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Just proves critics know nothing about good film making

Forget the critics, forget about the whiney
Russian sailors: this film is worth watching.
This just goes to show how idiotic the general
viewing public has become. Critics have
become nothing but a bunch of "good review"
whores who work for commission and free gifts.
It just goes to show idiotic they are, embracing
schlock like Spider-man but putting down
audacity like this film. For shame. With a good
cast, excellent tension and Harrison Ford, they
still want more action and silly exposition. Maybe it is the subject matter, or maybe it's the
fact Harrison Ford isn't killing anyone and trying
to act sexy, but I cannot understand why anyone
would put this film down. I don't think this film
is detrimental to the reputations to the Russian
sailors, who were portrayed with gusto and
bravado not exhibited in most submarine films.
Also, the claustrophobic nature of the film must
have been difficult to film, considering the close
quarters the characters had to work with. Overall,
the film probably could have used some fine tuning,
but the way it is, it is still quite a film to watch. 7.2/10

Convincing and touching

Being myself from Russia, I expected it to be just one of these stupid American movies about Russians. To my great surprise, it was very convincing and touching. The movie is the account of what happened on board the Soviet submatrine in 1961 based on a true story. They did a few changes though, but these, being not crucial to the historical truth, do add some dramatic dynamics to the plot. The makers of the movie did a meticulous job of reconstructing the submarine - from the interior down to the last denim worn by the sailors. The characteres are all very convincing. I even like them speaking English with Russian accent - it helps to create the right atmosphere. The scenes of the reactor repair are the high point of the movie, it's worth watching for th

Could've been better.

K-19: The Widowmaker is based on the happenings aboard the first Russian Nuclear Submarine. The beginning is slow, with Harrison Ford demanding drills aboard and changing things to meet the schedule rather than safety the requirements, foreshadowing sure disaster. Once going, however, K-19 delivers an intense ride through the life of an early nuclear submariner as well as the boat in which this submariner is aboard. But, with the slow beginning and a not so good Russian accent by Liam Neeson, I considered giving it a 6, reconsidered and gave it a 7. I'd wait for the cheap theaters.

Uninspired by actual events

But first, the plot:

Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson are Soviet Naval officers at odds aboard the brand-new (in 1961, anyway) nuclear sub K-19. One of the first nuclear powered submarines to carry nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, K-19 formed the nucleus of the Soviet's sea-borne nuclear deterrent. Unfortunately, in the rush to get her to sea, the Soviets make few concessions to make her actually sea-worthy. K-19's cranky electronics fail during a missile-launch drill conducted while the sub is still in dry-dock. Too principled to blame his crew for equipment malfunctions caused by bad Soviet QA, Neeson gives his vindictive superiors his own name, only to find that he's been demoted to follow the orders of Captain Vestrikov - Ford playing against type as an unfriendly and unsympathetic patriotic Soviet tyrant. Everything about the sub looks rushed (like the first American missile boat, the real K-19 was actually an attack sub modified to carry a few missiles), but it's more ominous signs that worry the crew. Before the ship has even sailed, the ship's doctor and several construction workers have perished in freak accidents. Nevertheless, Ford gets the ship underway, puts the crew through murderous drills and manages to launch a test missile after breaking through polar ice.

And then things start going wrong with the reactor. When a coolant line leaks, reactor temperature starts to climb - nobody knows (not even the rookie reactor officer played by Peter Saarsgard) what will happen when temperature hits 1,000 degrees, though a thermonuclear explosion is assumed. The crew desperately jury-rig piping to pump water as coolant, a prolonged exercise exposes the workers to high-doses of radiation and spreads toxic throughout the ship. A lack of needed supplies (there are no radiation suits aboard, so clueless crewmen use the chemical-safe suits instead) and too much free time spurs mutiny against Vestrikov, who seems not to understand the workings of the ship's reactor, but doggedly refuses assistance from the nearby Americans. Ultimately, the crew will have to come together, and Vestrikov will have to learn how to be a true leader in Neeson's mold.

This was a disappointing flick. The big problem of "K-19" is that the film unconvincingly and confusingly depicts the interaction between the sub and crew - it's basically a bunch of angry guys running around a submarine set. (To its credit, "K-19" doesn't try to depict the sub's interior ala "Red October" with darkened interiors lit by hi-tech screens - this is 1961!) We have a fairly cramped sub but even before the accident, the ship has already reduced her crew to being a passive and captive compliment of its CGI exterior. Because the characters have little to do, their motivations remain opaque (is Ford's character glory seeking, politically narrow-minded or just very demanding when he insists on a dangerous surfacing through pack ice?) and the plot turns incomprehensible (just what are these guys expected to do?). Also, the flick follows Hollywood movie formula about foreigners to form - these guys are non-Russian actors using unnecessary Russian accents and mannerisms (like Neeson's Slavic grunt when equipment breaks down in the botched missile drill). I know that these characters aren't Americans, but their ridiculous (if authentic) accents make them sound like foreigners to each other, turn them into generic characters and fail to hide their stilted and artificial dialog. (Hasn't anybody seen "Amadeus"? When you ditch the accents, dialog sounds more natural, not less authentic.)


Finally, the flick sets a bad tone when opening with its "Inspired by actual events" tag - just what's "inspired" here and what are "the actual events"?

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

I found this movie to be compelling and engaging. Well directed and produced, K-19 is better than what many critics suggested. Worthy viewing. Can't go wrong with Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, who turn in quality performances expected from stars of their calibre. Director Kathryn Bigelow captures the drama and tension of the moment. All the more poignant given the reality of the situation.

well worth seeing (some spoilers)

Coming out of 'K-19', I had to wonder--what movie did thosenegative reviewers see? More specifically, what movie did thedisgruntled Russian submariners see? Nothing in this movieportrays the submariners as incompetent or as drunkards. Oneofficer is found drunk on duty early in the film; he is dismissedfrom his post, although defended by his captain as a good manwho has never been found thus before. As for incompetence, it isthe Communist hierarchy, and by connection, the Navy that is shown responsible for the cost-cutting and carelessness whichleads to the tragic consequences for the crew. Yes, the crew refersto a manual for help in solving the reactor problem. When they findit useless, they come up with their own solution. If anything thecrew is presented in a humanistic and resourceful light withoutdenying their fear and uncertainty.Much has been made of the accents. It seemed a little obvious atfirst, but the performances soon overcame any awkwardness, forme. Although the beginning was a little stiff, I found myselfcompletely absorbed by this story by the time the sub put out tosea, and never lost interest. Harrison Ford proves that he can stillbecome a character, a fine thing to see after too many desultoryroles. 'Das Boot' is my favorite movie; 'K-19' is its own animal but sharessome fine characteristics with that great film. Ignore the negative reviews. This is a fine movie.

Excellent portrayal of the human condition in the face of catastrophy!

I found this movie to be an excellent. While it is an accurate portrayal of an important historical event, this film deals directly with human nature in the face of catastrophe. It also shows the courage and dignity these men had in the face of a failing vessel due to the ineptitude of the Soviet bureaucracy and the obsessive nature of its captain. The men of K-19 rise to the cause and make the sacrifices necessary to attempt repairs. Though they ultimately fail in the end they saved the world from an event that would have led to a nuclear war at a time when tensions between the US and the USSR were at their worse. This is a well acted film and well directed. I recommend it not only because it is a good story but places the Cold War in proper perspective as a folly of misperception.

What is it?

After I sat through the entirely too long 2 and a half hours for K-19: The Widowmaker (which sounds like a comedy) I couldn't tell if they made it as an action movie or if it's a drama (from what it is it seems like a drama because there are almost NO attack scenes). The movie has some uncalled for nudity and Harrison Ford as the tough guy who isn't that tough anymore, K-19 is a sinker.

Americans

First of all, I'm surprised that Americans succeeded at making such a good movie about Russians. I believe that this is the best American movie that was made about non-Americans. Thank you all the cast and the crew. However Americans will always stay Americans, and even when there's a small group of bright American people (Cast and Crew of K-19) the rest of them are still stupid sheep. How is it possible to give a movie like that, credits like "boring, stupid, SUCKS, not entertaining"? How is it possible for professional movie reviewers to disrespect a movie like that? How can people see only the bad Russian accent? I am shocked! Russians! The next time you watch a Mikhail Zadornov performance, think twice. It's all true!

Good, Enjoyable Film

I thouroughly enjoyed this film, and would reccomend it to any war film or action buff. Altough the accents faulter a little, Harrison Ford does a good job fitting in as a Russian Submarine commander. The film doesn't concentrate so much on depth charges or torpedoes as so many submarine films do, but captures the intense moments the crew went through to keep it running and fix the reactor problems. It is a must have!

Highly unpleasant to watch

I will make my comment brief since I want to forget this junk as soon as possible. Why would anyone make a movie about an unamusing (no offense to those who actually lived to tell the tale) story about an accident in the Russian navy. Besides the very story had already been made into a movie some years before, why try and make a "fancy" Hollywood version as well.Furthermore, why would anyone want to see this movie. It's overly long, boring, extremely unpleasant to watch(I think the cast didn't have a fun time either) and in the end I felt robbed of two hours when I could spend one watching a K-19 documentary(which would without a doubt be more accurate and fun to watch) on the discovery channel.
Watch closely to witness Harrison Ford's worst role and acting yet. A terrible miscast. The makers of this movie were actually surprised by the box office failure, I am shocked this movie was ever made. 4/10

"K-19" excellent film making,exciting adventure

K-19 presents not only what is seemingly the most realisticportrayal of life in a submarine (even exceeding U-571) itmanages to portray the Soviets as actual human beings, anddoes not alter them to adjust to stereotypes. We see the lack of resources the Soviets suffered from, the lack ofproper funding, the push of the government to always proceedeven when the projects were at immature states. The events are also factual and well done, and both maincharacters manage to hold their Russian accents very well. Overall, a very good film. Not a bombardment of special effects orexplosions, but still a well paced adventure and slight thriller attimes. Rating: 8/10

Ford versus Trabant

Spoilers herein.I am not a fan of Harrison Ford. He cannot act, at least according to my understanding of the term. But he often finds vehicles where that doesn't matter, where he can swoop along with events. In fact, his very ordinariness works to his advantage as we literally identify with him. His self-awareness isn't intelligently aware or explicit like Willis', and his appeal is more Cronkitean than Gibson's. But there is a place where he fits in. It isn't here.What we have is a huge machine that is flawed, in fact two huge machines: the submarine and the Soviet Union. The tired gimmick used here is to present Ford's captain as yet a third broken machine, only to have it develop that he is wonderful anchor instead.The picture is so constructed. Attention is given to impress on us the mass and power of the machine. This overlaps with drawn out sequences that show Ford as similarly blunt, powerful and broken. Finally, wrapped in crisis, there is the elevation to sainthood, something usually sauced with rousing music and closeups on earnest, loving faces. Each of these three requirements is trod through inartfully, even incompetently, and since no one cause is clear, one must blame the lack of vision or control of the filmmaker. Almost certainly, this film was produced under the circumstances described in it: ignorant edicts from above, massive expenditures but always shorted, huge expectations beyond the skills of the crew, plans that go awry and are unaddressible. The film is broken, and instead of throwing it to the American audiences (unprotected from the fallout as it were) Hollywood has gathered around in the form of a massive promotional campaign to once again save Ford's biscuits. Incidentally, if you ever have been around submariners, you know it is a crowd-hushing, offensive mistake to pronounce it sub-mar'-iners (emphasis on the second syllable) as opposed to subma-rine'-ers (emphasis on the third). This is such a profound error one need not wonder why so much of the film has an inauthentic feel. And this from the woman who did some great POV shots in `Strange Days.'Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 4: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Riveting

I remember hearing that this movie was a flop, but I don't know why. I thought it was riveting. I thought Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson were both superb. They didn't let up for one second. It was great to have two leading men at each other for the majority of the film; it was hard to say who was better.The tight shots in the narrow confines of the ship gave a constant sense of tension. I thought I knew what was coming several times, but I was way off base.My only complaint would be that there was almost wall to wall music. It was beautiful music, although the theme was strongly reminiscent of a Russian popular song; still it was effective.And I think it should be pointed out that a woman directed it and did a damn good job. I don't know why it didn't get the buzz it should have, but it is definitely worth renting the DVD if you like drama, tension, and Liam and Harrison. Quite a show.

Gripping, real, and drawn out

As a movie alone, K-19 stands on it's own feet well. Having seen a special that I believe was done by National Geographic, it fell short of my expectations. The trailer for K-19 also gave me false impressions about the movie. I would have liked to give it 3 1/2 stars, but that isn't an option in the form.

The special I saw outlined the history of K-19, which is very much like the actual movie. However, the trailer gave me the impression that the move was more action oriented, talking about a missile being fired at a sub and a series of shots that almost make it look like the crew is being left on an iceberg. Neither of those cases happens in the movie, which makes me wonder why the trailer is full of action shots.

The movie itself is very realistic; the shots of the sub make you feel, even in the theatre, that you're in this little tin can floating around in the ocean. They go to crush depth and you see the exterior of the sub buckle under the pressure. The scenes where members of the crew are suffering from radiation sickness can make you cringe; they hold little back.

My primary gripe about this film, and why I didn't like it as well as other sub movies, is it's drawn out. The film weighs in at 2 hours, 20 minutes, and I feel 30 minutes of that could have been cut out. The beginning of the film develops why the original captain (Neeson) is not allowed to command the sub, brings on the hard-nosed Captain Vostrikov (Ford), and sets up the idea that K-19 is cursed. After the sub puts out to sea it's an endless string of days where Vostrikov sends the crew through drills. Every time the crew is too slow, or something goes wrong, or someone's injured. Finally the crew does it to his satisfaction and the movie proceeds, but it seems like they're stuck in a "Groundhog Day"-ish loop. I suppose it was to get to know the characters better, but it just seemed to lengthen the film, which wasn't really necessary.

The movie is gripping, and feels real. There's no sugarcoating in the movie, there's a couple scenes where there's a bit of sentimental feeling, but none of the "feel good, everything will be okay" that you often get in movies. It didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it either. I think had it not drug on in the earlier parts I would have liked it more.

Realistic Garbage. Do not even watch this movie.

It graphically shows us (in all ugly and shocking details) how people are dying for nothing. The crew could abandon this "can" to begin with and all be saved, but stupid captain wanted them to be "heroes" instead. The captain preferred explicitly to send 6 of his comrades to terrible death for so called honor of the Socialist motherland, instead of saving all their lives by simply abandoning the ship. This captain (whom H. Ford played) is a brain washed communist criminal, not a hero, not a wise leader. He is negative.Technically, this movie was very well done, but its setback in moral is severe. This movie took 100 million dollars to produce, and it brought back only 39 million. No wonder, it became a financial failure as well.

Ambitious but lacking in depth

The film is based on a story that actually took place during the Cold War in the early 1960s. The acting is uneven, and we don't fully understand how the situation in the submarine could possibly have an impact on Soviet-USA relations. We wonder what motivates these soviet soldiers to risk death, they just do it.

Harrison Ford in a completely different role

I like this movie a lot, and not just because Harrison Ford is my favorite actor of all time. Well, maybe that has a LITTLE something to do with it. But if so, it's only the fact that it marks quite a change from the types of roles he usually chooses. We expect to see him as the self-assured, never-wrong All-American Hero and here we see him as the cocky, overbearing commander of a RUSSIAN nuclear submarine. What's crazy is that he pulls it off. The accent may not be the most believable in the world, but it's not embarrassing, either. And the performance is one of his best, I think. The torment behind the eyes ... wow. He really gets across that this guy is torn between doing his duty and doing what's best for his men. Liam Neeson lends fabulous support as his second-in-command, and for the most part the entire cast does an excellent job. I guess this is having a hard time finding its niche in the marketplace, because it's not a mindless summer action film. It's still worth a look, though.

An excellent film that should not be compared to Red October.

Although I love Clancy's Red October I must say K-19 is brilliant! The photography is excellent the props and location shots are beautiful and breath taking .....BUT as usual the accents slip a good bit. Ford for the most maintains his and at the some time does an excellent job portraying the reluctantly assigned captain. Neeson once again does a superb job as the former captain of K-19, although there are overly Schindler-eque moments.K-19 is an excellent movie for anyone, like myself, who is into Cold War nuke pics,just sitting back for 2 + hours and being told a part of history that I never got to see on the news. This a must go see film.

Sad but true

I'll not comment on the basic plot since that's already been well covered by other commenters. This is a well-executed film based on a true story. The acting is excellent and overall the set design is OK. I say OK only because the film doesn't convey the actual living conditions aboard a submarine of that era. The space depicted in the film is far too wide to be an actual submarine. There was also none of the condensation that was so prevalent on submarines of the time. Other than that, it was a great story and was more or less true to fact, according to what I have read. They didn't try to pull any punches and the story is brutally honest. The acting is pretty darn good by nearly everyone. You expect that from the stars, Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford, but everyone else (many of whom I'd never heard of before) also does a great job. This film is definitely worth a look!