The late '90s/early 2000s were a rough patch for Harrison Ford. Aside from 2000's "What Lies Beneath," the veteran star just couldn't seem to pick the right projects, with everything from 1999's "Random Hearts" to 2002's "Hollywood Homicide" (in which Ford agreed to star without seeing a finished script) struggling to make a critical or financial impression. But perhaps the lowest point came in 2002 when Ford starred in Kathryn Bigelow's sort of historical retelling of a narrowly averted Soviet submarine disaster, "K-19: The Widowmaker."
Loosely based on the story of the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered submarine, which malfunctioned in 1961 and caused the death of 28 sailors from radiation poisoning, "K-19" was doomed from the outset. The film, as the Chicago Tribune put it, used a "fraction of the truth," noting that this was the National Geographic Society's first foray into blockbuster filmmaking. The company's then head...
Loosely based on the story of the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered submarine, which malfunctioned in 1961 and caused the death of 28 sailors from radiation poisoning, "K-19" was doomed from the outset. The film, as the Chicago Tribune put it, used a "fraction of the truth," noting that this was the National Geographic Society's first foray into blockbuster filmmaking. The company's then head...
- 4/1/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
"K-19: The Widowmaker" is an impressive achievement all around. At once a story about human folly and heroism, a historical near-miss, political and military brinksmanship and men displaying grace under pressure, this submarine drama earns the right to be favorably compared to "Das Boot", arguably the greatest of all submarine movies. The film provides juicy roles for top-billed Harrison Ford (who executive produces) and Liam Neeson. There is brilliant film craftsmanship in every frame. And, finally, director Kathryn Bigelow gets a chance to show what she can do with a first-class script.
"K-19"'s appeal skews heavily male without any female role. Nevertheless, good reviews and a strong marketing push could turn this Paramount/Intermedia production into a top summer movie at the boxoffice.
Desperate to counter the psychological damage and military imbalance created during the Cold War when the United States sent its first Polaris missile subs on patrol in 1960, the Soviet leadership rushes its own ballistic missile sub into service the following year. The early scenes emphasizes how unready that boat, the K-19, is. Leaks are everywhere. Wiring is substandard. And the crew is unfamiliar with the sub. After 10 men die building the K-19, a champagne bottle used to dedicate the ship fails to break. "We are cursed", moans a superstitious crew member.
Troubling the crew further is a bizarre change in command. Capt. Alexei Vostrikov (Ford), a politically connected skipper, takes over for Capt. Mikhail Polenin (Neeson), who becomes second in command. Once under way, Alexei subjects the sub and its crew to grueling tests, culminating in a dive to "crush depth" and a fast resurface that sends the K-19 crashing through the Arctic ice shelf.
After the successful launch of a test missile, Moscow orders the sub to patrol waters off the U.S. coastline. Here, the reactor cooling system springs a leak, raising its core temperature close to meltdown. An eruption could set off missile warheads near a NATO base and trigger World War III.
In the film's key sequence, crew members take turns entering the reactor compartment to try to stabilize the temperature, exposing each to huge doses of radiation. The doctor on board, a last-minute replacement, knows nothing about radiation poisoning. The men emerge like characters in a cheesy horror film, staggering and vomiting as reddened skin slides from their bodies.
It's hard to know how much of the narrative in Christopher Kyle's script (based on Louis Nowra's story) derives from actual events. Much of the conflict and incidents could come from any number of military movies: Clashes between the two main officers escalate to the point of mutiny. The kid with a gal back home stands little chance of surviving the mission. Men exchange brave talk they only half believe.
The highly conventional approach of Kyle's script does smooth over the unfamiliarity of watching a peacetime submarine story in which the battle is as much emotional as physical. The main conflict also undergoes a curious switch midstream that is meant to take an audience by surprise but does so by not fully disclosing all factors.
Ford is the personification of military steel, a hard-headed captain focused single-mindedly on his mission. Neeson, as the more crew-friendly captain, is his counterpart, roiling beneath Ford's command with undisguised disdain for his willingness to jeopardize everyone's safety. Among 50-odd roles, another standout is Peter Sarsgaard's Vadim, the rookie reactor officer who must prove his valor.
Bigelow gracefully choreographs the shipwide action without ever losing focus. Her effort is greatly enhanced by Jeff Cronenweth's fluid camera, Walter Murch's sharp editing and Karl Juliusson and Michael Novotny's military-gray design. A major plus is Klaus Badelt's score, shifting from ominous rumbles beneath the action to full-throated shouts of alarm and, in the core reactor sequence, choral music.
K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER
Paramount Pictures
Paramount and Intermedia Films present a National Geographic/Palomar Pictures/First Light/IMF production
Credits:
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Screenwriter: Christopher Kyle
Story by: Louis Nowra
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Joni Sighvatsson, Christine Whitaker, Edward S. Feldman
Executive producers: Harrison Ford, Nigel Sinclair, Moritz Borman, Guy East
Director of photography: Jeff Cronenweth
Production designers: Karl Juliusson, Michael Novotny
Music: Klaus Badelt
Co-producers: Steven-Charles Jaffe, Basil Iwanyk, Brent O'Connor, Mark Wolfe, Mary Montiforte
Costume designer: Marit Allen
Editor: Walter Murch
Cast:
Capt. Alexei Vostrikov: Harrison Ford
Capt. Mikhail Polenin: Liam Neeson
Vadim Radtchenko: Peter Sarsgaard
Pavel Loktev: Christian Camargo
Demichev: Steve Nicolson
Suslov: Ravil Isyanov
Running time -- 138 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
"K-19"'s appeal skews heavily male without any female role. Nevertheless, good reviews and a strong marketing push could turn this Paramount/Intermedia production into a top summer movie at the boxoffice.
Desperate to counter the psychological damage and military imbalance created during the Cold War when the United States sent its first Polaris missile subs on patrol in 1960, the Soviet leadership rushes its own ballistic missile sub into service the following year. The early scenes emphasizes how unready that boat, the K-19, is. Leaks are everywhere. Wiring is substandard. And the crew is unfamiliar with the sub. After 10 men die building the K-19, a champagne bottle used to dedicate the ship fails to break. "We are cursed", moans a superstitious crew member.
Troubling the crew further is a bizarre change in command. Capt. Alexei Vostrikov (Ford), a politically connected skipper, takes over for Capt. Mikhail Polenin (Neeson), who becomes second in command. Once under way, Alexei subjects the sub and its crew to grueling tests, culminating in a dive to "crush depth" and a fast resurface that sends the K-19 crashing through the Arctic ice shelf.
After the successful launch of a test missile, Moscow orders the sub to patrol waters off the U.S. coastline. Here, the reactor cooling system springs a leak, raising its core temperature close to meltdown. An eruption could set off missile warheads near a NATO base and trigger World War III.
In the film's key sequence, crew members take turns entering the reactor compartment to try to stabilize the temperature, exposing each to huge doses of radiation. The doctor on board, a last-minute replacement, knows nothing about radiation poisoning. The men emerge like characters in a cheesy horror film, staggering and vomiting as reddened skin slides from their bodies.
It's hard to know how much of the narrative in Christopher Kyle's script (based on Louis Nowra's story) derives from actual events. Much of the conflict and incidents could come from any number of military movies: Clashes between the two main officers escalate to the point of mutiny. The kid with a gal back home stands little chance of surviving the mission. Men exchange brave talk they only half believe.
The highly conventional approach of Kyle's script does smooth over the unfamiliarity of watching a peacetime submarine story in which the battle is as much emotional as physical. The main conflict also undergoes a curious switch midstream that is meant to take an audience by surprise but does so by not fully disclosing all factors.
Ford is the personification of military steel, a hard-headed captain focused single-mindedly on his mission. Neeson, as the more crew-friendly captain, is his counterpart, roiling beneath Ford's command with undisguised disdain for his willingness to jeopardize everyone's safety. Among 50-odd roles, another standout is Peter Sarsgaard's Vadim, the rookie reactor officer who must prove his valor.
Bigelow gracefully choreographs the shipwide action without ever losing focus. Her effort is greatly enhanced by Jeff Cronenweth's fluid camera, Walter Murch's sharp editing and Karl Juliusson and Michael Novotny's military-gray design. A major plus is Klaus Badelt's score, shifting from ominous rumbles beneath the action to full-throated shouts of alarm and, in the core reactor sequence, choral music.
K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER
Paramount Pictures
Paramount and Intermedia Films present a National Geographic/Palomar Pictures/First Light/IMF production
Credits:
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Screenwriter: Christopher Kyle
Story by: Louis Nowra
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Joni Sighvatsson, Christine Whitaker, Edward S. Feldman
Executive producers: Harrison Ford, Nigel Sinclair, Moritz Borman, Guy East
Director of photography: Jeff Cronenweth
Production designers: Karl Juliusson, Michael Novotny
Music: Klaus Badelt
Co-producers: Steven-Charles Jaffe, Basil Iwanyk, Brent O'Connor, Mark Wolfe, Mary Montiforte
Costume designer: Marit Allen
Editor: Walter Murch
Cast:
Capt. Alexei Vostrikov: Harrison Ford
Capt. Mikhail Polenin: Liam Neeson
Vadim Radtchenko: Peter Sarsgaard
Pavel Loktev: Christian Camargo
Demichev: Steve Nicolson
Suslov: Ravil Isyanov
Running time -- 138 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
- 7/15/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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