Capt. Frank Ramsey is the commanding officer of a nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Alabama. Ramsey is a distinguished veteran near the end of his career, and he leads his men with an iron hand. Ramsey is assigned a new second-in-command, Lt. Cmmdr. Ron Hunter who is much younger than Ramsey, Harvard educated, and believes the goal of the military in the nuclear age is to prevent war, not fight it.

While at sea, word reaches the Alabama that a splinter group of Russian forces have seized missile silos, and the ship is put on red alert. The Alabama has orders to fire. It's Ramsey's contention that an order is an order while Hunter feels if there is any question at all about their mission, they should wait until they can receive further instruction.

Stars Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington
Directed by Tony Scott