It's heart and patriotism without war...

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2002)

This movie is a true treat worth the price of a regular tix... to open my eyes to another piece of lost history!
Kathryn Bigalow's awesome direction provides an engrossing intensity to this 1961 piece of Russian history, which almost included a Chernobyl-like disaster, and a nuke war between the world's two super powers, at the height of the cold war era! Hey, if a Russian nuke disaster should happen near a Nato military base, what else can one expect? I like the way the film supports the historical facts at the beginning and ending of the film. There are so many scenes that fold without predictabilities and that makes the film so amazingly suspenseful and touching. The accent of any performer is never a bother to me - as long as the dialogue doesn't slip from my hearing.
I find this film to be dramatically powerful and welcome the overwhelming throw of actions, happily short of any overwhelmingly spluttering of CGI effects! This film draws the viewers into the events at a wonderful pace, accompanied by the astounding Kirov Orchestral soundtracks. Boy, am I glad I wasn't one of those trapped in the submarine with the leaks, heat, explosions and radioactivity. Great character development; fabulous screen chemistry between all the actors! Oh yes, I enjoyed watching Harrison Ford's character with his cold and stoic expressions - almost inhumane! Hey, did any of you see Harrison's tears slowly streaming from his eyes? A fabulous shot from the lens! And Liam Neeson's performance is astounding, never failing to convince the audience that he's a gentleman, very deserving of the respect from his men! And the two guys' opposing traits are magnetically intriguing. They are a pair of conflicting and snappy characters, facing a catastrophic arena. And it's impossible not for the viewers to be equally and emotionally attracted to their ideals. This film definitely is a revelation of what honorable heroes do in the name of honor, service and duty  without actually fighting a war! Amazing!
My salute to those heroes who remained true to their comrades and died, preventing a world nuke-war! This film succeeds in tearing my heart out for those dead Russian heroes. And thumbs up to the National Geographic Society for its ability to guide a multi-international team to create such an astounding film!
My rating: A