I remember the cold war.  In school we had to duck under the desk and cover our heads with our hands (as IF that was going to save us from a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb!).  We were all scared most of the time because
our leaders had told us to be scared.  The Russians were the bad guys and we hated them having NO idea that they were being told the same thing about us.  There was enough fear to go around and had we, at that time,
known this story we would have wet our pants.

The K-19 was the Russian answer to our nuclear powered, ballistic missile armed submarines.  This was their first and they were in a hurry to get it launched to show America that they too could blow up the world.  This "rush" they were in caused corners to be cut and safety to be compromised.  As a result, there is an accident to the reactor cooling system that threatens the entire boat.  They must now either abandon ship, ask the dreaded Americans for help OR fix the problem.  Being in the middle of the Atlantic makes that choice difficult.  The events that follow could have possibly triggered WW III.

This, to me, was a strange subject matter to bring to the screen.  The story is typical but engaging  There a suspense level that is reached but not sustained.   I understand that a true story is "supposed" to be as accurate as possible but, sometimes, certain "literary license" is necessary to entertain.  I think the director, Kathryn Bigelow, missed an opportunity to raise the level of excitement and escalate the tempo of this picture.  It was flat in too many places.  Even the choice of Harrison Ford as the U-Boat Captain seemed a bit "off".  He just didn't fit the role and the fake accent he tried to sustain made things worse.  Liam Neeson, on the other hand, had me convinced he was a Russian Captain and was smooth in his delivery as the second in command.

The look of this picture is huge.  The dry dock set, the sub interior and open sea shots are big and impressive.  The story itself is fascinating and of great historic value.  On those two points, I must say, I liked it but I don't think many will.

RECOMMENDATION:  Hmmmm?  History buffs and war afficionados, go see it.  Harrison Ford fans, don't bother.  Great actor but out of place here.

TWO MARGINAL, SLIGHTLY BUOYANT THUMBS UP!

Movie Review © 2002 by Terry Anderson