K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers (WGA):

Louis Nowra (story)
Christopher Kyle (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller

Tagline:

Fate has found its hero.

Plot:

When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear | Submarine | Nuclear Submarine | Nuclear Reactor | Russia

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Sam Spruell	...	Dmitri
Peter Stebbings	...	Kuryshev
Christian Camargo	...	Pavel
Roman Podhora	...	Lapinsh
Sam Redford	...	Vasily
Steve Nicolson	...	Demichev
Liam Neeson	...	Capt. Mikhail Polenin
Ravil Isyanov	...	Suslov
Tim Woodward	...	Partonov
Lex Shrapnel	...	Kornilov
Shaun Benson	...	Leonid
Kristen Holden-Ried	...	Anton
Dmitry Chepovetsky	...	Sergei
Christopher Redman	...	Kiklidze
Tygh Runyan	...	Maxim

Also Known As:

K*19: The Widowmaker (USA) (poster title)
K-19 - Showdown in der Tiefe (Germany)
K-19: Terreur sous la mer (Canada: French title)
K-19: The Widowmaker (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Atomcsapda (Hungary) [hu]
K-19 (Italy) [it]
K-19 (Finland) [fi]
K-19 (Denmark) [da]
K-19 (Austria) [de]
K-19 - Showdown in der Tiefe (Switzerland: German title) [de]
K-19 - Tehlikeli saatler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
K-19: Le piège des profondeurs (France) [fr]
K-19: The Widowmaker (Brazil) [pt]
Tajna podmornice K-19 (Croatia) (TV title) [hr]
Ypovryhio K-19 (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images.

Runtime:

138 min | Spain:140 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA | Canada

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38941) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

First Light Production

Trivia:

Upon reading the film's script, the surviving crew members were so incensed that they sent an open letter to star Harrison Ford, producer/director Kathryn Bigelow and producers Christine Whitaker and Steven-Charles Jaffe, expressing their dismay. Among the less-than-credible details they objected to were profane language, the animosity between the two highest-ranking commanding officers, insubordination among the crew, drunk crew members, the attempted mutiny, the guns (which are kept under seal in a secret location) and the handcuffs (which were only used by and available to cops).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the K-19 is preparing to leave her berth for the first time, the order "single up all lines" is given. This order means that one set of lines is removed, but the boat should remain secured to her berth with a 'single' set of lines. When the order is given, the crew removes both sets of lines, and the K-19 departs.

Quotes:

Capt. Mikhail Polenin: They'll send you to the Gulag, like your father.
Captain Alexei Vostrikov: Well, it's a family tradition, isn't it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Meng ying tong nian (2004)

Soundtrack:

Selections from 'Voices of Light'

Interesting angle in familiar theme

Forget about the accents that the actors use in this film. They don't convince anyone that they're Russian. But the story of a nuclear submarine that suffers a leak in the cooling system is fairly interesting. The sacrifices that these men had to do is pretty riveting and some of the decisions made here are ones that a normal person could not even consider! Harrison Ford seems to be having a good time playing a different type of character for a change. And Liam Neeson is actually not to bad as the captain that Ford replaces.Watching the men volunteer to try and fix the leak while exposing themselves to radiation is pretty horrific stuff and its these scenes that make the film worth while.