K-19 - The Widowmaker

Rating:
Summary: Another submarine movie...
Review: This movie is just as good, if not better, than U-571, Crimson Tide, Das Boot, etc, al. but to the reviewers who seem to fixate on the russian accents of the american and irish actors, they need to remember that if this was a REAL russian movie, the actors would be speaking in russian and we would be watching the english subtitles...kind of like "Das Boot" they speak German in the whole movie because it's a GERMAN U boat. So what's my point...don't have one :-) This movie is very good and I did not notice any problems with the russian accents but then again how would I know since I am an American. The only thing I noticed about this movie is that Ithought the ending, set in 1989, was uneccessary.

Rating:
Summary: K-19 The Unseen Gem!
Review: K-19: The Widowmaker is a compelling, tense, superior real-life drama that, for some reason, did not draw a big U.S. box-office. Those who didn't see it missed quite a movie! With stellar performances by Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, a cast of excellent young actors, and with terrific Direction by Kathryn Bigelow, this film draws you into the tension and dangers of the Cold War like few films ever have. Before K-19: The Widowmaker came out, few of us knew that we had come perilously close to a nuclear exchange over a year before the Cuban Missile Crisis! And few of us who grew up believing every Russian was a villan, would have ever known that, except for the bravery of the K-19 submarine's Russian crew, and the strength of its Officers, nuclear disaster was narrowly averted. If you didn't see this movie when it was out this past summer, buy the DVD (I expect those who DID see it will be buying it to watch over and over again).

Rating:
Summary: A dramatic tale of an important, hidden chapter of history
Review: After scanning some reviews I've decided to add my 2 cents, since I just go the DVD & saw the movie for the first time. To those who say it has very similar elements already visited in films such as "Crimson Tide," "U-571", etc., my reaction to that is, yes, you're right. The first half hour of this movie I was a bit concerned about where it was going. It had the "been here, done that" feel to it in regards to other "sub movies." I didn't buy Ford's accent at first (why? Because I know him from other movies, whereas if some unknown actor played the role, I wouldn't have questioned the authenticity or even the accent delivery at all), but as time passed, I didn't notice it as much and thought it was fine. In regards to the why do Americans put accents on in the first place when speaking English, it's really no big mystery, it simply adds to the setting. I suppose if you went the other extreme and gave them all harsh U.S. Southern accents, it would pull you even further away from believing in who they are portraying, so it's just like an extra prop that enhances the presentation.

To those historic critics who try to rip up every attempt Hollywood makes to tell a story, I have this to say: Sad as it may be, but if I had not seen "Schindler's List," I would not have as much an appreciation for the Holocaust. I don't read much history, so if Hollywood with it's jaded glitz & glamour can emotionally move me to appreciate a moment of history, then so be it! And speaking of important moment's of history, you should check out "Uprising," another great historic drama that deserves attention (about the Jewish ghetto uprising).

At any rate, now for why I give K-19 five stars. I enjoyed the drama, the tension, the cast, and the story. It's that simple. I still think "U-571" is the best sub movie I've ever seen, perhaps because of how tightly the movie went with not a second of downtime, but K-19 is a more human, dramatic story that is important to see. The DVD has several documentaries on how they made the movie that should be seen by the history critics, as it certainly seems like they did much research on the topics & history before shooting the film. If the director had a gap, then it needed to be filled, and a story has to be interesting or it becomes a bad movie. Never will everyone be happy, and that's why most reviews will differ. So take it from a person who watches movies to be entertained, moved, and even educated at times, K-19 is an excellent movie.

Rating:
Summary: Ford and Bigelow wasted on a tedious script
Review: I thought Harrison Ford would be this film's undoing, but in the end he's the best thing about it. He becomes more convincing as the film progresses, and by the end you can almost believe in him. The problem here is the story. As historical fact it's an intriguing, sobering and sometimes sickening tale of Communist pride defeating common sense, and it might have worked as a documentary. But as a dramatic story, at least as imagined by Louis Nowra and Christopher Kyle, it's unrelentingly boring. The problem isn't so much that a film telling the true story of a nuclear disaster that was narrowly averted won't play because we already know how it ends. "Thirteen Days" made an admirable tilt at the Cuban missile crisis, and it worked because it told the story from a new perspective: it took us inside the White House, inside the Kennedys, and in that sense gave us the never-before-seen. But "K-19" fails to give us anything new. We've seen it all before: the ruthless commander, the imminent mutiny, the fire in the hold, and the threat of nuclear holocaust... these have been such regular features of big submarine movies of the last twenty years such as "Das Boot", "The Hunt For Red October", "Crimson Tide" and "U-571", that they're all but genre clichés. Life on a Russian sub looks pretty much like life on an American one, only slower and with a less happy ending. The truly interesting material - the psychology of Russian national pride - is blown. When the key moments come, they're consistently sunk by impenetrable speeches about heroics and the Motherland, set to the doleful tones of Klaus Badelt's tedious score. We learn very little from this film, nor are we entertained. Bigelow is a fine action director, and she shows her skill in the scant opportunities the script gives her. But these moments are few, and the distances between them agonizingly laborious.

Rating:
Summary: Purchased in Thailand Nov 26, 2002
Review: I purchased this DVD in Bangkok and can tell this movie has been underated in the USA. The acting is fantastic and the movie never lets off the edge. GET it and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: AWFUL...
Review: This movie is a wretch. I actually spent money on seeing it in the theater. Quite a mistake as hours later I felt like I was robbed not only of my money but my time. This movie claims to be based on real events but is so obviously (and overly) dramatized that I felt sad for the Russians who were ACTUALLY involved with the incident. Poor acting (Harrison Ford at his lowest), poor directing (this movie DRAGS), and a poor script (blatantly Hollywood). So in essence, buy just about any other submarine movie BUT K-19, as there are some good ones out there. This one is the epitomy of stinker (or SINKER).

Rating:
Summary: They really need to make another Indiana Jones film....
Review: I do not belive that Harrison Ford has appeared in a good film in almost ten years...He keeps seems to be appearing in over-blown,little plot Movies, this being another of them.
Let's just say that once again Hollywood makes a movie based on a historical event with little or no history actually shown on film. Lot's of over-acting however. and it's also pretty horribily edited.

Rating:
Summary: Bland and uninteresting...
Review: This film has its moments, but they are few and far between. I've rarely seen a film that is this lifeless from beginning to end. I actually admire Hollywood for making a picture based on the true story of a Russian submarine because, after all, heroism knows no single nationality. However, the film does stereotype Russians more than a little, and, worse, it never really hits its stride as a movie. It drags on and on, and by the time the end credits roll, there's really nothing to talk about. It's already forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: Rare Insight Into Cold-war Realities
Review: Among the things for which this film was criticized was Harrison Ford's faltering Russian accent. Sure, his accent wasn't superb. But what we should really ask about that point is, why is speaking English with a Russian accent (as opposed to speaking English without a Russian accent) deemed a substantially more accurate representation of what would have in reality been dialogue in Russian? Characters who actually spoke Russian speak English in this movie so it can be understood by an audience that understands English but generally not Russian; once that much translation is part of it, accent is a minor issue. That matter aside, this movie is a remarkably revealing one about realities of the cold-war virtually unknown until now. A Russian submarine of the early nuclear era suffers a mishap in its reactor, a malfunction that threatens the crew and could well become an international disaster. The nearest help they would have had access to was at a NATO base. But their loyalty to their country vis-a-vis the Soviet system makes that appeal for help unthinkable. They were bound to protect their government's secrecy; in fact they would remain sworn to secrecy as long as the Soviet Union remained in existence. Of course it would have been better to accept the nearest available help and share their experience with the world. That would have been best not only in the interest of protecting their crew and reducing the risk of war, but also for sharing with the world knowledge of what could go wrong with nuclear reactors, in submarines or elsewhere. But the only view of patriotism acceptable to the crew at the time meant continuing in secrecy and repairing the reactor at a great price. That price involved several crew members venturing so close to the reactor's problem that they exposed themselves to deadly radiation. Some reviews have considered this a film that portrays the Russian sailors heroically, and considered that either groundbreaking or a sell-out, depending on their point of view. But either of those perspectives misses the real point. The important sense in which the movie is groundbreaking is that it lets a universal humanity be seen in the Russian crew members in the face of trial and deadly peril. Although there IS heroism on that submarine, by no means does the movie idealize the blind loyality to the Soviet system as one with that heroism. In fact the movie courageously follows up on the life of the survivors through to a day when they can at last have a new perspective on their heroism and how the clandestine Soviet government did or did not best serve them through their tribulation.

Rating:
Summary: Nice parody but nothing more...
Review: Nice parody but nothing more... Actually I was expecting to see there Leslie Nelson instead of Harrison Ford. I know, Harrison Ford is a good actor, but Leslie is much better candidature for such parodies like Naked Gun or K-19... Because everything in K-19 is just a parody/farce...(mark the most proper word) done in a standard Hollywood style. Se yourself: Russian submariners are dancing in a squatting position; they call the submarine commander as "captain" and do many other funny things instead of performing their regular duty. Very funny! Actually I was expecting to see more interesting things such as dancing bears dressed in caps with ear-flaps and a big red star that playing on balalaika. I was expecting to see lots of drunken Russian submariners playing cards, drinking vodka and fight each with other just for fun. It's really strange that I didn't see these episodes in K-19 because this is a normal portraiture on Russian people for most of Americans. This movie was primary created for average statistical citizen from one-storied middle of America such as Cleveland or similar (nothing personal!). Course these average statistical guys will never understand all funny sides of the K-19 movie and they will sincerely believe that everything there is a TRUE. They will believe that Russian submariners handle the battle torpedo just like a firewood etc. They will believe that Russian "zampolit" can contradict to his commander and even aim him with a gun :) These guys will never understand that commander of Russian submarine is incontestable authority for everyone on board including the "zampolit "...

I would not explain here all such nonsense's as shown in the movie. However I would like to say that this movie has nothing common with a real story of K-19 and its heroic crew who save the word against nuclear catastrophe. Some of these heroes have spent their lives to do that they did, and some of them are still alive and they were really hoping to see at least a particle of TRUE in the mentioned movie. They were so happy to meet Harrison Ford when he was in Russia. So this is as twice as more painful to see the suffering on their old and wrinkled faces. In any case, we know - THEY ARE REAL HEROES!

Thank you for spending a time on reading of this review.