K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

Ho-hum.

What should be an edge-of-your-seat story isn't in K-19: The Widowmaker.

The 2002 thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) is "inspired by actual events." What a story to draw from. Russia's first nuclear submarine is riddled with problems in 1961, including a reactor that fails and potentially threatens all the crew if not the world if it explodes.

Instead, we get a feature that feels like a lot of others. Young sailor looks at a photograph of his girlfriend. He must be doomed to die. Check.

Previous submarine captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) gets bumped because he became angry when a test run of the ship's missile launching capabilities fails because of shoddy workmanship. Crew considers him to still be the skipper. Check.

New captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) makes no friends with his demanding style. "Much is expected of us. We will not fail," he vows. Vostrikov takes the sub, and his men, to the brink. Will he be turfed? Check.

Oh, can't forget the mournful singing when something bad happens, particularly sailors tapped to fix the nuclear reactor wearing inadequate protection.

The confrontation between crew and skipper, when it finally comes, feels Grade A phony.

There's the occasional standout moment. The sub's crew playing soccer on the ocean's ice is one. A laundry line hanging from the sub is another.

For sub thrillers, I'll stick with Wolfgang Petersen's das boot.

RATING: 6/10

FUN FACTS: Several cast members (Sam Spruell, Christian Camargo, Sam Redford) from K-19: The Widowmaker
reunited with Bigelow for the much-better The Hurt Locker.

The Conversation (1974)

Harry Caul makes a good living by not asking questions about what his clients want.

Based in San Francisco, Caul (Gene Hackman) is a surveillance expert, revered by others in the business for the quality of his work and the equipment he creates to do his job.

Trouble is, Caul has a conscience that is starting to interfere with his work. He's already bothered by an earlier assignment that resulted in two people being murdered.

A job to record a conversation between a young couple in a public square causes him to cross a line and get involved with what he hears.

Caul is convinced something will happen to Mark and Ann (Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams) if he doesn't intervene.

The stress he's facing on the job isn't helped by what's happening in his personal life.

His girlfriend, Amy (Teri Garr) is frustrated by how she little she knows about Harry's life. She appears to be a bit of a ditz, but Amy notices how Harry likes to watch her.

Another big name in the surveillance world, Bernie Moran (Allen Garfield), is eager to join forces with Harry, get access to the tools he has conjured up, while also reminding him of that earlier incident that led to lives being lost.

Harry makes a point - as Amy notes - of not letting others know about his personal life. Birthday wishes from other tenants, and signs colleagues and foes are watching him causes his life to start falling apart.

Director Francis Ford Coppola made The Conversation between the first and second Godfather films. This drama from 1974 features a much smaller world and cast of characters. Hackman stands out in a film that can be uncomfortable to watch. Harry is on the edge and The Conversation's final moments are disturbing to see.

Harrison Ford makes an early screen appearance as Martin Stett, a right-hand man to the director of, well I think it's a business. His name doesn't appear in the credits, but this veteran of other Coppola films including Apocalypse Now should be identifiable.

See this film - and give a listen to Coppola's commentary.

RATING: 9/10

The Conversation was nominated for three Academy Awards - best picture, screenplay and sound.

Elizabeth MacRae was Lou-Ann Poovie, girlfriend of Gomer Pyle, USMC.

The Conversation marks the film debut of Mark Wheeler.

Air Force One (1997)

Watching Air Force One now is a whole other story.

This thriller from director Wolfgang Petersen was released in 1997, four years before a series of terrorist attacks killed 3,000 Americans in September 2001.

It's chilling to see this fictional story set on board Air Force One, used to transport the President of the United States, when planes were used in the 9/11 attacks.

Air Force One is a good, not great, thriller with its share of implausible moments. Here's one, how could so many bullets be fired with no damage to the plane's shell or windows? Two, just how many shells are in weapons used by the American president?

The story is one Hollywood keeps exploring because it's an exciting concept. Bad guys are thwarted by a hero who evades them and mucks up their plans. Think Die Hard and Passenger 57.

But, boy, there's some whoppers in this film. How does terrorist Ivan Korshunov and his henchman get on board? They wipe out a Russian television crew and assume their identities. But how does Korshunov's thumb pass a scan test? The tight security on Air Force One really looks like a joke with such easy access for the villains.

Give marks to Air Force One for a plot with a bit of an edge. President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) rouses a crowd in Russia with his decision, not vetted with this advisers beforehand, that there will be no negotiating with terrorists. "It's your turn to be afraid," he says. This declaration follows the capture of General Alexander Radek (Jurgen Prochnow), a Russian nationalist tied to all kinds of violence. Marshall's vow is put to the test when his wife, Grace (Wendy Crewson) and daughter Alice (Liesel Matthews) are taken hostage on board Air Force One.

Marshall is supposedly safe after an escape pod is expelled from his aircraft. But, the American president is an American Vietnam veteran, not a coward. He's stayed on board, unknown to the terrorists who want him captured, and works to retake Air Force One.

Back in Washington, Marshall's cabinet tries to figure out what to do. Poor Glenn Close. As Vice President Kathryn Bennett, she doesn't look all that decisive. She's also taking flack from Defense Secretary Walter Dean (Dean Stockwell) who's itching to have Marshall declared incapacitated so he can be removed as America's leader. This subplot really drags down the film. Dean foams at the mouth with his actions.

Oldman is a good villain, but his occasional shrieks either suggest madness or a guy who just can't contain his emotions. It strikes me as a little overblown. Korshunov continues the Hollywood villain tradition of keeping hostages alive rather than killing them to prove a point, ie. Don't mess with me and give me what I want.

There's a few laughs, mostly from Harrison Ford. William H. Macy, such a great actor, is largely wasted here as Major Caldwell.

Korshunov suggests Marshall isn't unlike Radek, opting to kill people who don't fit in with the American way. "That's what you do in the White House. You play God." Discuss.

I've ordered Passenger 57 from an Amazon associate. I haven't seen that movie in years. It'll be reviewed in early 2015. I'll be curious to see what I think of it compared to Air Force One.

RATING: 7/10

FUN FACTS: Prochnow starred in what is likely Petersen's best film, Das Boot. See it if you can. Petersen has not directed a film since Poseidon in 2006. Has he retired?

Liesel Matthews appeared in just three films. Air Force One was the second. n

Wow. William H. Macy was a critic in Somewhere in Time.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Finally, Indy, we meet.

I've seen all of the sequels, but never the original that launched the Indiana Jones series in 1981. Thanks to an old VHS copy found at Value Village last weekend, I finally watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition), one of Harrison Ford's most well-known characters come to life.

The experience was disappointing.

As a huge fan of Buster Crabbe's Flash Gordon, I'm all for contemporary movies that are inspired by serials made in the 1930s.

But, boy, I wished I laughed more and found the action scenes more jaw dropping.

University archeology professor Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is tapped to find the Ark of the Covenant, a repository for the Ten Commandments.

It's 1936 and the American government learns Nazi Germany is keen to scoop up all kinds of religious relics. Jones is up against rival Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman), a fellow archeologist who has opted to trade principles for profit.

Jones flies off to Nepal where he meets up with old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Her spirited performance is the film's highlight. Cairo is next, where Belloq and company are not quite in the right place to find said ark. Jones makes the right call. But the bad guys always seem to find out what he's up to.

Darts, rolling huge stones, fighter planes, snakes and a German sub (there's more), director Spielberg throws all kinds of obstacles in Indy's way. It's amazing what a little American ingenuity, a bullwhip and a handgun can do.

I'd advise not letting young ones watch this movie. The film's climax is awfully gruesome.

Internet Movie Database reports a fifth film featuring Indy is in the works. Ford is 72 now. I wonder how good that film will be.

RATING: 7/10

FUN FACTS: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition) won four Oscars, including visual effects and editing.