Critic Reviews
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) Rank 3 Reviews
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based on (267) reviews
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San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
I had an anecdote written for the opening paragraph of this review, but after reading it, I decided that it spoiled the movie somewhat. Many viewers will probably be so wholly unfamiliar with the real-life events of the voyage of the K-19 that even if I w ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
filmcritic.com (Margaret Berry)
Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
Movie Gazette (Andrea Chee)
Moda Magazine (Brian Orndorf)
artechock (Rüdiger Suchsland)
ComingSoon.net (Scott Chitwood)
Out of all the sub movies ever made, this is one of the better ones. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at ComingSoon.net (Scott Chitwood)
Slate (David Edelstein)
Impressive and heartfelt. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
The New York Times (A.O. Scott)
(Director Bigelow) piles up one nerve-racking crisis after another, interspersed with moments of ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at The New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
A taut historical thriller in the tradition of Das Boot . ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
Part fact and part fiction, K-19: The Widowmaker is both a compelling psychological drama and a suspenseful thrill ride. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
New York Times (A.O. Scott)
A tense, swift drama of mechanical catastrophe and dueling egos. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)
May be a bit too grim and claustrophobic to become a certifiable summer blockbuster, but it's a pulse-pounding thriller that brings one of the Cold War's darkest and deadliest episodes to the big screen. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Cinenganos (Luis Martinez)
Harrison Ford logra una actuación magnífica (una de las mejores de su carrera). ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Cinenganos (Luis Martinez)
UTK Daily Beacon (Greg Tershansy)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Washington Post (Desson Howe)
ninth symphony films
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Reel Criticism - Honest Reviews!
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Christian Science Monitor
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
La Presse, Montréal (--)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
There is one surprise in the movie, a decision having nothing to do with the reactor, that depends entirely on the ability of the characters to act convincingly under enormous pressure; casting stars of roughly equal weight helps it to work. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
The movie gradually works its way, with quiet intelligence and apparent conviction, until there's no turning from it. An hour in, and we're on that boat. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Bigelow gives this film edge, tension and something you aren't expecting: a woman's touch for teasing out the buried emotion beneath those stoic surfaces. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Certain plot developments are gruesome, and the story works all the more for them. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
It's not your Dad's submarine melodrama, and, for the most part, it's exciting stuff. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Never before have I seen a men-of-war film more notable for its psychology than its spectacle. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
At its best, it almost makes you feel proud to have been a Soviet communist, -- even if you weren't. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
Tampa Tribune (Bob Ross)
Director Kathryn Bigelow ( Strange Days, Near Dark ) does justice to their secret story, conveying claustrophobia with conviction while showing us that patriotism, sacrifice and duty are valued on both sides of a war, cold or otherwise. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Tampa Tribune (Bob Ross)
sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)
Not the greatest sub movie but a very good one ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at sbs.is (Stefan Birgir Stefansson)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
The inevitable outcome doesn't deter the drama. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Jack Zink)
[An] action potboiler on the bottom rung of memorable sub warfare's cinematic deck ladder, with RSRD in the middle and Das Boot at the top. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Jack Zink)
San Jose Mercury News (Glenn Lovell)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
As intelligent as it is suspenseful. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
A relentlessly serious action movie, characterized by, of all things, sorrow. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
I don't think that a woman behind the camera necessarily affects the tenor of what is on screen, but never before have I seen a men-of-war film more notable for its psychology than its spectacle. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
K-19 will not go down in the annals of cinema as one of the great submarine stories, but it is an engaging and exciting narrative of Man confronting the Demons of his own fear and paranoia. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
filmcritic.com (Margaret Berry)
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
... A taut, skillfully-executed thriller anchored by two rock-solid leading men. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
eFilmCritic.com (Andrew Howe)
If you can ignore the first hour you’ll be privy to a gut-wrenching and thought-provoking experience. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Andrew Howe)
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
In the end, it's fear of the bomb that drives this boat. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
ToxicUniverse.com (John Beachem)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
As a grueling "trip" movie and cautionary tale of the nuclear age, K-19 fits the bill. The harsh depiction of everyday life in the Soviet navy and numerous scenes of seamen exposing themselves to lethal doses of radiation are profoundly disturbing. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Yet despite all this, something feels a little off about K-19. In its effort to go against type, it drains the story of some of its impetus. We're told that the reactor leak has cataclysmic implications, yet we never feel the weight of such a ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
The Popkorn Junkie
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
K-19: The Widowmaker is a war movie without a war, or at least without a hot war. Like Crimson Tide and Thirteen Days, the film uses the backdrop of a potential nuclear holocaust to generate a powerful sense of escalating tension. And that's not the only ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Movies involving submarines have the logic of chess: The longer the game goes, the fewer the possible remaining moves. "K-19: The Widowmaker" joins a tradition that includes "Das Boot" and "The Hunt for Red October" and goes all the way back to "Run Silen ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
JaxMovies (Baley Conover)
The Hot Button (David Poland)
CultureDose.net (John Beachem)
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
Juicy Cerebellum (Alex Sandell)
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Rich Rosell)
Film Monthly (Hank Yuloff)
CountingDown.com (Larry Carroll)
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
allesfilm.com (Thomas Taborsky)
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
Popkorn Junkie's Review
Moving Pictures @ Cin3ma
Movie House Commentary
IndependentCritics.com (TC Candler)
B Fatt. & Lazy Movie Reviews
filmdeculte.com (Marlène Weil)
CinemaScreen (James Salter)
The Trades (Alex Keen)
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The Net-Monster's review
Matinee Magazine (Nick Schager)
It's simply incapable of overcoming its leading man's leaden performance. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Matinee Magazine (Nick Schager)
Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
While the film deals with serious issues based on fact, its emotional tone is too solemn. All hands aboard K-19 seem to have deluded themselves into believing that they're making an American Das Boot . ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX) (Danny Minton)
The director chose to keep rubbing it in our faces that these men suffered and were heroes. This over-indulgence was completely unnecessary... ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX) (Danny Minton)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
The film doesn't sink, but it springs a few substantial leaks. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
An untested bucket of bolts that was such a jokeavitch, it's no stretch to say that it was a sinking coffinavitch. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
eye WEEKLY (Kim Linekin)
DVD Town (Yunda Eddie Feng)
Charity's Place review
Frank's Reel Reviews
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Movie-Vault.com (Scott Spicciati)
Zertinet Movies Review
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Remains an above-average and affecting descent into both heretofore unknown Soviet naval history and the always popular submarine-in-peril genre. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
MovieEye.com (Gareth Von Kallenbach)
DVD-Dweeb.Com (Oliver Korioth)
Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Boston Phoenix
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
BBC Films (Jason Best)
LowComDom Online Film Reviews
DVD Verdict (Rob Lineberger)
MovieJuice! (Mark Ramsey)
Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
It took guts to bring this story to the screen, but at its core it has the wrong stuff. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
The Cold War isn't exactly a hot ticket right now, but K-19 punches up the timeless aspects of the story -- adventure, danger, teamwork, noble self-sacrifice and two forceful actors butting heads, even if you don't buy them as Russian for a moment. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
Despite its exciting moments, the film is too long. ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Kathryn Bigelow's K-19: The Widowmaker suffered from a mid-summer release when it should have been saved for the more "serious" fall movie season. Viewers expected thrills, but instead K-19 delivers cold, hard veracity. Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson play ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Liam Neeson, a bit more trained in the methods of acting, doesn't do much better at inspiring sympathy from the audience or at the Russian accent. This is a film of men -- not a single female in the cast -- doing manly things like fixing reactor ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Paramount Pictures pulled a bit of a fast one with K-19. The ads suggest a submarine thriller in the vein of Red October, a crackling two hours locking the haunted Liam Neeson and the steely-eyed Harrison Ford in a tin can together. The reality is a ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
With uncommon ineptitude even by the standards of contemporary action flicks, Kyle's script submerges the inherently dramatic tale of the K-19 under a pile of clichés, while failing to tell you enough about the characters for their actions to make ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
Entertainment Weekly
What's really needed is a story with some sizzle, but Bigelow, in K-19, can't seem to decide whether she's making a shoot-the-works underwater rouser, like ''U-571'' or ''Crimson Tide,'' or a lofty historical message movie that hits us with the breaking ...read the complete K-19: The Widowmaker movie review at Entertainment Weekly
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
CinemaSpeak.com (Dan Tester)
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