K-19: The Widowmaker

America may be hip-deep with the war on terrorism these days, but there was a time when it was up to its neck with the war on communism. In fact, it's hard to believe that when the Cold War was at its peak 40 years ago, the world's biggest superpowers were pushed to the brink of nuclear war not once, but twice within a 15-month period.

One of those times was during the well-documented Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, but the other was during the nearly catastrophic maiden voyage of the K-19--the first Soviet atomic submarine--in July 1961. The details of the incident were kept under wraps until after the breakup of the Soviet Union more than a decade ago, but the time has come for Hollywood to take the plunge and tell the story. The result is "K-19: The Widowmaker," a periodically slow, but ultimately gripping and suspenseful drama that pays tribute to a band of brothers who are long overdue for the recognition they deserve.

Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) is ordered to take command of the K-19 after its original captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) fails to get it ready in time for an important mission. Polenin stays on board as Vostrikov's second-in-command, but the two clash repeatedly over their opposing techniques. After receiving orders to proceed to its new post 400 kilometers off the US coast, the cooling system in the nuclear reactor fails, starting a chain reaction that will result in a massive radioactive explosion. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, duty, honor and courage are put on the line as an entire crew struggles to avert an accident that could very well trigger the beginning of World War III.

Comparisons are bound to be made between "K-19" and other recent submarine thrillers like "The Hunt for Red October" and "Crimson Tide," but for the most part, "K-19" is not really an action movie. Instead, the $90 million film directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("Strange Days," "Point Break") is more of a psychological drama that tests the crew's loyalty to each other, to their country and to the world at large. To that extent, it's more like Wolfgang Peterson's "Das Boot," the cinematic masterpiece that captured the claustrophobic feel of submarine warfare while sympathizing with soldiers who were enemies of the US at the time.

For better or worse, the emotional impact of the film tends to be submerged by unavoidable submarine cliches and its emphasis on staying too close to the facts. But it is still gripping, especially when you consider that if the Russians had not faced the deadly radiation head on, then the K-19 would have exploded, taking out a nearby NATO base. The US would presumably have retaliated, which would have resulted in...well, pretty much the end of everything.

As far as casting is concerned, who better to fulfill the task of making moviegoers identify with a bunch of communists than the man who played Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan and even the President of the United States? Harrison Ford (who also served as the film's executive producer) takes full advantage of his clout and is rock-solid as the hardened, duty-minded Captain Vostrikov. Though his slight Russian accent is a bit jarring at first, you quickly get used to it and root for him as he gets his crew into shape.

While the supporting performances are just as effective, they tend to be more generic and cliched. Liam Neeson provides a decent amount of dramatic tension as he continually faces off with the tough-as-nails Ford, but it's the same sort of head-butting scenario that we've seen before in films like "Crimson Tide" and even "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (the latter of which also featured an unready vessel that was rushed out of "drydock"). Peter Sarsgaard also puts in a solid performance as the Soviet officer who overseas the reactor, but the way he is set up as the film's emotional connection seems somewhat manipulative and contrived.

The first third of "K-19" may be filled with plenty of edge-of-your-seat thrills, but it ultimately ends up being a somber and harrowing moviegoing experience. It is nevertheless an engaging story that needs to be told, and though it has a melodramatic ending that reeks of "Saving Private Ryan," it still proves to be quite effective when you consider what these sailors had to go through and how long it took for their story to be told. At least with Harrison Ford in command, they couldn't have gotten a better salute.