K-19: The Widowmaker

3/4

Starring: Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford, Peter Sarsgaard

Rated PG-13 for Disturbing Images

In general, submarine movies are generally war movies; considering they’re only used by the military, it’s not surprising.  What’s different about Kathryn Bigelow’s thriller is that war (the Cold War in this case) is only part of the background.  Oh, the threat is there, to be sure, but those who are expecting depth charges, torpedo attacks and the like have walked into the wrong movie.  Not to say there isn’t any tension in the movie…

It’s 1961, and the Cold War is in full swing.  The Soviet Union has just created the world’s first submarine with a nuclear reactor, and they want to show it off to the United States.  But even though the sub isn’t finished, the politicians want it sent out anyway.

Things go wrong right from the get-go.  Ten men have died before the boat has even set sail, the man in charge of the reactor was found drunk on duty, and there are leaks everywhere.  To top it all off, the crew is forced to deal with a new captain, Alexei Vostrikov (Ford), who is determined to push the sub and its crew as far as they can go.  No one is happy about this, but the crew’s former captain, Mikhail Polenin (Neeson), is the executive officer, a role he has resigned himself to.  Squabbling amongst the ranks is going to be the least of their problems when the reactor springs a leak and is on the verge of a meltdown.  Not only will it destroy the sub, it could also start World War III.

Being in a submarine with a number of other men is a claustrophobic experience, and the best movies of this genre take advantage of that.  Bigelow follows the likes of Wolfgang Peterson (“Das Boot”), Jonathan Mostow (“U-571”), and to a lesser extent, Tony Scott (“Crimson Tide”), and creates the feeling that if anything goes wrong, they’re stuck with no out.  And things indeed go very wrong.

Bigelow has assembled a top notch cast with three of the best working actors in today’s world.  Harrison Ford has never been better, as the tough as nails Vostrikov.  He commands through fear and discipline, and his rigid doctrine may end up costing everyone their lives.  Polenin, on the other hand, is the polar opposite.  He views his sailors as a family, and treats them as such…no wonder they prefer him over Vostrikov.  The most important supporting character is Vadim Radtchinko, played by the always wonderful Peter Sarsgaard.

The film starts generating tension from frame one.  Even as Bigelow gradually introduces us to the characters, the sense of foreboding is strong.  When Bigelow finally lets out all the stops, the understated tension bursts to the surface, and the film becomes a real nailbiter.

There are a few problems, however.  Aside from Vostrikov, Polenin, and to a lesser extent, Radtchinko, we don’t know anyone else on board.  It’s an unavoidable problem for a submarine movie that’s not a miniseries.  But since Bigelow places us inside the boat with the crew, it doesn’t matter as much.  Of greater importance is the changing relationship between Vostrikov and Polenin.  Bigelow attempts to develop shifting feelings they have for each other, but it doesn’t work, and their opinions about each other change to serve the needs of the plot.  Additionally, neither of the film’s final two scenes is successful.  They’re artificial and very contrived.

Still, this is a suspenseful and powerful film, and that makes it more than a generic action/thriller.