K-19: The Widowmaker in 4k

[Barry]

K-19: The Widowmaker in 4k


I enjoyed this movie very much and give it a very good rating. This is a submarine movie that takes place in the year 1961, on a Russian sub.  When thinking about what’s in all  submarine movies (someone always dies in the first 15 minutes, they always lose radio contact, there’s always something that will self-destruct on the ship) I realized that Star Trek II was a submarine movie.

Based on a true story , this is about the crew of a nuclear sub, taking it out for its initial voyage. Liam Neeson plays the original captain who is replaced by Harrison Ford.  Neeson becomes second in command.They both do an excellent job and Ford has never had a role like this before or since.

Of course everything that can go wrong goes wrong and the movie is about how the crew handles emergency situations and how the two captains must learn to work together . I just found the movie, totally absorbing and compelling.

I understand that it did not do well at the box office . A major reason, as I understand it, is that this was a nuclear submarine being launched by the Russians  in  opposition to the Americans, and therefore many people saw it as taking the wrong political side..

Honestly, I didn’t see that very much. I saw it as a movie showing a crew learning to work together to solve very many problems. The Russian government here was more of an obstacle than an ally. Again, you wanted to see the men survive and succeed.

For me, the video was impressive. The skin colors and details of the faces were far better than they were on the Blu-ray. And the DTS five channel sound was immersive, every pun intended.  

I especially like the ending, which I will not spoil for you. It was not political. It was just very emotional. . 

[SRW1000]

Agreed, this is a really good movie, focusing on the humanity of the characters and how they react to a dire situation.

I'll have to watch for the 4K; sounds like a worthy upgrade.  Thanks for the review.

[David Vaughn]

Thanks Barry. I saw this years ago and should revisit it at some point. 

[Paul Heroy]

Yes, thanks for mentioning this Barry. I recall watching it sometime around the time it was released originally on home video - so that was probably on DVD. I suspect the 4K is a noticeable upgrade over that. 

This, Red October & Das Boot are my favorite submarine movies I've seen. They were made in 2002, 1990 and 1981 respectively. Not a lot of these.

I've heard good things about a French movie "The Wolf's Call" but never watched it. It's on Prime.

[Barry]

Yes, thanks for mentioning this Barry. I recall watching it sometime around the time it was released originally on home video - so that was probably on DVD. I suspect the 4K is a noticeable upgrade over that.

This, Red October & Das Boot are my favorite submarine movies I've seen. They were made in 2002, 1990 and 1981 respectively. Not a lot of these.

I've heard good things about a French movie "The Wolf's Call" but never watched it. It's on Prime.

I loved Red October. I’ll,check out Wolf’s Call. Thanks  for mentioning it.

[David Vaughn]

I loved Red October. I’ll,check out Wolf’s Call. Thanks  for mentioning it.

Red October is the only Clancy adaptation that captured the essence of the book. All of the other films were shallow by comparison--yes, they were entertaining, but they didn't have to depth of Red October.