Susan Granger’s review of “K-19: The Widowmaker” (Paramount Pictures)
Action thrillers don’t get more powerful and intense than this! Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson deliver formidable performances yet what’s truly riveting here is director/producer Kathryn Bigelow’s exploration of the sensuality of suspense in all its harrowing permutations. Inspired by actual events, the story chronicles Captain Alexi Vostrikov’s assignment to take over the nuclear missile submarine K-19, the top-secret flagship of the Soviet Navy, in 1961 at the height of the Cold War. Of critical and strategic importance, his orders are to counter America’s weapons expansion by launching a missile from the Arctic Circle, then to proceed down the North Atlantic coast to an off-shore patrol position between Washington, D.C. and New York City. But there’s a malfunction that may lead to a core meltdown and explosion that could trigger a global nuclear war. Under unprecedented pressure, Vostrikov must choose between Kremlin directives and the lives of his crew. Written by Christopher Kyle (with uncredited assist from Tom Stoppard), themes of duty, patriotism and heroism pervade as the senior officers (Ford and Neeson) struggle with one another, the crew and their Communist leaders. While their characters lack complexity – Ford stoically assuming the dignified, no-nonsense, serious stand with Neeson shouldering the paternal pathos – their challenges are daunting – and it’s fascinating to view the precarious balance of power from a Russian perspective. Joss Ackland, Christian Camargo and Peter Sarsgaard score as stressed-out submariners. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “K-19: The Widowmaker” is a claustrophobic, chilling, compelling 8. You really feel their grim, gut-wrenching anxiety, fear and terror within the tight, confined quarters of a submarine.
