2002, 2 hrs 15 min., Rated PG-13 for disturbing images.�Dir: Kathryn Bigelow. Cast: Harrison Ford (Cpt. Alexi Vostrikov), Liam Neeson (Capt. Mikhail Polenin).

I am displeased with K-19, and not just because I think the title sounds like a climbing-dangerous-mountains-in-the-Himalays flick. No, The Widowmaker is one of those times you forget favorites like Das Boot or Hunt for Red October and think, "seen one submarine flick, seen them all."

Sure, the characters are likable enough. The acting's fine, there's some dramatic life-and-death struggle that is interesting enough and should have had me much more attentive since K-19 is based on a true story (of Russia's first nuclear ballistic submarine, which suffered a malfunction in its nuclear reactor on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961), but it seemed to be drawn out. I got bored. The ending went on much beyond what it should have, trying to draw on a sympathy for the characters that I didn't feel. It's not as if I can't have feelings for what in reality would be the enemy, the Russians in 1961, since I did just that for the Germans in Das Boot, but I couldn't conjure up much compassion for the sailors aboard K-19.

Maybe it was just trying to hard. For one thing, the script treats the viewers as idiots. The film keeps reminding us that, hey, these guys are Russian! Look, the film's font uses the blocky red letters, that sailor is doing the Russian dance where you squat and kick! When the bottle doesn't smash upon the dedication of the boat, instead of relying on the frightened looks of the sailors, you have to have one say they are 'cursed.' I would never have figured that out!

Another problem is that I don't remember any of the large cast besides the two main players, Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Everyone else is the same face, a Yuri here, a Sergei there, a lot of guys with last names that end in Vs, but no one whose name I remember with a face. But at least Ford and Neeson seemed to be trying, and put some effort into their parts, regardless of how well, or poorly, they pull off Russian accents.

It's not any particular situation that was formulaic, since there were some original scenes that I was quite fond of, but maybe I wasn't in the mood for self-perceived hokey dialogue of duty and heroes. Since I'm a lover of military films and as patriotic as they come, this surprised me. But I just wasn't connected with these Russians.

And in the end, if I can't feel anything for the people on screen for two-and-a-half hours, then it's not worth my time.