The 1990 classic spy thriller based on Clancy's novel, features Sean Connery as a Soviet captain of the world's most hi-tech submarine, defecting to the US with the help of an American, Alec Baldwin's first portrayal of Jack Ryan. The reason I love it apart from being immense and immersive (pun intended) popcorn fun, is that it reminds me of how complex a Cold War and a multi-polar world are. To better understand today's geoeconomic fragmentation one needs only to go back to a few decades ago, when spies, backdoor deals and a race for technological supremacy defined the world, while markets simply enabled. Connery as a Lithuanian skipper and "chess expert" in an impeccable Scottish accent is a massive bonus.

The Hunt for The Red October (1990)

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