New York, NY

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2002)

"K-19: The Widowmaker" should be compared to "The Hunt for Red October." Steeped in Cold War-inspired dialogue, Tom Clancy and the film's director and stars gave us Soviet naval officers we could admire. After all, the sub's skipper, Sean Connery, wanted to deliver his sparkling new and formidable vessel to the U.S. And he wasn't looking for a cash reward. His No. 2, played by Sam Neill, died wishing he could only have seen Montana before expiring. The ship's political officer was a stereotypical Commie. It's a good film but its exciting story made up for its lack of depth and surfeit of anti-Soviet passion.
Director Kathryn Bigelow, one of the few women who effectively direct action films AND understand the military mind, has given us, with a very talented cast, a first-rate film that is both derivative and original.
In the beginning "Captain Mikhail Polenin" (Liam Neeson) is, depending on your viewpoint, either the lucky commanding officer of his country's newest (in 1961) nuclear sub or the poor sap stuck with an impossible and career-ending assignment. The pride of the Soviet sub flotilla can't get through a dry dock test without systems self-destructing.
The regime and the navy's satraps need K-19 to deploy immediately so that its missile system can be tested and the vessel can be stationed off the U.S. coast as a foil to U.S. subs able to launch against Moscow and Leningrad (I think the latter city's name has been changed, :) ). The high-ranking officers, now piloting chairs, reflect the exclusively strategically-oriented priorities of military men who are too removed from the men they send into harm's way.
Relieved of command but retained as executive officer, Polenin welcomes aboard "Captain Alexi Vostrikov" (Harrison Ford), touted as the best sub honcho in the Soviet Navy. There's a lack of plausibility in any navy allowing a demoted skipper to remain as No. 2 but with the Soviets a lot of weird things happened (and this drama more or less tracks a real incident).
Interesting thing about the Soviet defense industry: innovation in design (a lot of it) was more often than not followed by fiascos in production (a VERY lot of it). K-19 is no exception and critical systems reflect poor assembly and substandard parts. Vital equipment is missing. Almost from the moment of weighing anchor K-19 is a challenge and, as many of the crew believe, a "Widowmaker."
Polenin understands the hazards. So does his new boss but Capt. Vostrikov is a "damn the torpedoes [literally], full speed ahead" sort of sailor. Lord Nelson and ADM Halsey would both have appreciated having him under their respective commands.
Of course a series of disasters ensue during which the crew's mettle is tested to the utmost. The cinema's familiar, public and vocal dispute between a hard-driving C.O. and his tender-hearted, adored-by-the-crew, second-in-command follows. (Think "In Harm's Way" or "Run Silent, Run Deep").
The action sequences reflect the deep fear felt in the tight quarters of a submarine in trouble. The injuries are very graphically portrayed. World War II's wounds give way to the horrors created by a nuclear reactor gone amuck. Some younger children, even teenagers, might be very disturbed by the injury scenes notwithstanding the PG-13 rating.
The captain expresses anti-American sentiments but they realistically reflect his professional career and personal life behind the Iron Curtain, not the mindless blurting of party slogans. Even the sub's political officer has a much less doctrinaire personality as opposed to his ""Hunt for Red October" counterpart.
Recent books have disclosed many stories, once top secret, about the cat-and-mouse maneuvers and intelligence operations that our submarines undertook during the height of the Cold War. Doubtlessly, more stories will emerge from Russia in coming years. "K-19" is probably the most realistic film about this deadly and treacherous game of geo-politics so far. The recent tragedy of the Russian Navy submarine "Kursk" and the initial almost paranoid response of some Russian admirals certainly showed that the suspicions of the Cold War are hardly vanished today.
What really takes this film beyond the ambit of we've-seen-it-all-before war and naval dramas is the deep humanity of the ship's crew which transcends ideology. Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson turn in top-notch, convincing portraits. Ms. Bigelow has insured that even in fast scenes and vignettes we can't miss realizing these are scared sailors and that our navy personnel would have behaved the same if confronted with similar challenges.
Several pre-release articles have harped on the assumed and unconvincing Russian accents of the cast (the whole script is in English). The producer's explanation is that actors from many countries are in the film and a Russian accent was a levelling device. No matter, you ignore it after the first few minutes.
Incidentally, the score is quite good and it is performed very well. That's no surprise since world-renowned conductor Valery Gergiev led the Kirov Ballet Orchestra for the soundtrack.
8/10.