The Movie
Years before Kathryn Bigelow made history copping Oscars for The Hurt Locker, she directed another taut military drama, this one about Russian submarines and the men who sail them. K-19: The Widowmaker is the sub, Harrison Ford is the demanding new captain and Liam Neeson is his affable executive officer as this new pride of the fleet launches despite a slew of problems and bad omens.
It's1961 and their orders are to run missile drills off the United States coast between Washington, D.C. and New York. With Cold War weapons stockpiles reaching record highs, nuclear-powered submarines such as the K-19 are the key to both first-strike and retaliatory attacks which could determine the fate of the entire world, should The Button ever be pushed. But a potentially catastrophic malfunction jeopardizes their mission and puts every man in danger, leading to onboard accidents, deaths, dissent and outright mutiny. This is a true story, but one kept hidden for 28 years, until the fall of Communism.
Ford turned down the part of Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, gravitating instead toward Sean Connery's role as the Russian sub commander. He finally got his wish here (he's an executive producer, too), his rough-hewn gravitas serving the noble-if-not-always-likable character well. For years there have been jokes about Russian shortages, confusion, and blind adherence to The Party line, but this movie exposes the harsh reality and puts a human face on "the enemy," whose valor and self-sacrifice in the prevention of an international incident with the U.S. just might have prevented World War III.
Paramount is releasing the military-themed K-19 this week along with Saving Private Ryan and the testosterone-charged Escape from L.A., just in time for Mother's Day.
The Picture
Despite a generously high bitrate seldom dipping below 30 megabits per second, the image is soft and moderately noisy, sometimes very noisy. There's the occasionally crisp, brightly-lit shot, or some nice subtleties in the blacks, but elsewhere a shot of many men at night in their black uniforms is washed-out and lifeless. The palette is interesting, a bleak environment at one point set off by Liam Neeson's blue hat and blue eyes, but the 2.40:1 image is marred by its flatness and instances of noise; even actors' faces can be very buzzy. The special effects are a little outdated as well. I can't recommend this one as strong demo material.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD Master Audio 5.1 channel track serves up many little details in the rears, the resonance of the myriad little clicks of the controls all over the meticulously recreated vintage Russian submarine. The claustrophobia and commotion of the sub are keenly conveyed, but not hokily so. Both the music within a given scene and Klaus Badelt's vehement score are boldly mixed, while the launch of a missile is appropriately big.
The Extras
Director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth sit down for an illuminating audio commentary, as well as some on-camera interviews. "The Making of K-19: The Widowmaker" is a pretty standard 20-minute affair, different from the more focused "Exploring the Craft: Make-up Techniques" (five-and-a-half minutes) and "Breaching the Hull" (five minutes), the latter about the special effects behind the scene of the sub cracking through the ice. "It's in the Details" summarizes the Herculean research effort behind the production (twelve minutes). All of these bonuses are ported from the DVD, with standard-definition video.
Final Thoughts
The presence of Star Wars alums Ford and Neeson and the wake of sub thrillers like Red October and Crimson Tide might have led some to expect a lot of action, when in fact there's precious little, but no shortage of drama. K-19: The Widowmaker is a surprising chapter in Cold War history, but sadly not a memorable Blu-ray.
Product Details
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