K-19:
The Widowmaker
Dan's Comments
I've not seen a submarine movie I didn't enjoy and K-19 is no exception.
There is nothing unique about K-19 as it repeats tired sub clichés
like, "That's below crush depth", and play time on the arctic ice
shelf. The addition of big stars isn't really new, after-all you can't get much
bigger than Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin in Hunt for Red October. The
dramatized story of a heroic real life sub crew has been done recently in U-571.
And telling the story from the enemy perspective is old, Das Boot. Usually
I pan this level of un-originality, so why am I giving K-19 a pass?
Basically I'm a sucker for movies about leadership. Sub films are a great vehicle
for condensing society into a microcosm to enable the exploration of human interaction.
Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford come from two different schools of leadership.
Neeson is the respected friend and Ford is the feared motivator. These two styles
come into conflict but are resolved when both captains come to realize the benefits
of the other's approach.
The movie is well made, reasonably fast paced and therefore can stand up as
one of the better Hollywood leadership primers. It's interesting to note that
the all-time greatest movie on leadership, Twelve Angry Men, uses a similar
plot device of a small, hot, isolated jury room to demonstrate the essence of
leadership. Another example of a great movie on leadership is Remember the
Titans which uses the football field for its microcosm of life. Leadership,
when understood by the director and cast, has proven to be a thought provoking
film subject and as K-19: The Widowmaker demonstrates, dramatic as well.
The LA Times has compiled a good summary of famous submarine movies "In
the Periscope: Submarine Standouts"
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Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004 Dan Dodson
