Our film examines the heroism, courage and prowess of the Soviet submarine force in ways never seen before.

One of the elements in the film that really fascinated me was not to look at the world in bi-polar terms of us vs them or east vs west, which was a by-product of the Cold War.

When James Cameron brought me the script, which I developed with both Cameron and Jay Cocks, I wanted to make it a thriller, an action film, but with a conscience, and I found that it had elements of social realism.

When I made my first film, I didn't think of it as directing, so it wasn't like I set out to become a director.

My movement from painting to film was a very conscious one.

I'd rather have a small part in a good film with good people than play the lead in something I don't really care for.

We like to think of film and music as art, but actually art is something that is not restricted.

I don't film messages. I let the post office take care of those.

In LA I was watching At the Movies with Ebert and Roper, it was, nice to see them differentiate between the subject matter and the art form of making the film, and they both gave it thumbs up, and I was kind of pleased at their honesty as far as reviewers go.

I did 10 years of comedies and 10 years of Westerns. I really like to stay away from car chases. I prefer the more intimate film. You have a much more direct association with the emotions.

Today you have something like A Film by Joe Harry. That is patently asinine and ridiculous.

Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.

I was getting offers. I had just turned them down. Then I realized I should be grateful that at age 54, people were still offering me film roles.

Truth is, we offered it to Tom Hanks, which pretty much every movie in America does, but Tom passed. Billy Bob said that Hanks recently called and said he's voting for all of us for Oscars, he loved the film.

Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.