orders' from Glenn, who was being prompted by the actual commanding officer). (Glenn does have military experience in real life, being a former U.S. Marine.)
• Klaus Maria Brandauer was originally cast as Marko Ramius. Ironically, Brandauer played opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again.