K-19: The Widowmaker

Name: K-19: The Widowmaker
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Released: July 19, 2002
Duration: 138 min
Rating: 58

2002

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 56 Ratings

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K-19 The Widowmaker

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Movie Details & Credits

New Films International | Release Date: July 19, 2002 | PG-13

Summary: Inspired by a true story, the film follows the heroism of Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take command of the nuclear missile submarine K-19 away from its original commander Captain Mikhail Polenin (Neeson). Vostrikov's mission is to quickly ready the ill-prepared sub for her maiden voyageInspired by a true story, the film follows the heroism of Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take command of the nuclear missile submarine K-19 away from its original commander Captain Mikhail Polenin (Neeson). Vostrikov's mission is to quickly ready the ill-prepared sub for her maiden voyage -- no matter what the cost. (Paramount Pictures) … Expand

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Genre(s): Drama, History, Thriller

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 138 min

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Critic Reviews

David Edelstein

Impressive and heartfelt. Read full review

Carrie Rickey

I don't think that a woman behind the camera necessarily affects the tenor of what is on screen, but never before have I seen a men-of-war film more notable for its psychology than its spectacle. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

The movie gradually works its way, with quiet intelligence and apparent conviction, until there's no turning from it. An hour in, and we're on that boat. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

K-19's determination to push hard for self-congratulatory morals and convenient resolutions undercut the film's strengths and make it more conventional. Read full review

Robert Koehler

Obediently follows the verities of the submarine movie and its true story origins but without the imagination needed to refresh the genre. Read full review

Liam Lacey

The movie becomes an American salute to military patriotism, anybody's military patriotism. Think of it as "A Few Good Reds." Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Rarely has a major motion picture -- and this one is major by virtue of its misplaced ambition as well as its budget -- been afflicted by such flagrant dissonance between subject and style.

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User Reviews

Vladimir

Dec 28, 2002

I understand that the most of American viewers did not like this movie, because popular Hollywood tricks such as mass drinking scenes and masturbating in a latrine were cut from the movie. But still there are some people, who see and appreciate great job of producers, who has shown us I understand that the most of American viewers did not like this movie, because popular Hollywood tricks such as mass drinking scenes and masturbating in a latrine were cut from the movie. But still there are some people, who see and appreciate great job of producers, who has shown us almost forgotten history. It was a hard film to see, at least for me, who knows what radiation is.… Expand

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eva3si0n

Oct 16, 2021

K-19: The Widowmaker is not a bad film about the feat of Russian submariners. A strong cast and an interesting story. A worthy film without vivid criticism of communism. Although the film is based on real events, the ending is fundamentally different.

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FilipeNeto

Feb 9, 2019

This film is very slightly based on a real fact, which was the fateful maiden voyage of the nuclear submarine K19, one of the first nuclear ballistic submarines of the Soviet Union. Built in haste, he had several accidents and deaths before he was thrown into the sea. On the maiden voyage,This film is very slightly based on a real fact, which was the fateful maiden voyage of the nuclear submarine K19, one of the first nuclear ballistic submarines of the Soviet Union. Built in haste, he had several accidents and deaths before he was thrown into the sea. On the maiden voyage, the ship suffers a loss of coolant that controlled the temperature of the nuclear reactor, which forced the crew to risk their lives for emergency repairs on the high sea, preventing the reactor from collapsing. Most of the crew died of the effects of radiation in the following years. The survivors, however, still preserve their memory today.

The film was an insult to the memory of the K19 sailors, a fact emphasized by the surviving sailors, in a unanimous protest. Eager to make the film more appealing, and always under "creative freedom" arguments, the director Kathryn Bigelow allowed the whole story to be rewritten and told in a completely different way from the real facts. So it's a work of fiction, cloaked under the "true facts" that the film never really take advantage of. After all, the movie is very good from the entertainment point of view. It's not a movie that we get tired of seeing and reviewing, once in a while. This, coupled with a good commercial performance, has opened the doors of television, where it's still a regular, both in general channels and in channels specifically dedicated to the exhibition of films.

The film can be divided into two parts. The first one tries to be an introduction to the film, presenting the characters, the environment, the submarine, the life on board and the mission that they must accomplish. The second part is the realization of the accident and the unwinding of attempts to repair the submarine, with increasing tension around the subject. The biggest problem I've felt is the exaggerated prolongation of the first half of the movie. It was not really necessary to attend so many exercises. The whole sub-plot involving the insubordination of the sailors assigned to the First Officer, who was the previous commander of that crew, is also expendable.

Harrison Ford is an excellent actor and makes, in this film, one of his most interesting works, for me. The actor did an excellent job, giving life and psychological depth to a deep and complex character. At his side we see Liam Neeson, also one of the best-executed works of his career. The way the two perform together is excellent, and some of the film's best dialogues run between them. The remaining cast complies with their work, but does not deserve attention.

Technically, the film does not make big mistakes. The submarine's interior looks genuine enough, the cinematography, light and sound do their job discreetly, the soundtrack does not deserve great remarks.

It's an interesting and entertaining film, but tells a new story, invented over a real one, that remains to be told. The uneven pace does not help either, but if you really like submarine movies, you will not even feel the time go by.… Expand

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CineAutoctono

Jul 22, 2019

K-19: The Widowmaker was a good movie, and it has a very good story, the performances were good, what didn't convince me was the slow pace of the story and that was a problem that I just had to avoid.

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Tyranian

Apr 11, 2019

This is a decent Harrison Ford thriller with goodish acting and some quite exciting scenes.

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