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K-19 - The Widowmaker

K-19 - The Widowmaker

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Horribly depressing
Review: The storyline is suspenseful and the acting is quite good. That being said, this movie is something to be endured not so much as watched. You won't want to watch this on a full stomach. Like the sailors wanting to get out of the boat, I wanted to get out of the theater. It seems a lot longer than it really is, and perhaps this is all part of the director's plan. Informative as it is I just don't think its entertaining. The documentary is far more endurable and it offers more details into the event.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good movie
Review: I think the movie is underrated. After reading all the reviews I was sure it's usual Hollywood movie (you know, mandatory gas-station explosion...), but I was wrong. Although I agree with one of previous reviewers ( vadim19765 ) - there is a lot of mistakes here, nevertheless, the movie is interesting. I did not notice any Ford`s accent, apparently because I'm Russian myself. Liam Neeson is very good. I'd like to mention perfomance of Peter Sarsgaard and young reactor technician (guy with icon). My sons liked the movie, too.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 1 thing kept me from watching this
Review: why would russians speak in broken english?????that alone ruined it for me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Submarines, nuclear power, radiation poisoning. Scary!
Review: Based on a true story of a Russian nuclear submarine and an incident that could have sparked an all-out nuclear war, this is a truly exciting film. Five years in the researching and making, it brings the viewer back to 1961 and the world of the Soviet Navy. This was the height of the cold war and the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in an arms race. Both had nuclear power and war was indeed a possibility.

Harrison Ford is cast as the strong willed captain of the ship; Liam Neeson is the Executive Officer in charge. Ford is tough and pushes the men hard, exposing them to danger in order to create loyalty and make them a team. Neeson, who was the original captain and was replaced by Neeson, is more cautious. There is constant conflict between these two men regarding command decisions. And then, an accident happens. There's a leak in a nuclear reactor and it has to be repaired.

From the very first frame of the film I was on the edge of my seat. The tension kept getting stronger and never let up. I couldn't stop watching and the 138 minutes of the film just flew. I learned about submarines, nuclear power, and the devastating effects of radiation poisoning. I also got to know the two strong leaders as well as their crew and felt real emotion over their dilemma. It is a story of heroism and courage. And the fact that is true makes it even more exciting.

The only thing that didn't seem authentic was that it was in English and the men spoke with Russian accents. But after I got used to that, I was completely involved in the high drama of the story. The acting was excellent. And I have nothing but praise for the director, Kathryn Bigelow and the special effects and cinematography. I felt I was right there.

Later, I watched all special features. It was fascinating to learn about way an old Russian submarine was actually restored and refitted to match the exact specifications of the real one. It was also fascinating to see all the time and effort it takes to show one short scene of the submarine rising through the ice. These features were a welcome addition to the DVD and really enhanced my experience of the film.

This is a scary film. And there's much to learn from it. I loved it and give it my highest recommendation.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Down periscope (he said glibly)
Review: By the time an aged Harrison had reached the cemetary reunion I had decided to switch off, so I guess you can chalk this film up as a failure. I have seen the story done before in a drama documentary starring Rutger Hauer, which was shorter and therefore more compelling. Since the stricken Russian sub is offered help by the Americans, we are never really convinced that the fate of the world is in the balance, so we are left with a lot of coming and going into a room that makes you vomit. Nowadays, also known as a cinema. Either way, not terribly dramatically compelling.

Ford's fee was apparently $25m plus a cut of the profits, before you think he may have been doing this film for art's sake. I guess they knocked off the other $30m because he was miscast.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Slow at first, and then it really takes off!
Review: The movie was slow moving at first. In fact, I left after the first 20 minutes, then came back at the hour mark to find myself able to pick up the movie instantly. But the second half of the movie is where you want to be. I really enjoyed it even though it is more my husband's genre of movies than mine. I would have given it 5 stars if it hadn't started out so slow.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A little disappointing...
Review: I've thoroughly enjoyed Kathryn Bigelow's other movies (Point Break; Strange Days), and was looking forward to more. She normally mixes character development with the action nicely, and does so here, to a lesser extent. The art direction and the details were nicely done. (I question some of the comments made in the Russian's review above -- It sounds like he's from the hip younger crowd who forgets this movie is set in 1961, not 2002) K-19 was overly long, and could have benefitted from a little more editing, especially the completely unnecessary ending scene. Polenin (Liam Neeson) later takes an odd -- plot-driven -- action, arresting crew members for doing what he'd threatened to do himself not moments before. I'd expected better from Bigelow, and hope for better from her next movie.

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Widowmaker sub - go home go home!!
Review: Harrison cannot talk russian...that is for sure. Yet the plot is good and follow the storyline. You do feel like you are part of the crew and wishing them the best. It was good to watch it once but i would not watch it again due to the dreariness that this movie depicts. Nor would i watch Sub571 for that matter. This is no Das Boot, a classic but if you enjoy sub movies, you should watch this one.

You will know why it was called the Widowmaker after watching this movie -- one thing for sure, anyone who thought of being a submarine crewmember would have a change of heart.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: True Story of Conviction
Review: While the Widowmaker is slow going at times, we watched it twice to get everything going on. It is a story of personal
sacrifice during a tension filled era. Excellent acting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good movie
Review: Good movie. It's not ht eusual run of the mill submarine movie: depth charges, dodging enemy underwater missiles, etc.

It's a deep drama, of course with some holes in the screenplay, but who cares? It's intention is noble. STOP THE WAR!


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