K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
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The story
During the nuclear arms race in 1961, the Soviet Union launches its first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the K-19. Commanded by Captain Alexei Vostrikov, the vessel is tasked with a dangerous mission in the Arctic to test-fire a missile and patrol the Atlantic. However, the mission is immediately jeopardized when a reactor coolant pipe bursts, causing temperatures to rise and radiation levels to spike. As the crew struggles to contain the escalating disaster in the high-stakes environment of the Cold War, the officers must make desperate decisions to prevent a catastrophic meltdown that could trigger a nuclear catastrophe.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1961, the Soviet submarine K-19 faces a crisis when a reactor coolant pipe bursts during a mission in the Arctic. As radiation levels rise and the crew suffers from exposure, the situation becomes dire. A mutiny briefly occurs as officers disagree on how to handle the failing systems. Eventually, the crew manages to stabilize the reactor, but many are severely injured. The film jumps forward to 1989, where the surviving crew members, including Vostrikov and Polenin, meet at a cemetery to honor their fallen comrades who died from radiation exposure. The film concludes with a toast to the men who sacrificed their lives during the nuclear crisis.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; Germany; Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Writers
- Christopher Kyle · screenplay; Louis Nowra · story
- Cast and characters
- Harrison Ford · Alexei Vostrikov; Liam Neeson · Mikhail Polenin; Peter Sarsgaard; Joss Ackland; Donald Sumpter; Christian Camargo; Michael Gladis; John Shrapnel
- Genres
- historical; submarine; disaster; drama
- Themes
- sacrifice; loyalty; nuclear war; survival
- Tone and mood
- tense; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- Cold War; nuclear disaster; submarine; historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- Huchthausen, Peter. K-19, The Widowmaker: The Secret Story of The Soviet Nuclear Submarine. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2002.
- Content notes
- death
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with praise for the acting and atmosphere but criticism of the screenplay. It was a box-office failure, earning significantly less than its production budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · scale: percentage · review count: 170; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The nickname 'The Widowmaker' was only used in the film; in reality, the submarine was nicknamed 'Hiroshima'.; The film was one of the most expensive independent films to-date.; The submarine portrayed was the K-77, which is now a museum ship.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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