Written by: Christopher Kyle
Starring: Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, Joss Ackland, John Shrapnel
Rating: [3/5]
Casting films, to no one’s surprise, critically plays into its success where we buy into the make-believe playing out before us. Therefore, plenty of importance lies in getting it right, especially when portraying characters that carry a very specific accent and distinguishable accent like the Russians. K-19: The Widowmaker takes the fascinating approach of not only casting non-Russians in the lead role but bringing on very famous ones that makes their use of the accent that much funner.
Set out to impress with its stability and strength, the K-19 sets out under the command of Commanding Officer Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) and Executive Officer Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson). As they go on this voyage set to display the prowess of this submarine, the crew encounters many dangers where Vostrikov faces issues with subordination even from his number two in command.
Who doesn’t love a good submarine movie? I certainly do and each one I’ve experienced thus far has delivered on one particular notion that makes them special: unrelenting tension. These men with their own egos and emotions have it all pressurized figuratively and literally in a vessel that must contain it all because the immediate outside would kill anyone who tries to get out. It makes any argument that much more tense. A submarine does not contain too many hiding places, and when subordination is afoot like explored in this film it allows for plenty of entertainment to be found.
Now, for as much as I enjoy elements of this film, I cannot help but laugh at the casting. Seeing Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, and Peter Sarsgaard play these Russian characters just never quite allowed me to dive into the seriousness of this film. I honestly kept waiting for this story to reveal Harrison Ford’s Vostrikov as an American agent undercover with this hilarious Russian accent but it never came. Certainly not a spoiler in saying that but this film really moved forward in earnest with this effort. On one hand I commend the effort of getting these famous non-Russian actors to tell a story of Soviets but the entire time I could not see these characters but rather Ford, Neeson, and Sarsgaard putting on Russian accents.
In all seriousness, when this film succeeds, it does so with creating this dynamic centered on the difference between priorities by those in command. Vostrikov wants, more than anything, to display the might of Soviet engineering in displaying all the great things this submarine can accomplish, while Polenin more so cares for his men. Therefore, it makes complete sense Vostrikov receives the post of the Commanding Officer of this ship. This tension understandably remains between the pair as they navigate these tests before them and the terribly difficult circumstances they must face as the leaders of this submarine. With different priorities before them their heads butt quite often and when mutiny begins to take place, it really displays the character of these individuals when the rubber hits the proverbial road.
This film nestles itself in a fascinating place in the filmography of Kathryn Bigelow, where it stands out for being the tamest as compared to what she typically can craft. From something as entertainingly fun as Point Break to her other more serious fare, she typically delivers something hard-hitting no matter which genre and in the 21st century she displayed a desire of delving into more political fare with her films starting with this one. She sought to move away from anything outside of the scope of this world and deal with real people within true circumstances, and while this film sits towards the bottom of them, it definitely shows a particular shift in her vision. With all that said, this remains a Kathryn Bigelow film and she manages to bring a level of entertainment in all of her films with this one not being an exception.
Even with the hilarious accents utilized by these non-Russian famous actors, K-19: The Widowmaker still has the goods in delivering what all good submarine movies do. We have men puffing their chest out to each other in a show of force as they try to make the best decisions in a time when stress reaches an all-time high. We have strong characters given here with a plot that mostly gets the job done. Certainly not the best by anyone involved in this feature but definitely a film that will still entertain.
Films with Josh 
