K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

Louis Nowra (story), Christopher Kyle (screenplay)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Sam Spruell, Peter Stebbings

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Spruell	...	Dmitri
Peter Stebbings	...	Kuryshev
Christian Camargo	...	Pavel
Roman Podhora	...	Lapinsh
Sam Redford	...	Vasily
Steve Nicolson	...	Demichev
Liam Neeson	...	Capt. Mikhail Polenin
Ravil Isyanov	...	Suslov
Tim Woodward	...	Partonov
Lex Shrapnel	...	Kornilov
Shaun Benson	...	Leonid
Kris Holden-Ried	...	Anton (as Kristen Holden-Ried)
Dmitry Chepovetsky	...	Sergei
Christopher Redman	...	Kiklidze
Tygh Runyan	...	Maxim

Storyline

The story of USSR's first nuclear ballistic submarine, which suffered a malfunction in its nuclear reactor on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961. The submarine's crew, led by the unyielding Captain Alexi Vostrikov, races against time to prevent a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster which threatens not only the lives of his crew, but has the potential to ignite a world war between the super powers.

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Plot Keywords:

radiation sickness | radioactive contamination | submarine | nuclear submarine | cancer | 

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Taglines:

Fate has found its hero.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images

Details

Country:

UK Germany Canada USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

K*19: The Widowmaker

Filming Locations:

Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,778,459, 21 July 2002

Gross USA:

$35,168,966

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,716,126

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Light Production, IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG, Intermedia Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Russian submarine used for filming was sold to the U.S.S. Saratoga Museum Foundation in Rhode Island for use as an exhibit. It subsequently sank while docked in Providence during a severe rainstorm and was used by the U.S. Navy as a salvage training exercise. After it was raised, it was no longer suitable as a museum, and was sold for scrap metal.

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Goofs

When the second reactor repair team begins welding the new cooling conduit, we spot the maker of the welding clamp: "Uniweld Products Inc" based in Ft. Lauderdale FL - definitely not a USSR supplier.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Capt. Mikhail Polenin: All compartments: report readiness!

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek: The Mirror Frontier (2017)

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Soundtracks

Selections from 'Voices of Light'
("Victory At Orleans", "Interrogation", "Abjuration", "Relapse", "Karitas", "The Final Walk")
Composed by Richard Einhorn

User Reviews

Surprisingly good

I am one of those people who rolls their eyes at war and submarine films. For some reason, I find the claustrophobic atmosphere irritating and often bore of them in any case.

But this was gripping. Most of the drama actually takes place on the submarine rather than annoyingly cutting between onboard the submarine and the outside world the whole way through the film.

The acting was surprisingly good. In fact, exceptional, even though anyone could point flaws in the Russian accents. The drama was intense and overall, the film was gripping and easy to follow. The story unfolded, avoiding the temptation to overplay irrelevant aspects of the story. It's unfortunate that it was a box office bomb, but I think a great deal of that had to do with some unnecessary "show off" special effects, when the film ultimately hit its heights and greatness in the last 45 minutes, where a basic set and some good lighting is all that was needed.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the early stages could have been shortened because the film makers seemed hell-bent on trying to build a sense of intense camaraderie within the ship's crew, but somehow the dialogue and early events didn't quite do it correctly. Or perhaps it wasn't so necessary to harp on about so much. Nonetheless, it was a great watch and I was pleasantly surprised, even if you don't like movies of this genre.