Rating: 
Summary: A singularly impressive debut for National Geographic
Review: K19: THE WIDOWMAKER is a most impressive debut for National Geographic Feature Films, one of the movie's principal production partners. The story is based on a Cold War event kept secret for decades. It's 1961, and the Soviet's first atomic powered ballistic missile submarine, the K-19, is scheduled for an operational shakedown cruise in the North Atlantic. The USSR wants to show the United States that the latter is not the only world power with waterproof big guns, so to speak, seeing as how the U.S. Navy has put Polaris subs within missile-lobbing range of Leningrad and Moscow. Filmed in Canada and Moscow, this "Hollywood" version of the story has Captain Polenin (Liam Neeson) as commander of the K19 while it's still under construction in Murmansk. In a bad career move, he's vociferously unhappy about the quality of the boat's construction, and outspokenly suggests it's not ready for its first sea trial. Enter Captain Vostrikov (Harrison Ford), an in-law of a Politburo big shot, who takes command with Polenin as his executive officer. The submarine is duly launched, though the champagne bottle fails to break - a harbinger of bad luck, and off it goes to prove itself as the newest protector of the Motherland. At first, it looks like the operational sea trial will be a smashing triumph when the K19 successfully launches one of its three ballistic missiles. Take that, you Yankee imperialist dogs! But then, on its way under new orders to take up a patrol station off the eastern U.S. seaboard, the K19 develops a leak in its nuclear reactor's cooling system that gives a new dimension to the phrase "in hot water". Borrowing and fixing up an actual Russian sub on permanent display in Florida (only in America!) for the exterior shots, and re-creating ten submarine compartments accurate down to the smallest details for the interior camera work, the producers of K19: THE WIDOWMAKER have achieved perhaps the most authentic looking sub film since DAS BOOT. (The interior sets of the film make Sean Connery's "Red October" look like the starship Enterprise.) And, something you don't see every day, there are no female players to clutter things up with mushy stuff outside of a very brief scene where the girls left behind are kissing the sailors good-bye. Otherwise, this is all Guy Stuff spearheaded by two superb performances from Ford and Neeson. Though the former will be perceived as the actor in the leading role, Neeson is right there breathing down his neck, and an argument could be made to nominate both for an Oscar in the Leading Role category. Perhaps not since HEAT (Pacino and De Niro) have two major male stars played so powerfully well together. K19 serves to remind Americans that in the Cold War, or any war, heroism, sacrifice, honor and duty are not attributes limited to just the home team. I consider it the best major film I've seen to date for the 2002 film season.
Rating: 
Summary: Skill and imagination save a troubled ship
Review: Based on a series of actual events, K-19: The Widowmaker tells the story of a Soviet nuclear submarine that is rushed into service at the height of the Cold War, experiencing first triumph and then disaster in its maiden deployment. Departing somewhat from the true story, the film also sets up a confrontation between the commander of the boat (Captain Alexei Vostrikov/Harrison Ford) and the man he replaces (Captain Mikhail Polenin/Liam Neeson) who is demoted to executive officer. As crises mount during K-19's voyage, the friction between the two men increases, dividing the loyalties of all aboard. Most of what I know about submarines, I've learned from watching movies. For instance, I know that it's obligatory for the captain, at the beginning of every sea tour, to dive the sub down to around crush depth and see if the thing caves in. Apparently this is necessary in order to find out "if she can stand the pressure" (or similar wording), though I'm not sure why it's preferable to find that out sooner rather than later - say, when the next crew comes aboard. I also know that submarine power plants are shockingly unreliable; that despite vast oceanic distances there's always an enemy sub-hunting vehicle nearby at the most inconvenient time; and that submarine crews are constantly treading the ragged edge of mutiny. Director Kathryn Bigelow faithfully observes all these conventions in K-19: The Widowmaker. She and her cast manage to breathe enough life into the formula, however, to redeem the movie from being the potboiler it should be. What they end up with is a film that, while not a classic of the genre, still provides enough drama and suspense to make the trip worthwhile. Like the best of this breed, Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 opus Das Boot, K-19 gets American audiences to root for a crew of men we would normally regard as the enemy. Competent screenwriting and winsome performances make us care about the fate of these young Soviets; so when the time comes for some of them to lay down their lives to save the rest, it strikes us as something more compelling than just another action movie cliche. From the viewpoint of true action fans, the problem with any Cold War movie - especially one based on a true story - is that ultimately there's no big payoff. As in 1995's Crimson Tide, the action here escalates to the brink of a nuclear shooting war, only to be yanked back by the heroic actions of a few individuals. Suspense is skillfully wrought by the filmmakers and there is an emotional climax of sorts, but there is no big denouement to resolve the tension. Overall I thought there was enough mental action and emotional arc in the movie to satisfy, but some will no doubt find K-19 unfulfilling. In recent years, directors of historical epics have taken a "Can you top this?" approach to period detail, going to often pointless extremes to achieve Righteous Authenticity. Bigelow's obsessions in this regard include the costumes for K-19. "Made by Russian workers," intones the offical web site, "the uniforms were identical to those used during the Cold War, right down to the fabric." Why this is important I would be hard pressed to say. On the other hand, the director's insistence on reproducing the submarine itself as faithfully as possible makes a real difference in the quality of the film. The clunky, cobbled-together appearance of the hardware never allows us to forget that the crew are traveling in what is potentially a massive coffin. As the movie progresses, and things begin to fall apart, we feel more and more claustrophobic sharing space in the boat. Several critics have cavilled about Harrison Ford's Russian accent in this movie. The accent didn't seem at all bad to me, but more to the point, such inanities obscure the very creditable performances put in by Ford and Liam Neeson in the lead roles. Both actors bring understatement and nuance to characterizations that could turn either apoplectic or wooden in the hands of less skilled people. Like director Bigelow and the sailors of K-19, the two principals employ skill and imagination to salvage something worthwhile from an unpromising situation.
Rating:
Summary: Rip-roaring intensity from start to finish
Review: Based on a true story of a Russian nuclear submarine with a reactor that has run a-muck, and threatens a tentative peace between Russia and the United States during the cold war. Ford and Neeson are up in arms over how to handle the crisis when the reactor cracks and starts to leak its deadly radiation. It is one roller coaster ride after another. The hardest part is in the knowing that these men lived this insanity, and in the glory of their undertakings were forced to keep silent about it for some 30 years. This was a well done movie, an edge of your seater from start to finish. You can't go wrong with this as a pick for a night out...enjoy. Kelsana 8/6/02
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Underwater Thrill Ride with a big Human Element
Review: First off let me say that this was maybe the second saddest feeling film overall that I've ever seen. I'm not talking about a moment of pure grief, but a solid, throughout feeling of sadness. In my mind, it ranks only second to the opus of Schindler's List. The Russian Navy has developed a state of the art submarine for 1961. They're counting on this new sea bearing vessel to be their upper hand in the cold war. The project under the leadership of Capt. Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) has fallen behind schedule and the Soviets will not tolerate this project not starting on schedule and Capt. Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) is brought in to get the ship ready on time. The problem is, the staff is undermanned and undersupplied. Also, they are loyal to their original captain, not the new one, making Vostrikov's job that much harder. The crew is wary of the ship already. 7 men died building it and 3 more have died since. The sub leaves dock, smooth sailing for the most part as their missile test is a success. Vostrikov is constantly drilling his crew, much to their dislike, and they make no secret of their wish to return under Polenin, who is serving as Vostrikov's assistant. A coolant leak happens, the nuclear reactor is threatening meltdown. It was inevitable, but it's done in a way that tries to avoid as many sub clichés as it can. The only way to fix the problem is to run water into the reactor, but that requires me to enter the reactor room where deadly radiation is present. This is where the film really gets going and a human element really hits you. Sailors are suffering radiation illness and the sub is still shaky. Adding more intrigue, an American destroyer finds the sub and offers help, but Vostrikov doesn't want to give the US the victory of obtaining their space age sub but Polenin is pushing to ask for help so the sailors can leave the ship as radiation is slowly overtaking the entire vessel. Ford and Neeson are both superb in this film. Odd Russian accents aside, both actors are firmly rooted in their characters and have a great respectful yet on the edge relationship that takes a few odd turns along the way. A solid cast all around anchors the film in its human story. It's hard to capture too many new film styles inside a submarine, but the picture and action seem to flow pretty well considering the surroundings. I wasn't totally sure what to think going into this film but going out I just felt sad and a bit horrified. As this was based off an actual event, I can only imagine what kind of things ran through the mind of those men who went through something like this. I think the most important thing I took out of it was how we, as humans, understand the importance of sacrificing so much of ourselves for one another without thinking twice.
Rating:
Summary: A must for sub and history fans
Review: The other two reviewers published before mine go heavily into plot and happenings during the movie. However, that does not tell all. It certainly makes one realize how Russia was willing to pay almost any price to have the most modern and visible submarine fleet in the world at the time. Sub after sub, including K-19. were launched before completion or testing. Many vital parts, instruction manuals and safety equipment were missing. Though not all the movie is historically accurate, the dramatization probably provided honest reactions to the events. I had no idea that the movie was about a Russian submarine until the movie began. The suspense started very soon, quickly built up by the accompanying music and sound effects. It definitly should be seen on a big screen with surround sound. The makeup for the burn victims certainly gave you the idea of how horrible radiation burns could be. Since the whole movie was supposed to be in the Russian language, spoken in English for our convince, then why was any Russian accent used by anyone? A ship manned entirely by Russians and only one person has a Russian accent? The submarine used for the film certainly didn't look newly launched and appeared to be quite tacked together. But it certainly provided insight to the miserable living conditions that the crew had to endure to ever sail in the Russian fleet. Overall, despite its rather minor imperfections, it was a wonderful movie, filled with suspense, beauty and much nobilty of the people involved in the terrible situation.
Rating: 
Summary: Average movie
Review: Very high quality movie. Action - almost to none. Play - outstanding. Overall - average movie, that will be forgotten in a few months. The "Hunt for Red October" in a million times better movie. I feel, like waisted [money]...
Rating: 
Summary: K-19, or, How Bad Was It in the Soviet Navy?
Review:
K-19, where failure is an option, is an extremely boring movie. However, if you like endless, pointless, stress-filled submarine drills, you're in for a treat.
There have been a lot of Soviet Naval disasters, and some were actually pretty interesting and dramatic. K-19 however, starts out and ends badly. It does a good job at showing how a beauracracy can mess up the decision-making of a military leader. I'm glad I didn't serve in a navy where the torpedo crew left buckets full of fuel sitting around, or that has captains who value the ship - not the crew - but the ship, over the lives of the crew. Forget the ship, it's a hunk of metal. The crew is your utmost priority. The core is going to melt through the ship's hull, so just get everyone off safely, and scuttle ... But no, they had to stick guys with no radiation protection into a chamber filled with radioactive coolant liquid. For what? Ugh!
Also, the movie's science was pretty bad. There's no way the nuclear fuel was going to explode. Nuclear fission is not a nuclear chain reaction. At worst, the core would drop out of the ship's hull and sink in the ocean, where all the whales and fish can have fun with a few hundred pounds of enriched Uranium. Why we put nuclear subs into the ocean in the first place is beyond me.
This movie is instructional in showing how bad the Soviet system was. The supply trucks drop off the wrong medicine. They get supplied with chemical suits instead of radiation suits - on a nuclear submarine! Wait a second:
We have a nuclear submarine. We are isolated out on the lone, cold ocean, dependent on ourselves for repairs. We don't have radiation suits.
Nuclear submarine. No radiation suits.
Nuclear subs need radiation suits. Ever heard of the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared?" Well, maybe the Komsomol's motto is "Let's be dumb and unprepared." Deploying a nuclear sub without those suits is a scenario that embodies the height of irresponsibility and disregard for the most basic safety and survival procedures, not to mention crew welfare. They were in an untested nuclear sub without radiation suits. Soooo stupid. Then, they make a movie about how brave the guys were to go and expose themselves to the core and the heavy water coolant without those suits. Well, an ounce of prevention, pal. The only smart guy in the movie was the sailor who jumped ship and started swimmng for the American destroyer, part of a Navy that supplies it's nuclear submarine crews with radiation suits. Hey, he might have jumped into the Arctic water to make a break for freedom and life, but he was a lot better than those guys who got irradiated and shipped back to the Soviet Union, where they were punished by the authorities for no other reason but going on a stupid mission in a crappy sub without the right gear.
No wonder the Soviets failed. They have inept nuclear fission crews who don't report problems to their superiors. They get a captain more concerned with his reputation than the ship's crew. They get doctors who have no training in radiation sickness. The whole system stunk, as this movie shows.
Also, there were many loose ends. Where did the test missile go? What happened to the crewmember who made a break for the US destroyer? I hope he made it to the good guys. I guess we'll never know.
Also, the Russian accents were distracting. I wish they had just spoken normal English, or Russian with subtitles. And the endless drills almost made the movie look like a self-mockery of submarine movies.
Overall, the movie was impressive as far as the sets and realism goes. But, besides showing how bad the Soviet Union's Navy was, I can't think of any reason to see this movie in the theater or rent it. Wait for it to hit HBO or the ABC Monday Night Movie.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring story, passable acting.
Review: The film starts out with a disclaimer that says "Inspired by Actual Events". And it's also a National Geographic film which caught my attention. We quickly find out that the current captain of the K-19, Liam Neeson, will be replaced (and remain as executive officer) by a more seasoned veteran, Harrison Ford, as the K-19 embarks on its maiden voyage to test out nuclear weapons to prove to the US that Russia is a nation with nuclear capabilities as well.
Ford's character drives the crew hard with day till night drills (fires, malfunctions, attacks, etc.) which wear the crew down. He has his reasons though, for once they got their nuclear test missile off the crew believed they had achieved something extraordinary (and rallied around the captain). As with all these submarine thrillers (Das Boot, U-571, Crimson Tide) there's a clear delineation of duty and struggle for power that comes close to mutiny when a desperate situation calls for a polar decision. Neeson's captain, however, is fair and compasionate. He believes in inspiring men, rather than ordering them around like slaves. He butts heads early on with Ford, but later comes to respect him as a leader and tactician. When the time comes for a power struggle, Neeson surprisingly sides with the captain and the two captains unite in solving the situation at hand. The captain that Ford plays is not an easy role to act out. This is where he falters a bit, as he goes in transition from a cocky captain (at the beginning), to an unsure crew member (when he realizes that the reactor's going to blow, and he tries his best to be a convincing motivator), to a proud Russian (refusing help from an American vessel and getting ready to destroy the sub himself), to a nostalgic veteran (as he chokes back tears on the 28 years they weren't allowed to commemorate their downed shipmates). There's a whole range of emotions that are required for this role. Ford looks the part, but sometimes doesn't act it. (By the way, he is the executive producer for this film if that tells you anything.) (The accent, the accent. What about the accent. Ok, ok. Here's my two cents on that. Just the other night, Conan O'Brien poked fun at Harrison Ford's inability to maintain his fake Russian-English accent. Believe me, it's a touch-and-go situation with his speech. There are clear moments when he forgets he's supposed to be Russian, and I had to suppress a chuckle. Neeson doesn't even try to suppress his Irish accent, which makes it easier for the audience to ignore.) I think this film is a good tribute to the men who died in the name of pride for the Russians during the Cold War. It shows the possible consequences of bad decisions made in a rush by military officials who have no idea what is going on in a vessel half a world away. The living conditions in the cramped quarters of a nuclear submarine. The effects of radiation poisoning. The heroicism of ordinary men when faced with the obligation of duty. The malleability of the human spirit. Though the acting might leave room for improvement, the story still inspires. It's humbling to know that the fate of the world once rested on the crew of a submarine.
Rating:
Summary: Truely breathtaking: view from across the ocean
Review: Being Russian myself, I should admit: this movie captures the heroic spirit of Russian submariners pretty well. I was unable to hold my tears a few times along the course of the movie.
I was really surprised to discover that this movie pictured Russians in a truthful way, not the usual "drink some vodka - hug a bear" thing that was much overused by Hollywood in the past. That makes me even nevermind the only real pin I noticed (the scene where officers discuss the possibility that Gagarin wasn't the very first man in space).
Watching this movie will be a completely new expierence for you. If you are really willing to know how the events looked from the other side of the iron curtain, give it a try. A couple clarifications:
* Some people confusedly beleive that the submarine had two captains. It's not true; it comes from the ranking system of USSR fleet. There's First Rank Captain title and Second Rank Captain title; both shortened to "Comrade Captain" in the movie. But only First Rank Captain is actually in command.
* It's pretty unlikely that Russian sailors actually showed their bare butts to the US helicopter pilot. This kind of gesture isn't used in Russia at all.
Rating:
Summary: K-19, Review
Review: I really enjoyed watching K-19, The Widowmaker. I thought that Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson both did spectacular jobs acting. I don't know a whole lot about nuclear submarines, so I can't say with any authority if the technical details were correct, but the Art Direction and Set Design both looked very good. Except for a slow moving first hour, Kathryn Bigelow does a very credible job building suspense by the second half. I felt the tension mount as the crew raced to stop the leak with no parts or equipment and little training. You felt a definite sympathy for the captain and his crew as they tired to jury rig some sort of solution. At first, I too was alittle concerned with Harrison Ford playing such a stern martinet of a character. His acting career has been associated with so many cocky gungho characters, that playing the dour Soviet captain seemed like an odd choice.
But, the fact of the matter is, he's excellent and you quickly forget that this is the same actor who played Indiana Jones and Han Solo. I would highly recommend this movie for filmgoers who enjoy a good suspense movie. It's a very good movie. It's not a great movie like Das Boot, but it as good as any other quality sub movie such as The Hunt for Red October, The Enemy Below or Run Silent Run Deep. I believe Kathryn Bigelow probably took bits of helpful information from each of those films in order to do K-19. There are probably gaffs here and there involving what real Russians were like at the time. There was only one glaring historical omission that I felt would confirm that the movie was made by a modern American film company and that's the fact that no one in this film SMOKES. The film is set in 1961 and at that time everyone smoked. Period. President Kennedy smoked as did many Europeans, Soviets and average-joe Americans ! I understand that smoking, in general, on a sub is probably considered a detriment. But, it seems to me during the scenes of heavy stress, some sailor or officer or even the captain would have lit up a cigarette to calm their nerves. The Soviets had their own brands of cigarettes that they would have smoked and even if they weren't allowed to smoke below decks, they would have been allowed to smoke while on the top deck or while off duty. That may seem like a small point to pick on, but if you are going to attempt to portray a historical period, you should get the details right. The only other slight problem was the accents. Others have mentioned this before, and they are very distracting. We know that this is a Soviet sub and the movie is from the viewpoint of the Russians, but you don't have to have the actors speaking with faux accents just to prove that they are Russian. We already knew that. However, I wouldn't let that stop people from seeing the movie. I also have to commend the acting job of Peter Sarsgaard, who was wonderful as the green around the gills reactor officer.
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