(2018)

Submitted by Steve

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Michael Nyqvist, who portrays Captain Andropov, died shortly after the movie finished filming.

POOPER
The Navy Seals successfully rescue President Zakarin. Durov orders his men to fire on the USS Arkansas, but Captain Glass refuses to retaliate, because it would trigger the war he’s trying to prevent. The RFS Yevchenko shoots down the missiles headed for the Arkansas and then fire their missiles at the naval base, killing Durov and his men.

LONG VERSION
The Navy submarine USS Tampa Bay is shadowing the Russian sub RFS Konek in the Barents Sea, near the Arctic Circle, when both vessels suddenly vanish. Admiral John Fisk (Common) orders another sub, the USS Arkansas, to investigate the disappearance. The Arkansas, commanded by the newly-promoted Captain Joe Glass (Gerard Butler), eventually finds the sunken Tampa Bay, but there are no survivors. They also find the Konek, and it appears that it was destroyed due to sabotage rather than an attack. Soon, another Russian sub, the Volkov, appears and attacks the Arkansas. Using unorthodox procedures, Captain Glass and the Arkansas destroy the Volkov. They then use their deep sea rescue vehicle (DSRV) to rescue the survivors of the Konek, one of which is their commander, Captain Sergei Andropov (Michael Nyqvist).

Meanwhile, a four-man US Navy Seal team led by Lieutenant Bill Beaman (Toby Stephens) is ordered by Admiral Fisk to observe the Polyarny naval base near Murmansk, Russia. They perform a HALO jump, but one of the Seals, Paul Martinelli, is injured when his landing goes wrong. Once they arrive just outside of the base, they witness a coup d’etat in progress. The Russian Defense Minister, Admiral Dmitri Durov, along with several of his men, have taken control of the base and are holding Russian President Nikolai Zakarin prisoner, who was there to visit Durov at the base. The Seals are later spotted by the Russians and fire on them. The Seals are able to get away, but Martinelli, the one who was injured after the jump, is further wounded by the gunfire and Beaman is forced to leave him behind.

The Seals relay what they saw at Polyarny back to Admiral Fisk, and the news soon makes it way to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While meeting with the President, Admiral Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman), the head of the Joint Chiefs, recommends the US prepare for war. But Admiral Fisk suggests they send in the USS Arkansas, still in the Barents Sea, to pick up Beaman and his men after they rescue President Zakarin. The President approves Fisk’s plan, but also orders the US Fleet to the area in case it fails. On the Arkansas, Captain Glass fills in Captain Andropov what is happening, but the Russian is reluctant to help the Americans. But he does help the Arkansas maneuver around the minefield surrounding Polyarny and the sub is able to navigate to the naval base undetected.

Beaman and the other two Seals are heading into the base when the find Agent Oleg, a member of President Zakarin’s security team. The Russian troops executed the entire security team and threw their bodies in the ocean, but Oleg somehow survived and washed up onshore. The Seals patch up his wounds, and after Beaman fills Oleg in on their plans, joins them and they attack the base. Beaman and Oleg successfully retrieve President Zakarin, but the other two Seals are killed in a shootout with the Russian troops, and Zakarin is wounded. Oleg is also wounded, but he sacrifices himself by using grenades to blow himself up, taking out several Russian troops in the process, which allows Beaman and Zakarin to escape. After dropping off Zakarin at the Arkansas by way of the DSRV, Beaman goes back to retrieve Martinelli.

At this time, the Russian battleship RFS Yevchenko arrives at Polyarny and begins firing on the Arkansas, causing serious damage to the sub. Thinking it’s been sunk, Admiral Donnegan berates Admiral Fisk for his plan, saying that the world will think the US kidnapped and killed the Russian President, and orders the US Fleet to prepare to engage the enemy. But the Arkansas isn’t sunk, and Captain Andropov, who once commanded the Yevchenko, radios the battleship and convinces their current commander that President Zakarin is on board the American sub, and the Yevchenko ceases firing. Upon seeing this, Admiral Durov orders the missiles at the base to fire on the surfaced Arkansas. Captain Glass refuses to return fire, because doing so would start the war he is trying to prevent. But the Yevchenko fire their missiles, destroying the ones coming for the Arkansas, and then fire more at the base’s command center, destroying it and killing Durov and his men. The Arkansas then docks at Polyarny and lets off President Zakarin, Captain Andropov, and the Konek survivors. As Glass and Andropov are sharing their new-found respect for each other, Beaman returns with Martinelli and they board the Arkansas.

The movie ends with the Arkansas leaving the dock and returning to their home port.