Rating: 
Summary: Very Watchable!
Review: I admit I watched this movie mainly because Harrison Ford is in it. But it really pulled me in. You don't need to be a history buff, or even a fan of cold-war era movies to enjoy this one. Its a good story well done. Very interesting to watch a cold-war era movie told from the other perspective. I can't vouch for how authentic the accents are, or whether the technology etc. is accurate for the time. But the characters are very real, the story well told, and the suspense well-crafted. Its good entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: The great acting is the best part
Review: Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford are really great and show the range of their skills. It is worth seeing just for them. They are at the top of their form. Ford especially got to show more of his range than usual in this film. The film was not as "gritty" as I would have expected. Life was much worse on these subs than was portrayed. Well portrayed were the quality problems that made life such a struggle for Soviet sailors. An honest, sympathetic approach to life in the Soviet Navy. Not shown, was the fact that Soviet seamen were generally green farm boys with almost no training. The portrayal of the political officer was rather overdone. Overall an excellent film even for those not submarine film buffs. A tense psychological film. If you want more excitement see U-571, which may be the best film ever made in this sub-genre.
Rating:
Summary: Well done but painful
Review: I did not see K-19 in theater and rented it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from it, but what I got was a movie that I'm glad I have seen, but that I did not enjoy watching.K-19 is painful. There is very little humor and a lot of difficult, life changing decisions. While I can appreciate the need at times to send men to their death, it is not something I enjoy watching. However, I understand this movie is intended to portray an actual event and I am glad if the crew of the Widowmaker can finally have recognition for their bravery, even if it comes long after some of them have died. As for the movie aspects, there is little plot here, other than the crew's attempts to prepare their ship for battle and then to save it from nuclear meltdown. I felt the acting was decent, although I had some trouble keeping the younger members of the crew straight. Harrison Ford is getting older, but his age played well here. Since I know little about nuclear submarines, the technical aspects are beyond me. However, the Russian darkness was present. Can I recommend this movie? If you're a submarine or war buff, probably. But if you want action, a story line, and a little humor, probably not. K-19 makes widows, not entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: Meltdown
Review: Based on a true story that had been classified by Russian Government for 28 years, K-19 The Widowmaker, sheds light on what really happened to ship and crew in 1961. After the subs reactor core began to leak deadly radiation, the captian (Harrison Ford) and his second in command, (Liam Neeson) are at odds about how to save the ship and her crew. As time begins to run out, do they risk contacting the americans, or do they go it alone, and possibly cause a nuclear catastrophe? Like most cold war films, there's plenty of drama here. However, the dramatic tone of the picture is muted to a large degree, thanks to lead Harrison Ford's really bad russian accent and director Kathryn Bigelow's lopsided direction. I am a fan of her work on Near Dark and Point Break. Both of which showed movie-goers a good time and a lot of excitement. Now I realize, we're talking "apples and oranges" here, but K-19 seems to take forever to settle into a nice pace. When it finally does, I was always distracted by Ford, for some reason I just had trouble with it. He is a fine actor, and he usually can do anything, but here he stumbles.and that affected the film for me. Neeson is ok though as is the rest of the cast. The DVD has a solid commentary track by director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, that is easy to listen to, despite my reservations about the film itself. The extras on the disc also include a three part making of featurette called aptly enough "The Making of K-19".Each section focuses on the Sub set. and its varous functions throughout the movie Exploring the Craft, Breaching the Hull, and It's in the Details make for interesting viewing. The theatrical trailers top off the bonus material. The DVD is recommended, as a rental only, if you think you can get past it's slow spots and Ford's accent. But I wouldn't buy it and I'm glad I didn't
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than reviews would indicate
Review: I was pleasantly surprised with this film. After all the reviews I had seen complaining about bad Russian accents, I finally decided to rent this one. To me, the accents weren't bad enough to affect my enjoyment of the movie. The fact is, the crew of this submarine were heroes, although their own government wouldn't acknowledge it. If they hadn't done everything they did, there's a good chance that this incident would have started a war when the sub's explosion destroyed the American destroyer. No one would have ever believed that it was an accident. No, the film isn't as good as "Das Boot". But that's okay. They're two different movies about two different situations. Comparing them is really pointless. If you don't want to buy this movie, fine. But it's definitely worth a rental!
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not great
Review: It's amazing there are so many movies about Subs. Perhaps it's a fascination about being submerged in a tin can that could become a death trap in the wrong circumstances. Whatever it is, this one was not quite up to the precident set by the rest, but overall is still a watchable movie. Anyone who is expecting another "crimson tide" Forget it! The movie has few points of real tension, and the acting is good, but nowhere's near the performances of Hackman and Washington. There is also much less emphasis on the threat of global nuclear war. A point wich you would think would have been made more of a centerpoint of the plot. The soviet nuclear sub K-19 is rused off the assembly line and in ... poor operation, and the crew experiences a catastrophic reactor failure. The threat of meltdown looms. The captain refuses to get help from an american vessel in the area, but knows that if there is a meltdown, the nuclear detonation would set of the warheads and destroy them and the americans too... which of course could very well trigger a world wide nuclear armageddon. The puzzeling thing is that that very point was only brought up in passing. More focus is given to the spread of radiation through the ship and the sacrifices made by sailors going INTO the reactor to fix it... which of course was suicide. Overall.... This movie was ok, but falls far short of the standards set by U571, Crimson tide and The Hunt for Red October. Less action, less drama, and the acting is good, but nothing that deserves an oscar either. And by the way... there isn't a single engagment in this movie. No underwater or above water battles. So if you're looking for action or combat look elsewhere. If you want a decent military (specifically Submarine) drama, that shows self-sacrifice, loyalty, and the futility of the cold war (as well as the devotion the soviets had to communism even under the opressive and uinfair regime they were subject to), then this movie will be worth watching. At most a good rental for a slow day, but not a movie Id go out and buy. 3 stars seems fair.
Rating:
Summary: Great!!
Review: This is one of the best docudramas I've ever seen. The action was tremendous. The 2 lead actors Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson are worth watching over and over again. The story does not get too technical so as to disassociate the viewer but it does grab you and dosen't let go until the very end. The director puts you into the action both emotionally and almost physically the way the story plays out. I'm a child of the cold war and to root for our advasaries (the Russians) is a very strange sensation but by the time the K-19 starts to encounter the usual bureacratic problems that threaten to destroy the submarine and all who sail in her, you can't do anything else but root for the "bad guys". This is also an important tale to tell historically speaking and should be told. You will not regret buying this movie on DVD. Buy it now!!
Rating:
Summary: Not shipshape and Bristol-fashion, but worth seeing
Review: I love submarine films, so I was quite excited to find a film based on a true story. "Widowmaker" is based on an incident from the Cold War in 1961 that was kept secret until the Iron Curtain was raised in the late 80's. The Russians wish to fire a nuclear test missile to up the stakes in the game of nuclear brinksmanship. According to their reasoning, showing that they had advanced nuclear capability by launching a missile from a nuclear submarine would stop the US from a pre-emptive attack. Thus the stage is set for "K-19", a Soviet sub under construction, about to be launched to undertake this important mission. But is the ship cursed? Men had died while building the sub in dry dock, the christening has an omen of ill-fate, and even the captaincy is under a cloud, several clouds. And then...well, I don't want to give away any surprises, but let's just say that problems build up from dry dock to launch to the K-19's maiden voyage. The problem with "Widowmaker" is that the film is not directed with snap and tension-- contrasted to "U-571", a sub film that had tension down to a fine art. Nor is the acting so exquisite; Harrison Ford plays a dour captain, but seems to think "dour" means "wooden" (well, he DID work as a carpenter for part of his life, so this is understandable.) His emotional range is narrowly focused here. I think Harrison made a narrow emotional range a conscious choice here to show the struggles of a man with a troubled past trying to control himself to an acceptable level. However, this meant that it took a lot of time to figure out when the Captain was being very deeply emotional and when he was just merely morose. Liam Neeson annoyed me with his attempt at a Russian accent (not only didn't it sound like Russian, it DID sound like a Dutch accent. Which annoyed me even more.) The background music is somberly funereal; yes, we know that radiation on a submarine could be bad for the sailors, and that all the other incidents weren't a picnic in Gorky Park, either. But the soundtrack had me about ready to weep, beat my chest and put on sackcloth and ashes. However, if you like submarine films, I still recommend trying this one. It is a nice addition to the genre and I enjoyed knowing about the historical incident and seeing it as a drama, even with all the flaws of the film. It's pretty good, but don't expect the level of "U-571" or "The Hunt for Red October."
Rating:
Summary: EXCITING AND DRAMATIC!
Review: A good film, full of action and emotion! A real winner! Movie Grade: A+ DVD Grade: A+
Rating:
Summary: Worth watching but depressing.
Review: This is a movie worth watching. The acting is quite good, and the story is based on fact, which gives the flick a little extra zip. Essentially, this is the story of one of the early Russian nuclear missile submarines, which is rushed into service without proper testing or equipment, with disastrous results. The story is oddly without heros or villains, except maybe the Russian politicians and admirals who force the sub to sea before it is properly tested and equipped, and of course the architects of the Cold War in general. At first the viewer is led to believe that Harrison Ford, the Captain, is the villain because he relieves the original Captain of the subm (Liam Nielson) and puts the sub through its paces even though he has admitted that the mission is "premature." But later Ford is shown as a hero, inspiring the loyalty of the crew. Well, maybe that's how it was. The story certainly highlights the loyalty and courage of the Russian crewmen who enter the nuclear reactor area to try to prevent a meltdown incorrectly portrayed (I think) in the movie as a danger of explosion. The meltdown danger was real enough--it is said that this would have been an environmental catastrophe on the order of Cherynoble, but much closer to the USA. The Russian crewmen suffer ghastly maiming and death, as they knew they would, exacerbated by the fact that the sub put to sea without a locker full of radiation suits which the repair crew needs in order to work on the reactor with any hope of surviving the attempt. The movie reminds us that the young men in the Armed Forces of what was then the West's principal enemy were nonetheless largely fine, wholesome lads, as indeed most soldiers are. The story is gripping, but it is also unusually depressing, which is why I only gave this one 3 stars. Perhaps I am not being completely fair, but that's my opinion. Ford is good, Nielson is good, the rest of the acting is OK. This is a good movie.
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