The
Hunt for Das Crimson Tide
The
submarine movie has carved a genre of its own
and I am one of its biggest fans. I loved 'Das
Boot', 'The Hunt for Red October', and 'Crimson
Tide'. As a result I was geared up and excited
to watch K19. Just hours after having watched
it, sitting here at my computer, I still can't
overcome how disappointing the film was. If ever
a film could be considered a rip-off or a host
of clichés, it's this one. Every single scene
has been copied from the classic submariner
movies above, or one of a dozen other disaster
flicks.
K19 plays more like Victorian melodrama or a
trashy beach novel. Overacting and standard
familiar dialog prevent us from feeling any of
the desired tension or emotion. I understand
that some scenes are seemingly obligatory on
submarine films... the 'crush depth scene', the
'fire drill scene', the 'addressing of the
troops scene', 'the cheering as they overcome
disaster scene' and on and on and on... you know
them all! But K19 just churns them out as if
they are obligatory and not because they are
necessary. The first hour of the film is
manufactured tension... none of it is actually
important, relevant or even the least bit tense.
The only time this film feels like it is on an
original and meaningful track is during the
radiation sequence, as the men bravely put
themselves in harms way. That was the only time
I forgot that I was watching a movie!!!
It's as if Kathryn Bigelow, the director, has
taken all the standard parts from all the
forerunners of the genre, tacked on an
incredibly forgettable score, added some
melodrama, and employed a generic and clichéd
script that you could write in your head before
you ever rip your ticket stub.
Those who are inexperienced movie goers,
especially those who have never seen the classic
submarine movies, may be impressed by this film.
But if you have had the pleasure of those
classics, you will be thoroughly depressed by
this recent addition to the genre.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
