This Tale Of Two Captains makes an exaggerated but entertaining sub movie.

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2011)

I love good submarine movies so I may be biased, but I also can't usually watch movies with preposterous script elements which require you to check your brain at the door. K-19 The Widowmaker happens to be both, and I never missed my brain the entire film.
You should have a good indicator of whether you will enjoy this film in the first 10 minutes- whether you can overcome the lame attempts by lead actors with pronounced American and Irish accents to sound Russian. If you can get past this, you should be able to disregard further implausibility and enjoy the engaging action and moving portrayals of heroism. Hopefully you're not looking for historical or factual accuracy either, as you won't find much here.
It isn't necessary to go into the specific plot details- it's a sub movie. The captain takes the sub down a little too deep; things groan and creak as the crew sweats. A fire breaks out. Things malfunction which imperil the ship, requiring the captain to make difficult decisions to send crew members into danger. Rinse, lather, repeat. This is a film which fulfills your expectations of a sub movie, not one which aspires to transcend them.
The one fresh ingredient K-19 adds to spice things up is the brilliant novelty of a ship with two captains. One commands the vessel, the other commands the loyalty and respect of its crew. One is loyal to the state and the mission at all costs, the other to the crew and their safety. Who are these two men? There is little back story or character development- we come to know them solely through their actions as the tension builds between men with motivations destined to come into conflict.
While believability dives below crush depth at numerous points, my enjoyment remained intact and I remained submerged in this adequately crafted and entertaining submarine thriller.