Intense plot, excellent acting, and some stereotypes

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2005)

I have seen K-19 in a theater, rented it couple of times, and now own a DVD. The movie is not a dumb action flick, but a serious, intense drama, which probably explains most of the outraged comments out there. Besides, K-19 has an unexpected political dimension. It portrays Soviet sailors as heroes, who are able to give their life for a cause, higher than, say, cheap oil. Which probably explains the rest of negative comments. The acting was flawless. Especially, that of Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Mr. Ford was very convincing as a submarine Captain. But not only them, rest of the cast gave wonderful performances too. I can not recall single weak episode. Regrettably, this movie promotes some untrue stereotypes. In particular, I find it hard to believe any crew member of a Soviet nuclear sub might be drinking at his post. At that times, anyway. Overall, I definitely recommend the movie to everybody, except those who hate Soviet Union for beating Nazy Germany in Second World War.