I'll rent Crimson Tide, thanks

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2002)

As I was watching K-19: The Widowmaker, the new submarine thriller starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, something occurred to me. There is no better setting for a suspense-filled epic than a submarine. The claustrophobia, the incessant clanking of tons of water attacking the hull, the fast-paced action with which everyone must utilize in their duties, all of it adds to the mix. This is even before we are given a story.	Of course, in terms of this film, that story is based on actual events. In 1961, as the US and USSR were on the brink of war, the Russians were busy testing their newly designed ballistic-class submarines. The first of its kind, K-19, was to position itself within American range and fire a test missile giving us the same fears about the Russians that they had about us. To say the very least, the mission is both a success and a complete failure from the getgo.	Ten people die before the ship even sets to sea. The champagne bottle used to christen the ship does not break  more of a superstitious discomfort than anything. The ship's original captain (Liam Neeson) is demoted to executive officer. Once the new captain arrives (Harrison Ford), the crew becomes even more uncomfortable. None of this weighs in well when the ship is finally put to sea.	Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days), K-19: The Widowmaker knows how to work its audience. The director operates around the tense setting with ease, swinging the camera around these men running up and down tight hallways. Of particular notice are the shots where we pan up from inside the submarine to the dark waters only a few feet past the steel walls. Bigelow incorporates such a shot two or three times throughout the film, and each time it lets us know just how dangerous of a predicament these men are in. The script by Louis Nowra and Christopher Kyle does a nice job of not dumbing itself down to the audience. It has impressive character development  we truly care about these men who are at war with us. The way the film talks about nuclear war is equally striking. The film makes you truly think about how they saw us during this time seeing as how we were the only country to ever actually drop a nuclear bomb on someone. However, through all of this, the story kind of plods along never revealing much more than we need to know. Now, I said it does not dumb itself down, but more depth to the story of what the Russians really were trying to accomplish would not have been disregarded. Instead, we are left to assume the motives that everyone has on and off the submarine. It is only when the nuclear core onboard springs a leak and begins to heat up that the story kicks it into high gear. Something else that would have helped the film would have been a little bit of humor. I mean, I know they are possibly out to start World War III, but a bit of wit here and there would not have hurt. With all of the water trying to get in, it wouldn't have hurt to make the story a little less dry. Ford, playing the hard-edged captain who puts the mission before the men, once again puts in his two-cents worth as the bad-guy who's not so bad. Digging up the muses he conjured up for The Mosquito Coast and What Lies Beneath, he casually hides behind a hard exterior that seems to only have one, grim expression. This on top of his `now he has it now he doesn't' Russian accent, and you've got yourself a less than convincing job by one of today's greatest actors. He didn't feel the part. He didn't seem to care about the film that he was doing. He just cashed his check, spoke his lines, and sat in his trailer thinking up ideas for Indiana Jones 4. If there is a worthwhile performance, it is Neeson who compellingly makes us believe the emotion his character has for these men. They are his family, and, even though he is no longer the father, he can still take care of them. Well, in terms of acting, Neeson takes care of his part, and, though it is difficult, he almost manages to hold up the rest of the show as well. K-19: The Widowmaker, much like the events that it is based on, is a sink or swim kind of film. When it works, it works perfectly. When it's off by little more than a bit, it just does not feel right. To say the least, it is the kind of film that is hard to talk about. It is not good enough to be passionate about it. It is not bad enough to be sarcastic about it. It simply is, and it probably won't be remembered for it.

Grade: B- (Rated PG-13 for disturbing images)