Harrison Ford steps into a different sort of heroic action role in this suspense-drama, based on a true story. In 1961, with America and the Soviet Union locked in the bitter struggle of the Cold War, the Soviets initiated a crash course to build and launch their first ballistic nuclear submarine to stand against America's seagoing nuclear arsenal. While Capt. Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) had initially been put in charge of the sub, after lengthy delays and numerous mechanical failures, military chief Marshal Zelentstov (Joss Ackland) dropped Polenin down a rung in the chain of command and named tough-as-nails Capt. Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) commander of the ship. While Polenin's pride is stung when Vostrikov is named skipper, his greatest concern is that the ship is unsafe and not yet ready for launch; Vostrikov and Zelentstov supersede his objections, and the sub sets sail on schedule. However, Polenin's fears prove to be horribly prescient; as they sail beneath the waters near the United States' Eastern Seaboard, the ship's nuclear reactor goes haywire at sea, and experiences a near meltdown. Polenin and Vostrikov realize that a nuclear disaster aboard the sub is a very real possibility, which could not only send a deadly dose of radiation across America's East Coast, but could result in an explosion (and subsequent missile release) that would likely launch World War III. The adversarial Polenin and Vostrikov must set aside their differences and sacrifice their own safety in the interest of protecting innocent lives around the world. K-19: The Widowmaker also stars Peter Sarsgaard, John Shrapnel, and Donald Sumpter.