K-19: The Widowmaker

December 11, 2004

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 140 min Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

K-19: The Widowmaker is one of those movies that we really want to like, but it just doesn’t click for some reason. It stars Harrison Ford, one of our alit favorites along with Liam Neeson. Both stars turn in strong performances. And the story is a cold war thriller set aboard a submarine. It sounds like a winner, but we were caught checking our watches multiple times during the movie.

The film states that it is “inspired by actual events”. The story is set in 1961, when Cold War tensions were extremely high. The Soviets are building a new nuclear ballistic missile submarine. They are anxious to put it into service for the Americans to see so that it could serve as a deterrent. Both super powers used mutually assured destruction to keep the peace. The theory being that no one would shoot first if they knew the retaliatory strike would be completely devastating. So it was important to demonstrate technological and destructive parity. The U.S. had nuclear ballistic missile subs, so it was important that the Soviets demonstrate they have them also.

When the construction and trials for the new boat, the K-19, fall behind schedule a new Captain is assigned. The new Captain is played by Harrison Ford. Meanwhile the previous Captain, played by Liam Neeson, is now reporting to him as the Executive Officer. Rushed construction, lack of critical components and supplies result in 10 deaths before the submarine even puts to sea, thus she is nicknamed the Widowmaker. The combination of a nuclear submarine that has been rushed to sea back in the infancy of nuclear power and two strong Captains on one boat produces a lot of tension. We won’t spoil the story, but as you’d expect, there are problems to say the least!

The performances by both Neeson and Ford are strong, they actually maintain believable Russian accents for the entire film. Director Kathryn Bigelow does not have a ton of experience. Her most notable previous films are Strange Days and Point Break. This is by far the largest project she has been involved with, and she does seem up to the task of a submarine movie. The visuals are realistic, and she successfully captures the tension that goes along with any good submarine flick. However, we think this movie could’ve benefited greatly from some torpedo play or depth charges, but alas it is not a war movie as such.

Although we have trouble pointing to specific flaws in this film, the bottom line is we weren’t totally entertained for the 140 minutes this movie runs. It really seemed to drag at many points. Maybe we’re just jaded and can’t enjoy a submarine movie without a few good explosions. We’re giving it 3 stars, it’s entertaining, but it can wait for DVD.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 3 Stars, DVD, Harrison Ford, J.J. Field, Joss Ackland, Lex Shrapnel, Liam Neeson, PG-13, Thriller