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It is year 1961, the height of Cold War, when Russia dares to respond to the superpowers US's
nuclear threats in no time with launching of its nuclear submarine, K-19, The Widowmaker. Although the boat is ill-equipped for its task and not ready for its
scheduled launch, as Captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) insists which makes him lose his position in the process to Captain Alexi Vostrikov (Harrison Ford as the captain in
command), K-19 proceeds with the testing as planned. Capt. Vostrikov runs the crew through relentless drills, offers no encouragement and seems to take unnecessary
chances as opposed to Capt. Polenin's (who remains aboard the sub as second in command) father figure leadership style.
These opposing command styles lead to power clashes and eventual disorder in the ship. After the successful launch of a test missile, Moscow orders K-19 to patrol waters off the U.S. coastline. As they move away the Arctic, the ship's reactor unexpectedly fails, raising its core temperature close to meltdown. Thus, an eruption could set off missile warheads near a NATO base and trigger World War III.
Based on a true story, K-19: The Widowmaker is an unusual American tribute to the
characters who would have been villains during the Red Scare era. The film is utterly successful in giving war a fresh outlook as it tries to depict war minus the
presence of an enemy.
Though it never really completely breaks free from the clichι formula of submarine genre (a dive to crush depth, etc), the focus of the script on human emotions over political agenda makes the thrill even more gripping. Strange as it may seem, a female director, Kathryn Bigelow, impressively choreographs an all male solid action movie and at the same time, is able to breathe in emotions to the seemingly emotionless military characters through the performances even if they can't manage to give their characters much Russian soul. The predominantly unknown actors give intense performance as well. With its not-so-common premise for a war movie and technical genius of a woman director,
K-19: The Widowmaker is an achievement in itself.
K-19: The Widowmaker is a war movie that is neither anti-war nor pro-war.
It is rather designed to humanize and complicate viewer's understanding of Cold War propaganda and the nature of bravery. The movie brings the audience in the claustrophobic world of submarine life yet never misses to make one reflect on the realities of the world outside: the seemingly paranoid reactions of men on the yet unknown enemies. Here is an engaging and exciting narrative of Man confronting Demons of his own fear and paranoia.
K-19: The Widowmaker is not about a war against human enemies, rather, it's about a war against a dangerous technology that is imperfectly harnessed and understood.
Although the movie is set in the Cold War era, nothing much has changed as far as human nature is concerned. Humans desperately create technology to kill enemies and spur rivalries without realizing that by doing so, they create their own Demons that will destroy them in the end.
(Date reviewed: September 27, 2002)
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