StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Palaest recommended

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

imdb-45 I wanted to like this film. Sadly it got off to a bad start when all the actors decided to play fast and loose or not at all with their Russian accent. It was as if they tried to do something at the beginning and then said "aw... screw it. we aren't fooling anyone" and then dropped the accent entirely most of the time. You can put it behind you eventually but it's a sign about how sloppy this film is made.The premise is that Ford's character is a bit of a bully who will take out of proportion risks and endanger the lives of everyone on board to prove his point. I did not see any resolution between Ford and Neeson's character. And in terms of what plays out that I won't say - I never saw it coming. And that's only because where the film went was not what the prior time led you to believe. In fact, everything pointed in the other direction until it felt like Hollywood stepped in because the script said "insert turning point here" and then the characters had to pretend as if this was the natural next sequence of events. It wasn't.The special effects are fine and the submarine shots reasonably good. But the repair involved was also ridiculous. It was as almost as if they ran out of budget and would show you the same thing, with everyone having a go at what they were fixing which seemed more like "designated piece of metal". OK, we'll get beyond that but it still bears notice as you watch repeated scenes of the same thing as if to convey a sense of emotional impact on certain characters - which I didn't find credible.This is nowhere near Das Boot to feel the tension. And it's not really meant to be. And as a "based on a true story" it's very, very lightly based on the true story. Most of the acting is fine but the script is a real problem. And I don't think Harrison Ford would have himself cast as anything else but smelling like roses. And that's also disappointing. At no point do I think the conclusion of this film is even remotely foreseeable because the natural flow of the characters and events simply doesn't get you there. It's done solely to keep the audience guessing what happens next and the very artificial Hollywood studios twist makes for a mediocre, phony feeling film that certainly would only stand up for one viewing, at best.

juneebuggy I'd seen this years ago but enjoyed it way more this time around when I caught it on the History channel. Complete edge of your seat viewing. Harrison Ford is still kind of lame with his dubious Russian accent but Liam Neeson is great as the other nuclear sub Captain. We also have Peter Sarsgaard and Kris Holden-Ried as the Geiger-counting Russian sailor.The movie starts slowly, but gets progressively more exciting as we follow the USSR's first nuclear submarine, which suffers a malfunction in its nuclear reactor during its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961 -the height of the cold war.The story becomes intense and incredible. With the most memorable scenes being that of the radiation. The scene where the boys are going into the nuclear reactor to fix it gave me goosebumps. The courage it must have taken, especially the second group to go in after they had just seen the first ones return, after only 10 minutes. The state of them blind, puking, burned, essentially melting. Scary stuff and portrayed really well.That this is a true story and that it could so easily have escalated into an all out war... of misunderstanding, is mind boggling to me. I was also surprised that this event took place in 1961 because in the great scheme of things that's not so long ago. 07.11

tristintheshyman This movie was originally suggested to me by my father, and at first I thought it was going to be some boring, predictable film. I was presently surprised by how good this film was. The acting was impeccable, the action was unpredictable, and lasted for a very good while,and was hurled at you very quickly. The emotional scenes did their job, and the suspense kept me grabbing on my seat waiting to see what happened. That being said it is not perfect. Who the bad guy is is never really established, and there seems to be almost too much suspense and I waited for a long time for the plot to be resolved. There are scenes, which may be historically accurate, but are irrelevant to the plot itself. Finally, the action, which I mentioned earlier, does not really occur until at least 1/3 of the way through. These do not take away from the movie that much and it is definitely worth the two hours of watching it.

Jeffrey-Pugh Everything about this movie could have been great. The plot arc is well done, with the hints of Soviet incompetence and inefficiency hinted at the beginning and coming back to hurt them later.It's a gripping story with the outcome uncertain until the end. The interplay between the main characters is well done, with fine supporting performances. Even Harrison Ford's limited facial expressions (how many does he have? 3?) is not an impediment as the rigid captain.Unfortunately, Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson just do a terrible (and inconsistent) job of their Russian accents and once you notice it (30 seconds in) it's impossible to shake. With better actors and with better voices I would have given this a 9.