K-19: The Widowmaker

In an attempt to break from his usual sympathetic every man bit, Ford plays a blunt, powerful, hard working Russian Naval officer who is given command of a nuclear powered sub from its well liked, almost fatherly captain played by Liam Neeson. Harrison and Liam clash as only two strong willed alpha males can when they take the sub out for a spin and fight to keep it from blowing up and causing a world wide tragedy.

Based on a true story.

Ford and Neeson give solid performances to this long, murky, cold, and ultimately detached action drama that proved to be one of 2002's lesser box office endeavors. As stated before, the film suffers from a feeling of disconnection, even as numbers of brave men are sent into the nuclear reactor with improper protection ("They might as well be wearing rain coats!")

Could have been better, and it could have been a lot worse. Rent and judge for yourself. Probably mostly for fans of Ford and Neeson.

Come on, Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford in one movie. And it doesn't disappoint. OK, the accents are a bit corny at times but then, Russian accents can be, even in real life :)

This is a great film and the unusual setting, a Soviet sub, makes it even more interesting. It's up there with Crimson Tide and Hunt for Red October. Comparing it to the best sub movie, Das Boot though, one can see why this one is great: It shares the sense of "There might be politics at the surface (both metaphorically and physically) but when it comes down to it, we are alone down here, with the problems, the danger and the decisions".

Got an 8/10 from me mainly for the exceptional atmosphere.

I rented this DVD for a little diversion, in spite of the bad buzz and the word "flop" attached. I thought it was a very good movie, very suspenseful and interesting. I don't nitpick about things like accents with films, just try to enjoy them. I agree with the majority of posters here, it is well worth your time.

I like this movie a lot, and not just because Harrison Ford is my favorite actor of all time. Well, maybe that has a LITTLE something to do with it. But if so, it's only the fact that it marks quite a change from the types of roles he usually chooses. We expect to see him as the self-assured, never-wrong All-American Hero and here we see him as the cocky, overbearing commander of a RUSSIAN nuclear submarine. What's crazy is that he pulls it off. The accent may not be the most believable in the world, but it's not embarrassing, either. And the performance is one of his best, I think. The torment behind the eyes ... wow. He really gets across that this guy is torn between doing his duty and doing what's best for his men. Liam Neeson lends fabulous support as his second-in-command, and for the most part the entire cast does an excellent job. I guess this is having a hard time finding its niche in the marketplace, because it's not a mindless summer action film. It's still worth a look, though.

Despite some bad reviews, being the war film fanatic that I am, I went to see this movie. I was expecting something much like U-571, (Men trapped in a disabled boat surrounded by the enemy), and this movie wasn't far from it. I must say that U-571 is my all-time favorite war picture, so I didn't expect The Widowmaker to surpass it. However, it came very close. The story was told well and the acting from most of the newcomers was superb. However, when I left the theater, I didn't want to watch it again for a long while. Not that it was a bad movie. It was just a little too graphic. I'm one who can watch people get blown to bits, decapitated, and crushed, however, since this story is true and the way these men suffered before they died a horrible death, was a little too much for me to watch. I know they couldn't have filmed it any other way. That is what makes this movie so good... the mere fact that I was uneasy while watching it. I found myself gasping... (I'm not one to gasp.)

The film is based on the story of a Russian sea captain (Harrison Ford) that is ordered to command a new nuclear powered submarine that has been thrown together in a very short amount of time. The objective is to test a missile near the north pole in hopes that the Russian government can catch up to the US who is threatening nuclear war. Although the crew is hesitant to board the ship, they fear the captain's wrath and work without complaint. Of course, the captain is 'do or die' and works the crew mercilessly, much to the dismay of the ship's original captain (Liam Neeson), who can do nothing but watch as his crew gets ready for mutiny. When the nuclear generator malfunctions, it is up to a few brave men to expose themselves to radiation and try and fix the power before disaster strikes and World War 3 begins. What I found most disturbing was the captain's refusal for American help until 7 men were dead and hundreds more were already exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Watching these brave men slow-cook themselves for the rest of the crew was enough to make me cringe, (while other men dove into freezing water rather than go back into a radioactive submarine.)

All in all, this movie was a bit too much reality for me. However, it was wonderfully written, directed, and acted. I gave it ********/10.