SCOTTOBERFEST 2025! These DUDES are TRAIN DUDES! This week we conclude this year's SCOTTOBERFEST with his final movie, Unstoppable. Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, this movie asks - what if a train GOT AWAY? and WHO could stop it? It's phenomenal. There are no spies in it. We discuss all matters train, such as the Tyne and Wear Metro Musical, and what the thing that goes between the cars is called.
Keywords: Keywords
Unstoppable, Tony Scott, Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, movie analysis, train disaster, action film, Tom Clancy, cinematic style, character development, Unstoppable, Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, action movie, train, Tony Scott, blue-collar heroes, film analysis, character development, cinematic tension, Tyne and Wear Metro Musical
SCOTTOBERFEST - Crimson Tide (1995)
Dive stations, Dudes! In this episode, Mike, Ruari and Saanje plunge into the 1995 Tony Scott thriller Crimson Tide. They navigate the film’s torpedo-loaded themes of leadership under pressure, toxic command culture, and what happens when two men with nuclear launch keys start arguing about Clausewitz and Lipizzaner stallions.
The hosts dissect the clash between Captain Ramsey (Gene Hackman) and Lt. Cdr. Hunter (Denzel Washington) — a philosophical showdown that’s equal parts “ethics seminar” and “angry dad energy.” They unpack how Crimson Tide turns a confined submarine into a boiling cauldron of pride, protocol, and passive aggression, all underscored by Hans Zimmer’s choir of doom.
Expect a deep dive into the film’s behind-the-scenes madness (Quentin Tarantino’s dodgy punch-ups!, The US Navy saying “nah, we’re good!”), plus a breakdown of how Tony Scott turned flashing red lights and sweaty close-ups into something approaching high art. Along the way, the Dudes examine the psychology of command, the ethics of military obedience and why it doesn't matter who the best Silver Surfer is.
Just when things get too heavy, it’s time for “You Don’t Know Jack” — the trivia game that pits Ruari and Saanje against each other in a battle of Baldwin confusion. Can they tell whether the quote came from Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy’s all-American analyst) or Jack Donaghy (30 Rock’s suit-clad philosopher of capitalism)?
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Next week on Clear and Present Dudes: Tony Scottoberfest continues with 2010's Unstoppable.
Keywords: Crimson Tide, Gene Hackman, tribute, Denzel Washington, movie analysis, Tony Scott filmography, submarine thriller breakdown, military leadership lessons, U.S. Navy realism, nuclear launch protocol explained, Hans Zimmer score, Quentin Tarantino uncredited rewrite, You Don’t Know Jack game, Jack Ryan vs Jack Donaghy, Tom Clancy universe, Clear and Present Dudes podcast, best 90s action movies, mutiny in movies, Cold War thrillers, leadership under pressure, movie podcast UK, film analysis comedy podcast.
In this episode the Dudes aren't spies, we just read books! In this week's thriller movie, Robert Redford is Joe Turner - a CIA analyst who must go on the run when his entire section house is slaughtered out of the blue. Featuring an unnerving Max Von Sydow and a mesmerising Faye Dunaway, Sydney Pollack's 1975 espionage flick Three Days of the Condor was the film that finally ended Jaws' blockbuster run.
We delve deep into greyzone warfare, the toxic love affair between Kathy and Joe, and just what is going on with the French hitman Joubert's Warhammer miniatures?
Every episode is in a spoilercast format so full spoilers from the off!
Keywords:
Clear and Present Dudes, Jack Ryan, Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, CIA, espionage, film analysis, podcast, movie review, thriller, Three Days of the Condor, CIA, espionage, Robert Redford, film analysis, 1970s cinema, political thriller, character study, movie trivia, soundtrack
In this episode of Clear and Present Dudes we strap in and taxi down the runway in our shonky Iranian Qaher F-313 for Clint Eastwood’s 1982 Cold War techno‑thriller Firefox. We follow former USAF pilot Mitchell Gant as the CIA recruits him to infiltrate the Soviet Union and steal the secret, thought‑controlled supersonic fighter plane known as the MiG 31 Firefox — a tense spy mission full of tradecraft, KGB cat‑and‑mouse, and jaw‑tight aerial showdowns.
We unpack Firefox as an espionage movie and aviation film: the spy thriller beats, Cold War politics, Eastwood’s spare direction and performance, and the practical special effects that sell the dogfights, or at least did at the time. Join us for high‑altitude thrills, tradecraft talk, and whether Firefox still flies as a classic Cold War thriller.
Note: This is a spoilercast and every episode is full spoilers.
Keywords
Firefox, Clint Eastwood, Cold War, espionage, film analysis, character study, cinematic techniques, historical accuracy, movie reception, psychological depth, Firefox, movie review, technology, dogfight, stealth, emotional score, character dynamics, mind control, military technology, film analysis, film analysis, movie quotes, cinematic themes, character development, military cinema, Clint Eastwood, Firefox, Cold War, audience reactions, storytelling
Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) as an ordinary lawyer who stumbles into a raw, dirty conspiracy after discovering evidence tied to a senator’s murder — and then finds himself hunted by a rogue NSA cell. He reluctantly joins forces with Brill (Gene Hackman), a haunted former operative, and suddenly every camera, cellphone, and piece of data is a weapon.
On this episode of Clear and Present Dudes we put on a VPN, stop making calls (even from a payphone), and go deep underground to litigate Tony Scott’s 1998 techno‑paranoia thriller Enemy of the State.
We break down how the movie uses surveillance tech, tradecraft, and political paranoia to drive nonstop action and moral complexity: wiretaps and wireframes, whistleblowers and cover‑ups, high‑speed chases and deepcover tradeoffs. Expect a scene‑by‑scene look at the most thrilling set pieces, a chat about the film’s take on privacy vs. security, and why Enemy of the State still matters for anyone interested in spy thrillers, surveillance movies, and political conspiracy films. If you’re searching for an Enemy of the State podcast, Will Smith movie review, or spy thriller discussion, this episode’s for you.
Of course, Ruari continues his book report on Tom Clancy's The Bear and the Dragon too!
Disclaimer: Due to the setup on this rare in-person recording there are some slight and occasional audio quality issues in the first 20-30 minutes.
No one would have believed in the twenty-fifth year of the twenty-first century that this world was being trolled keenly and closely by content slop-making intelligences way way lesser than man's and yet as mortal as his own…
In this Very Special Episode we’re calling Clear and Present Brews the dudes are joined by Ruari’s better half Emma and pod in person with some beers to celebrate this cinematic schadenfreude.
Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, the guy from Agents of S.H. I.E.L.D and that impressionist who does a good Robin Williams star in this - a movie tangentially related to H G Wells’ story of the same name in that there are Martians and they do pilot tripods. Once again, somehow, the 1970s disco musical double LP remains the most faithful adaptation out there.
Features a cover of 'The Eve of the War' from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of War of the Worlds by Luke Million.
The senior members of the NY sanitation department dress like generals! Did a cop plant weed on Richard the Lionheart while a minstrel sang the world’s first reggae song? All this and more as the dudes litigate the 1993 action thriller Striking Distance.
Tom Hardy, a homicide detective with the Pittsburgh Police Department finds himself demoted to the River Rescue while investigating the murder of his father. When all his ex girlfriends start turning up dead, this already personal crime becomes… more personal.
Starring Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina and Tom Sizemore - Striking Distance is a fascinating relic from Rowdy Herrington (Road House). No spies or soldiers here, but still many clear and present dudes!
If you’ve got a problem, a nobody can help, and if you can find them - maybe you can hire… the Ops Centre. The Dudes get their battle staff on and watch the 1995 TV movie Tom Clancy’s Op Centre. When a rogue KGB Colonel steals three nuclear warheads from a Ukrainian storage facility, it’s up to the National Crisis Management Centre to save the day.
An all-star cast of Carl Weathers, Wilford Brimley, Harry Hamlin and Kim Catrall head up what is a meandering, somewhat confusing and quite slow paced thriller - where equal time is paid to Harry Hamlin’s troubled marriage as is the international nuclear weapons crisis.
To make up for it Ruari starts a Tom Clancy book club, and Mike plays a game. Mission designation: TOUCHSTONE.
The dudes, in an effort to prevent a fatal miscalculation, sound ‘one ping only’ and litigate the Tom Clancy adaptation that started it all: The Hunt for Red October. The movie that brought Dr Jack Ryan to cinema audiences, and Alec Baldwin to the masses. Connery is back, as Marko Ramius - Lithuanian Soviet Submarine Commander wishing to defect to the West, and only CIA analyst Jack Ryan understands his intent. Submarine action - shonky accents - and Stellan Skarsgård being an arrogant ass. This movie has it all.
The dudes discuss 1979’s disaster flick ‘Meteor’ starring Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Martin Landau and Henry Fonda as ‘The President’. A giant meteor is heading toward the earth! The US has space nukes, the USSR has space nukes! They need to cooperate to save the world, they also have to work in a series of small rooms which are mainly brown.
On this episode of Clear and Present Dudes we navigate the twisting corridors of power in Roger Donaldson's 1987 thriller "No Way Out". We follow Lt. Cdr. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) as the DefSec’s mistress is found murdered and he’s suddenly the prime suspect, forcing him into a desperate hunt for the elusive Soviet spy “Yuri.” We dig into the film’s tense atmosphere, Gene Hackman’s cold authority, Will Patton’s menace, and an incredibly weird Sean Young performance that keeps everything off-kilter. Will Tom prove his innocence—or survive long enough to find out? Tune in as we unpack the lies, cover-ups, and what men of power will do when the stakes are this high.