The Hunt For Red October, the movie, was released in US theaters on March 2, 1990. The director of the film was John McTiernan (Die Hard). It was released by Paramount Pictures, and produced by Mace Neufeld.

The movie (like almost every movie based-on a novel), was not completely accurate to the story. In my opinion, of the three movies made of the Jack Ryan books, it is the most accurate. In order to fit the movie to an approximately 2 hour length that audiences would accept, much of the complexity that made the story popular was cut. (The movie still runs 15 minutes over two hours.)

Details about Putin's Readings
The Original Theatrical Trailer
Story Changes Made in the Movie
The Casting
The Music