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It's 1961 and Cold War tensions are running high. Each side is escalating the threat to ensure that the other does not achieve a strategic advantage. The balance of power and the certainty of mutually assured destruction maintain an uneasy peace. The United States has put to sea a nuclear submarine capable of firing thermonuclear tipped missiles. The sub patrols international waters in the vicinity of the Soviet Union, greatly reducing flight times to Russian cities. The Soviets feel compelled to respond in kind, and rushes its newest and untested nuclear submarine out of dry-dock and out to sea. It is commanded by Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford), who replaces the original captain, Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson).

Polenin has been complaining bitterly about the state of the boat, bug ridden and plagued with defective parts. His concern for his crew takes precedence over satisfying the Politburo. The price he pays is to be reduced to Executive Officer under Vostrikov. This sets up a psychological struggle between these two officers and among the crew, who resent their captain's replacement. It helps little that Vostrikov drives the crew hard to improve their performance and test the boat. Their orders take them under the polar ice cap to a position where they can test fire one of their missiles. This is to verify operational status and demonstrate to the Americans that they have not achieved an advantage. The balance must be maintained.

After a successful test firing, the Captain and crew expected to be ordered back to port to complete repairs and outfitting. Much to everyone's dismay, they are ordered to proceed to the waters off the Northeastern coast of the United States to patrol between New York and Washington, D.C. Before they reach their patrol zone, a cooling unit fails within one of the sub's two nuclear reactors. Damping rods aren't sufficient to shut down the reactor, cooling is also required. The fissionable material begins to heat up, threatening a melt down or possibly a spontaneous detonation. If the sub's warheads detonate as a result, the blast would yield several megatons, very likely destroying a U.S. Navy destroyer that had been shadowing the boat. Inadvertently taking that ship out could trigger a very nasty American retaliation.

Vostrikov could surface his boat, put his crew on life rafts, and scuttle the sub, but he does not want his crew interrogated by the enemy and his sense of duty won't permit abandoning his command. Nor can he ask for the assistance from the Americans; he doesn't want this newest Soviet technology falling into American hands. He is left with only one option, to repair the reactor, a task that will surely mean certain death for some of his crew. The reactor repair is difficult to watch. Men are “volunteered” to take ten-minute shifts in the contaminated reactor, exposed to high-radiation while wearing little protection. The effects of radiation sickness are, to say the least, unpleasant.

Director Kathryn Bigelow maintains an unbearable tension as the desperate officers and crew struggle within the claustrophobic confines of the sub. It's actually quite impressive how she manages surprisingly dynamic shots within such a restricted space (we'll learn how she managed that trick in one of the supplements). Ford and Neeson are excellent in their portrayals of officers with diametrically opposed styles. Ford's Vostrikov is by-the-book and puts the mission before the welfare of the crew; Neeson's Polenin puts the crew and the boat before the mission, and his loyalty to his men earns their affection and support. These two men clash, and each will be the better for the influence of the other. The actors made an interesting choice, to speak with Russian accents; each star is so recognizable that this dramatic ploy helps the viewer accept the characters.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. This is a very nice transfer with the exception of frequently present edge halos. Color accuracy, based on fleshtones, is excellent. There is no noticeable chroma noise or smearing, and there is certainly ample opportunity for such flaws within the primary red of Soviet symbolism. Some of the scenes within the sub are understandably dark, and the shadow detail during those sequences is quite good. Textures and small object detail are fine, despite the halos. I noticed no compression artifacts.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is first-rate. Sound effects are conveyed with little compression. Deep bass shakes the room. Surround effects immerse the viewer in the action and in the water, such as external shots of the boat submerging into the Atlantic. This non-EX mix definitely benefits from EX decoding. For example, during the test firing of the Soviet ballistic missile, it streaks directly up toward the viewer and flies by. The sound pans correctly from the center front to the center surround. Klaus Badelt's thoughtful and involving score is presented across a broad soundstage with pleasing fidelity. The dialog remains crystal clear throughout.

An alternative English track is available in Dolby Surround 2.0. The alternative language is in French. The audio is supported by subtitles in French and English for which Closed Captions are also provided.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth may be heard in a screen-specific audio commentary. They begin with an extended discussion of their experiences in Russia and their visit to a naval base in particular. They nicely segue into descriptions of the experience of serving aboard a Soviet nuclear submarine, which provokes a conversation about how one shoots a film in such a confined space while keeping the dynamics active. The K-19 was reproduced as a complex series of sets that was either shot with cameras on cunningly disguised tracks hanging from the overhead bulkhead or from a boom when the set was opened and mounted on gimbals to simulate motion. The confined space was a challenge to light and we learn a bit of how that was done. This is a casual and informative commentary, made more entertaining by some anecdotes from the shoot. I was impressed with the level of research that went into this movie, but please give Ms. Bigalow the benefit of the doubt as she describes highly radioactive water molecules as moving faster than light. After all, she's not a nuclear physicist; she's a filmmaker.

There are four full screen featurettes on this disc with an aggregate running time of 42:43. The Making if K-19 The Widowmaker (20:15) is the first featurette. Here the historical incident and the plot of the show is explained through the eyes of the stars and the filmmakers. We catch glimpses of how some of the physical effects were accomplished and the techniques that permitted the filmmakers to effectively shoot in such a claustrophobic environment. We're brought behind the scenes on location and the principals describe their experiences in the former Soviet Union; they were particularly surprised that they were permitted access to locations that would have been highly restricted less than a decade ago. During his publicity tour for the film, Harrison Ford enjoyed telling the story of how the production located and purchased for a great sum of money for a Juliett-class diesel submarine that had, unbeknownst to the producers, been up for sale on e-Bay. In this most fascinating sequence, we're shown how this dilapidated boat was made seaworthy, extended, and reshaped to conform to the profile of the K-19.

Exploring the Craft: Make-up Techniques (5:27) highlights two specific make-ups, one for the effects of aging and the other for the effects of radiation exposure. Breaching the Hull (5:10) focuses on how miniatures were applied to create the special effects shots of the K-19. We're given an insight into precisely how a specific shot was accomplished, the sub surfacing through the polar ice cap. And It's in the Details (11:51) emphasizes the research and the efforts to bring a high level of accuracy to the show. The filmmakers obtained the original blueprints for the K-19 and recreated the interior of the boat as a series of sets. The Russians were remarkably cooperative, providing technical advisors, access to formerly restricted locations, and access to the submariners who were onboard during the incident.

The 1.85:1 theatrical trailer (2:32) is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen video. The 137-minute feature is organized into sixteen chapters.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts