One of the things I really enjoy about 90s media is that there was still a concept of competence and excellence. Characters were expected to be competent. Things were expected to be built well and beautiful. Contrast to the present, where stories are about identity/authenticity, and things are cheap and temporary.
Hunt for the Red October is a perfect example of 90s competency kino. Everyone is intelligent, competent and capable, and it becomes this high level chess match. John McTiernan was great at writing movies where everyone was competent.