Movies about submarines have always been popular. There is something enthralling about the thought of cold steel sinking through the claustrophobic depths of the sea to arouse the imagination and intensify the harrowing escapes real men have gone through in war and peacetime. Following in the long tradition set by The Hunt for Red October, K:19 The Widowmaker follows the story of a Russian nuclear submarine and its crew at the height of the Cold War.

The Americans are ahead in their defenses with an arsenal built up of nuke-delivering submarines while Russia struggles financially to keep up. Their first working sub comes in the form of K:19, under the dictation of her captain, Polenin. But improper maintenance and untrained crew leave K:19 in less than flawless working order. Mother Russia is not pleased. Polenin is replaced by Captain Vostrikov, and K:19 leaves port for some extensive training time in the open sea. They are to put her through her paces and detonate a practice missile. Vostrikov is a much more stern and demanding captain than his predecessor, who remains on the ship as second in command. He puts the crew through brutal morning exercises, simulating fires, emergency dives, and fusion leaks. Forcing the ship to near-crush depth in one of these practice sessions, his priorities and those of Polenin violently collide. The secondary officer places his men before Russia's tests; for Vostrikov, loyalty to the Mother Country is all that matters.

On board are a number of promising young men... but K:19 has earned herself the reputation as 'The Widowmaker.' Five men died working on her even before leaving port. The resident cook is run over by a truck. The champagne bottle designated to send off the submarine did not break. Accidents occur below decks -- a man's hand is badly mangled, another falls and cuts himself on machinery during a drill. Everyone believes it's a suicide mission. Delivering nuclear missiles through icy waters, they are told to patrol the Northern Atlantic within firing range at the United States. But something has gone wrong... horribly wrong... one of the nuclear valves has been lacerated. K:19 has become the largest floating nuclear bomb in the world. Many consider this film a guy thing, and I can see why. Submarines and navel officers appeal more to the masculine side of humanity. However, women can also appreciate stories of courage, nobility, and self-sacrifice.

This is why they have made up an almost equal half of the audience who goes to see The Lord of the Rings films -- full of orcs, battles, and an almost all-male cast. K:19 has this kind of moral core. Although it is essentially a thriller catered toward men, anyone who enjoys a good wartime sub drama will enjoy it. If you're not a fan of claustrophobic depths, skip it. It has its flaws but also its merits. It's not a film I would watch more than once, but I'm not sorry for having seen it once. The acting is almost stellar, which is fortunate because the film suffers from a slow-moving plot. Despite the imminent danger on board the ship, the pace seems to crawl. Liam Neeson manages to keep it afloat merely by his Shakespearian presence. He not only makes a very likable secondary captain in the way he treats his men but also manages to pull off a convincing Russian accent. Not so, I'm sorry to say, for Harrison Ford. I've come to the conclusion that the role of Vostrikov would have been better cast elsewhere. Ford just doesn't have the temperamental intensity needed; Jason Isaacs would have been more convincing. The rest of the cast fills in nicely and the sets are extremely realistic -- based on actual schematics of Russian submarines in that era. (Neeson had a heck of a time squeezing through the built-to-scale set with his six foot, four inch frame.)

Now for the flaws, which are miniscule but still worth noting. The soundtrack is sometimes grating. Language is shockingly absent. There are two profanities. That's it. No abuse of deity, no harsh profanity. The world must be flat -- a war film with no language! Other elements make up for it. Violence isn't overly graphic but present. A man is briefly shown being run over by a truck. One of the crew gets his hand caught in a chain with some bloody results. Another man strikes his head on a piece of machinery and is knocked unconscious. It's the reaction to radio active waves that become the most painful to watch. The men are sent to repair the valve in teams of two. They come out badly burnt (with flushed and often bloody skin) and nauseous. Several times they throw up on-screen. The extent of sexual content comes in the form of a mild innuendo and an occasion when the crewmen moon a helicopter from above deck. Religion is subtly absent, although one crewman is seen several times clutching a crucifix.

Having been thrust into a terrible situation, the crew stand together and risk their lives for the good of everyone on board ship... and essentially, their mother country. I admire patriotism in whatever form it comes; one cannot help admiring these Russians for their loyalty despite the fact that they've been dealt a bad hand by Russia herself. Cowards become heroes. Men die for one another. Even the two captains learn to work together and respect one another. It's not the best submarine film afloat but certainly is worth some praise.