Gripping story!

Rating: 7/10 (28 February 2007)

We enjoyed this movie. The best parts are the true story elements, solid characterizations by the principal actors, and the fair depiction of the heroism, dedication and loyalty of Soviet officers and sailors sent out in a badly designed boat, a product of the drive to quickly catch up with the US' early lead in nuclear subs. BTW, the USSR's first four nuclear boats all experienced reactor accidents; all four boats survived with heavy losses of life in situations where an American crew would have abandoned and scuttled the boat. K-19 was only retired in 1991, 18 years after the last of three unrelated major onboard accidents, a tribute to the USSR "equipment before men" approach.
What we did not like were the Hollywood additions to a terrific true story: (SPOILERS AHEAD!) reactors never explode, they melt down, which is more than catastrophic enough; the mutiny was unbelievable and unnecessary (Capt. Polyenin's unexpected response somewhat redeemed this); and no sub captain would make a hot-dog deep dive and rapid surfacing in an untested boat, endangering his mission, boat, and crew.
However, that is a few minutes rubbish in an otherwise very interesting film. You could nitpick about phony accents, various technical details, or Harrison Ford's limited range of facial expressions.
You really feel for these "cold warriors" doing their duty, making the ultimate sacrifice and dying horrible deaths for the safety of their country. With such men, it is easy to see why Russia would be a tough opponent on a battlefield.
Definitely worth seeing once.