film

In homage to the recently departed Gene Hackman, Phenomena screens a classic of his mid-nineties oeuvre. Tony Scott's 1995 thriller, which also stars Denzel Washington, takes on a perennial theme - whether or not to unleash nuclear armageddon - from a fresh perspective. 

The film is set aboard the USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine, during a period of heightened geopolitical tension. The crew receive an incomplete message that may or may not be an order to launch nuclear missiles, and a taut and tense power struggle ensues between the commanding officer, Captain Ramsey (Hackman) and his executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Hunter (Washington).

Hackman is horribly convincing as the aggressive leader insisting on following protocol and preparing to launch a nuclear attack, while Washington thrives as the thoughtful, mutinous underling standing in the way of disaster.