Not just another Sub thriller

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2002)

I've heard some critics say that K-19 won't or perhaps shouldn't do well because Soviets are portrayed as the heroes of the movie. Well, that's a bunch of kaka. The fact is this is a movie about men who made tough decisions and acted heroicly to save each other from certain doom. Perhaps they were thinking outside the sub and wanted to save the world too. I don't necessarily want to get that romantic about it, but still these were brave men who acted admirably under far more stressful situations and conditions than we will probably ever face in our lives. That being said, kudos to Kathryn Bigelow, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and the entire cast and crew for making an intelligent, taut movie. It doesn't dumb itself down at any point. It is more a movie about bravery than a true action movie (i.e., Crimson Tide or The Hunt For Red October). Personally, I wouldn't mind saluting the real crew of the real K-19 for being the brave men they were. I know it's a movie, so perhaps the real events and motivations were romanticized or glossed over. I wouldn't know that. But if the real men on K-19 acted with a fraction of the bravery this movie exhibited, they'd still be deserving of our most sincere respect. A fine movie.