K-19: The Widowmaker
Based on the title, you would have no idea what this was about. I don’t think this was titled very well.
This is a film starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson as Soviet submarine commanders during the Cold War. Ford is a brash, hard headed commander, while Neeson is a pushover loyal captain, adored by his crew.
The first thing you notice during this is the accents of Ford and Neeson. I’m not sure what accent Neeson was doing, but it wasn’t Russian. Ford on the other hand could do a Russian accent, but only bothered to do it in some scenes. Otherwise he was just talking normally. It was super odd and made it very difficult to get into it.
There’s a big problem with the CGI. The submarine almost never looks like it’s on the surface of the ocean. More of the budget being put to that could’ve probably solved this problem.
The first hour or so was super slow and nothing really happened. It was more of a vibes over plot deal. I found it incredibly hard to get through and was mostly just laughing at Liam Neeson’s accent.
Once things got interesting, I actually really started to enjoy the film. The plot started and the stakes got raised quicker than a submarine can surface. I was surprised how quickly I became invested. The first and second halves felt like two completely different movies, one of which I disliked, the other I loved.
While watching the first half I wondered why Bigelow directed this. I figured it out once the plot starts moving. It turns into a thriller instantly as the crew is forced to work together to save their sub, under the authority of Ford’s character, who none of them trust. It’s a very fun character study with incredible stakes. If the first hour could’ve been condensed down to twenty minutes of setup, this honestly could’ve been great. Instead, it’s just good.
Bigelow Rankings:
This was an odd one, but I feel pretty confident about where I’m ranking it.
- Point Break
- Strange Days
- Blue Steel
- Near Dark
- K-19: The Widowmaker
- The Loveless
- The Weight of Water
Join me next week for Bigelow’s Best Picture winning The Hurt Locker. I’m excited to watch this for the first time.
