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.


The travails of getting K-19 to the screen were almost as ill-fated as the maiden voyage of the Russian nuclear submarine the film is named after. When the Kursk tragedy occurred during the film's production, it seemed the parallels between the two incidents might render the project as exploitative or at the least inappropriate. But with the respectful period of time that elapsed before its release, the film has gained a greater poignancy. "Inspired by actual events," K-19 is an effectively taught if somewhat rigid drama that provides a chilling insight into the horrors faced by the crew of a stricken submarine.

Director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Jeff Croneweth have done a good job conveying the claustrophobic setting, using shots that jostle through the narrow corridors and press up tight against the actors. But despite being so close to those involved in the unveiling action, K-19 gives all but the most cursory study of the people behind the frightened expressions. Instead it focusses on the chain of events that nearly led to a Russian confrontation with America during the height of the cold war.

In 1961, Russia, desperate to show they possessed some answer to US naval superiority, were anxious to launch their most sophisticated nuclear submarine yet, the K-19. To oversee the sea trials, the government installed the obdurate Captain Vortrikov (Harrison Ford) over the head of the crew's normal commander, the more popular and compassionate Captain Polenin (Liam Neeson). A series of accidents resulting in the death of 10 people, even before K-19 had been launched, caused it to be rechristened The Widowmaker.

Ignoring warnings from Polenin that the sub isn't ready, Vortrikov shows more concern for party policy than his men's safety and declares, "We deliver or we drown." After a series of rigorous tests at sea, his doomed prophecy threatens to come true as one of K-19's nuclear reactors springs a leak. All eyes turn toward the newly installed reactor officer Radtchenko (Peter Sarsgaard), who is asked what will happen if they can't fix it? His quivering response is "Hiroshima." K-19's most harrowing scenes involve the various attempts to repair the reactor, with certain exposure to radiation awaiting those assigned to the task.

Hollywood's version of this embarrassing chapter in Russian naval history, which was kept quiet until after the fall of communism, does little to dispel the stereotypical image of Russians as a cold, humourless bunch. Neeson comes closet, adding a rugged heartiness. The always capable but typically soulless Ford is perfectly suited to the role of the implacable captain, but other than Sarsgaard, whose character is used to symbolise the fear of the crew, the rest are reduced to contributing collective expressions of terror, anger and surprise.

Absorbing as K-19 is, the melding of fact and fiction dilutes its impact with the result that the consequences of what might have been prove to be more memorable than anything on screen.

K-19: The Widowmaker is a fact-based movie released on July 19, 2002, about the first of many disasters that befell the Soviet submarine of the same name. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The screenplay was adapted by Christopher Kyle, based on a story written by Louis Nowra.
The movie cost $100,000,000 to make,but gross returns were only $35,000,000 in the United States and $30,500,000 internationally,qualifying it as a box office bomb. The film was not financed by a major studio (National Geographic was a key investor), making it one of the most expensive independent films to date. It was filmed in Canada, specifically Toronto, Ontario; Gimli, Manitoba; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

2002
2hr 18 min
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