Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson star in a thrilling drama about what many believe to be the most dangerous time in global history. Not unlike today, it was a time when the only mechanism for peace was mutually assured destruction, and people around the world felt tension on a daily basis.

The story is inspired by a chilling event that happened in 1961 during the Cold War when the Soviet Union had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world two times over and the United States had the nuclear power to destroy the world ten times over. As schoolchildren were taught to “duck and cover” under their desks and parents built bomb shelters in their backyards, each nation continued to add to its nuclear stockpile…waiting for who would strike first.

K-19: The Widowmaker (2001) is not a film about war but about the courage it takes not to go to war. It is about military muscle, mind and heart. It is also about a world in which technology is king and sacrifice in the name of national security is common. It exemplifies the duty a soldier feels toward his nation and his countrymen, and lays bare the burden of responsibility a leader feels for those under his command. And finally, it is about how easily tragedies can occur in wartime or anytime by accident, by machine malfunction…or by human error.

Inspired by a true story, the film follows the heroism of Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take command of the nuclear missile submarine K-19 away from its original commander Captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson). Vostrikov’s mission is to quickly ready the ill-prepared sub for her maiden voyage -- no matter what the cost.

But Vostrikov, Polenin and K-19’s loyal crew can never imagine all that is expected of them. Neither can they fathom what the price of failure might be for them and for the world when a nuclear reactor malfunctions, threatening a core meltdown and an explosion that will certainly kill all aboard.

As they glide beneath the Arctic seas, it is the crew’s collective bravery and Vostrikov’s daring embrace of his duty toward his country and his men which will ultimately save K-19. . . And stave off what surely would have been a nuclear disaster.



Paramount Pictures and Intermedia Films present a National Geographic/Palomar Pictures/First Light/IMF Production, “K-19: The Widowmaker.”

Produced and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and Peter Sarsgaard. Joni Sighvatsson, Christine Whitaker and Edward S. Feldman serve as producers.

The executive producers are Harrison Ford, Nigel Sinclair, Moritz Borman and Guy East. Steven-Charles Jaffe and Basil Iwanyk are the co-producers. The screenplay is by Christopher Kyle from a story by Louis Nowra.

Release Date: 25 Oct
Distributor: UiP
Cert: 12
Running Time: 98 mins