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K-19: The Widowmaker
Very good drama flick. It leaves you thinking.
There’s no “Topedo in the water!” action like that. Do not expect Crimson Tide or The Hunt for Red October, or even U-571.
This movie is good, yet less exciting or re-watchable than any of them. True stories often are less exciting than over-dramatized ones, though U-571 was sort of a true story as well.
I’d rank K-19 last amongst these 4, but nothing beats Sean Connery’s sub captain character.
Gene Hackman and Denzyl Washington are also very believeable and better than Ford and Neeson, when the former did Crimson Tide.
K-19 stars all Russian characters, so it takes a while to develop “a sense of comradery” with the crew.
Harrison Ford playing a Russian accent takes some getting used to, and it’s still his voice, so it’s hard to believe. Liam Neeson does a little bit better job with the accent, but then again he has a ‘European’s voice.’ Neeson’s character comes off like a school-teacher and no Cold Warrior though. But man does Harrison push that crew! The ice-breaker was great!
It made you think though. Once they saw the effects of the radiation burning, I wondered why they didn’t just take two volunteers at a time, to die in there, and get the job done, versus making 6-8 of their crewmen casualties? 10 minutes of exposure or less wasn’t going to make any difference. It seemed that only under 2 minutes of exposure (the Captain) seemed to be surviveable.
Man the memorial scene was really powerful in the end! They did a good job making Ford and Neeson look even older than they already are.
They worked together well as a team (both in acting) and as characters.
I think that just about all of us on this website have never served on a military submarine. It really gives you pause to respect how scary their job really is.
But The Hunt for Red October is the best.
Crimson Tide is next.
U-571 follows.
Then K-19.
But if you liked the other movies, don’t hesitate to see this one. It is GOOD!
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