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Created Jul 04, 2012 11:21AM PST • Edited Jul 04, 2012 11:21AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Widow maker indeed. If you thought you already know how stressful things are on a wartime submarine? Try a nuclear submarine with a reactor failure. Starting with the champagne bottle that would not break at the christening, you knew things were going to go badly for the sea trials of K-19, Russia’s first ballistic missile nuclear submarine. A tough but empathetic Captain Polenin (Neeson) gets things going, but the Russians wanted to take no chances, so they brought in the tough as nails Captain Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) to make sure things stayed on schedule despite lots of, um, glitches. Not only did he get things moving, but he unleashed endless stressful drills designed to get the crew in shape. ‘Widow Maker’ ends up being a wonderfully tense and dramatic sub mariner’s tale, with great acting and exposure to the pressures (both physical and political) that the Russians faced at the time.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   Liam Neeson makes a great sub captain, and until they brought Harrison Ford on board, I thought he was the It-Man. Harrison then trumps him, big time. Of course, that isn’t really the acting, but the story. Both of them were great. I’d put them in a sub-movie any time. There were many other notables: Sam Spruel, Peter Stebbings, Michael Gladis, and pretty much the whole cast did a great job.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

11. Direction Very Good 3.5

12. Play Very Good 3.5

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Very Good 3.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 1.8

17. Sex Titillating 1.8

18. Violence Fierce 1.8

19. Rudeness Salty 1.8

21. Reality

    Glib 1.5

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.5

23. Biological Glib 1.5

24. Physical Glib 1.5