"K-19: The Widowmaker," written by Christopher Kyle(story) and Edward S. Feldman(screenplay) and directed by Kathryn Bigelow is the latest effort from First Light Productions and distributed by Paramount Studios.

Set in the turbulent year of 1961 during the height of the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, and based upon a real event, this film chronicles the story of the submarine designated K-19 and nicknamed "The Widowmaker" due to the 10 deaths suffered by the construction crew during construction and it's two Captains who must unite to save themselves, their crew and their ship.

After being relieved of his previous assignment for putting the lives of his men ahead of the interests of the State, Captain Mikhail Polenin(Liam Neeson) is assigned executive duty under a new Captain(Harrison Ford) who is given command of the new Flagship of the Soviet Fleet, Submarine K-19. Polenin is comforted by his 2nd Officer who confirms that the crew considers that Polenin is and will always be their Commander.

While in dry dock, the future bodes ill for the newly constructed submarine. Neeson as Polenin watches over the construction and becomes more and more nervous as he realizes that shoddy equipment is being used and the construction has become careless. Polenin informs his new Captain, Alexi Vostrikov, who takes his concerns to the Fleet Admiralty. The Admiralty is dismissive and orders the boat to sea in two weeks time. Vostrikov returns with his orders and informs Polenin. Polenin begins to argue, but is stopped by Vostrikov. The two Captain's nervousness increases and is joined by the crews when the Champagne bottle that is to Christen the ship does not break. A sailor is heard saying, "The boat is cursed." Following the ceremony the ship is put in the water and provisions are loaded. Another problem develops when the ships Doctor finds out that the Quartermaster had given him the wrong medicines for the trip. He is killed as he chases down the truck to correct the error. His replacement arrives and is a Naval Base doctor who gets "sea sick" when at sea. In his inspection of the ship, Vostrikov finds the lieutenant in charge of the nuclear reactor drunk while on duty. The lieutenant is relieved of duty and his replacement arrives. The new lieutenant is an untested instructor at the Submarine Academy.

Almost immediately, after putting to sea Vostrikov begins drills to heighten the skills of his new crew. In his final drill he takes the submarine to 300 meters(984 ft) below the surface, 50 meters(164 ft) beyond safety limits. The hull begins to creak as the pressure mounts, but he ship remains stable. Then Vostrikov orders the crew to surface as though there was an emergency. They surface by punching through a thin ice layer in the Arctic Circle. Following their surfacing procedure, Vostrikov orders the launch of a test missile, which is done flawlessly by the crew. Everyone is ecstatic except Polenin, who feels that Vostrikov endangered his men without cause. Vostrikov counters that the crew is now a team and if called upon to defend the Motherland, they will work as a crew by defending one another and the ship. He then orders a period of liberty and the crew enjoy games on the ice.

After firing the missile, the crew of K-19 is given it's new assignment. To patrol the Eastern Seaboard of the United States between New York and Washington, DC. At this point, things really begin to go wrong. The Chief in charge of monitoring the nuclear reactions notices a fluctuation in the cooling coils of the reactor. He reports his findings to the new Lieutenant who tells him to watch the gauge, but does not report it. Eventually, the fluctuation reveals a leak in the cooling core of the nuclear reactor. As the leak becomes wider, the temperature increases dangerously close to 1,000*C, which is considered the temperature that the core will explode, causing a nuclear reaction that would destroy the ship, it's missiles and anything within ten miles. Frantically the officers and crew search for an answer. The Chief suggests that they use the 30 tons of fresh water set aside for the crew's use to cool the core. The plan is approved and the nuclear technicians go to suit up in protective gear. They open the cabinets and find that the Quartermaster had put Chemical protection suits in the emergency stores instead of the protective radiation suits. There is no other way, so each of the technicians don the chemical protection suits. They are ordered to go in, in teams of two and not to stay for more than 10 minutes. Of course, the suits do not protect the technicians from the radioactivity and as they leave the reactor room they collapse due to radiation sickness. The new lieutenant panics at the thought of donning the chemical suit and his Chief goes in instead, which is his second trip to the core. Eventually the leak is plugged, the temperature returns to normal and Vostrikov orders the ship to surface. Everyone is relieved until they see an American destroyer looming in on their position. The Captain of the destroyer offers assistance, but Vostrikov refuses, hoping to be found by a Soviet ship.

During this period the Admiralty(Joss Ackland) loses radio contact with K-19 and worries that Vostrikov has defected. As soon as it is suggested the thought is dismissed due to Vostrikov's excellent record of service.

At this point the 2nd officer and the resident Political Officer decide that the Captain is unfit to command and take control of the ship and order the radio operator to call for help from the Americans. They then turn command over to Polenin. Almost simultaneously the patch on the core reactor fails. Although grateful at the loyalty of his men, Polenin returns command to Vostrikov who is also grateful at Polenin's loyalty. The 2nd Officer and the Political Officer are put under arrest. Now in control, Vostrikov attempts to contact the lieutenant in charge of the reactor. After taking a deep breath, the lieutenant conquered his fear, dons his protective suit and heads into the core. He tries desperately to seal the crack. Realizing a nuclear explosion is immanent, Vostrikov asks his men for their approval to take the ship down and destroy it, rather than have a surface explosion that would kill the Americans and themselves, and possibly resulting in a nuclear war. The crew assents to the request and Vostrikov prepares to sink his ship. At the last moment, the leak is sealed by the lieutenant and all aboard are relieved. Vostrikov tries to contact the lieutenant and rushes to the nuclear compartment to find him inside the reactor. Vostrikov makes a mad dash into the core sans protective suit and pulls the lieutenant free. In a tender moment, Vostrikov calls the lieutenant a hero, then calls the entire crew heroes. At that point, Vostrikov orders the radio operator to contact the Americans again. Vostrikov orders the abandonment of the ship and prepares to scuttle the vessel. Polenin arrives at the Captains quarters with good news. Another Soviet submarine as arrived to tow them back to port.

Vostrikov is brought up on charges of dereliction of duty, but is acquitted as all of the surviving crew members support his actions. The officers and crew are sworn to secrecy and until the Berlin Wall falls in 1989, they are unable to tell their story.

28 Years Later

The surviving members meet at a monument they themselves had created for all those who died in the accident. Now, aged, Vostrikov informs them that he had nominated each of the members of the crew for a medal due to their service and sacrifice. He was told that because it was not war time, the crew was not eligible for the awards. In their final moments, Vostrikov offers a toast, "To comrades."

Everything about this film was wonderful. The story was simply a human story of men under incredibly difficult cirumstances. Bigelow, as director, organized each of the scenes to include the emotions and strengths of each of the actors. The editing kept the flow of the film at a quick, tension filled pace. The action and CGI visuals meld together to enhance this film.

But this viewer believes this film owes it's success to the actors. All of the supportive actors provided intense emotion and camaraderie as they exchanged pictures and stories of home and family. It showed that all humans share the need for human contact and tenderness, even though they are at war with an enemy.

Although there were strong performances all around, this viewer believes that the kudos of this film belong to Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. These two actors fed off of each others energies, creating a tension and chemistry between the characters of Vostrikov and Polenin. Although, as a long time fan of Ford, this viewer had yet to describe his work as an actor as brilliant. That period is over. Mr. Ford was brilliant as Vostrikov. He brought the character from irritating as the stern Captain caught up in duty and loyalty, who was trying too hard to gain the loyalty of his men to the tenderness of developing a love and camaraderie with those same men. Liam Neeson, known for his exceptional work prior to this film, fed off of Ford's energy and brought the character of Polenin from the likable executive officer to a man who was troubled and angry about his demotion and his subordination to Vostrikov to a man who realized Vostrikov's dedication to duty and eventually respect and admiration.

In conclusion, this viewer definitely recommends this intense and intelligent film to all those who wish to spend two hours being enthralled by the acting talents of all those concerned.