Crimson Tide is a 1995 submarine film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Michael Schiffer and Richard P. Henrick. It takes place during a period of political turmoil in the Russian Federation, in which ultranationalists threaten to launch nuclear missiles at the United States and Japan. It focuses on a clash of wills between the seasoned commanding officer (played by Gene Hackman) and the executive officer (played by Denzel Washington) of a nuclear missile submarine, arising from conflicting interpretations of an order to launch their missiles. The film was scored by Hans Zimmer, who won a Grammy Award for the main theme, which makes heavy use of synthesizers in place of traditional orchestral instruments. The film takes place during a period of instability in post-Soviet Russia. Units of the Russian military loyal to Radchenko, an ultranationalist, have taken control of a nuclear missile installation and are threatening nuclear war if either the American or the Russian government attempts to confront him.