A Metal Coffin?
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When it comes to cold war secrecy both the Americans and Russians were as bad as each other. Over time some of the events that happened have come out often by those who were actually involved and were sworn to secret for fear of the consequences.

K-19:The Widowmaker is based on events that actually happened. K19 is actually a nuclear submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles. The sub is sent out in haste before it is really fully ready and from the start there are bad omens. Ten people die making the sub and when being launched the champagne bottle fails to smash. This is what gets the ship the nickname of the widowmaker.

The original captain played by Liam Neeson is replaced by a higher ranked officer played by Harrison Ford. The Captain constantly drills the crew and get's himself a reputation as a hothead, especially after some decisions that could put the boat in jeopardy.

His biggest problem comes when coolant failure in one of the two nuclear reactors threatens a meltdown and a nuclear explosion with no obvious way of repair. The stakes are high, with all out nuclear war a possibility and the risk of mutiny ever present.

Conclusion
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The film is based on real K19 submarine events. Having read about the events it seems that the film is a fairly accurate portrayal, albeit with a few added scenes to make the film more exciting. Neeson and Ford put in fine performances, despite the odd slip on the Russian accent.

The sub exterior and interior are shot very well, internally there is a sense of claustrophobia, especially during drills and emergencies with men banging into each other. CGI is used sparingly and to good effect.

The Russian politicians are portrayed as incompetent baffoons and the crew rightly portrayed as heroes. As the old WWI saying goes, they were "Lions led by donkeys".

Despite bombing at the box office, it is a moving retelling of a story of human courage and sacrifice, for no other purpose than mistrust between two superpowers, both with the capability to destroy the world several time over.

After watching it gives you a sense of sadness and of anger, I have since been inspired to read about the real story of the K19, the film only show's it's first mission but there were many more tragic events that happened to the cursed sub.

Recommended.

Main Cast
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Harrison Ford - Alexei Vostrikov
Liam Neeson - Mikhail Polenin
Joss Ackland - Marshal Zelentsov
Sam Spruell - Dmitri
Peter Stebbings - Kuryshev

Running Time : 138 Minutes
Certificate : 12A

Thanks for reading.