''Hostile Waters'' is a British
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
television film about the loss of the
Soviet Navy's ''
K-219'', a Yankee I class nuclear ballistic missile sub. The film stars
Rutger Hauer as the commander of ''K-219'' and claims to be based on the true story, also described in the 1997
book of the same name. The film was produced by
World Productions for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
and
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, in association with Invision Productions and
UFA Filmproduktions. It was written by
Troy Kennedy Martin and directed by David Drury, and was first transmitted on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
on 26 July 1997.
Plot
In 1986, the
Soviet Navy submarine ''
K-219'' performs a
Crazy Ivan, and USS ''Aurora'' collides with her, causing a rupture of the seal on one of its ballistic missile tubes. The leaking seawater causes a corrosive reaction which floods the sub with toxic gas. The corrosive reaction starts a fire that floods the sub with more toxic gas, and smoke.
The captain surfaces the boat and moves the crew out to the deck, and attempts to vent the sub. The chief engineer informs the captain that the fire may cook off the nukes and cause a nuclear explosion. The launch doors are opened on the sub to vent smoke.
''Aurora'' ascertains that a fire is aboard ''K-219'', and informs
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
. The Pentagon, fearing radiological contamination of the
Eastern Seaboard, orders ''Aurora'' to prepare to sink ''K-219''. The fact that the launch doors are open on the
SLBM
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of whic ...
s causes consternation in
Washington D.C., with calls for the immediate sinking of the sub, should it appear to be preparing to launch.
The captain of ''K-219'' prepares a bold plan to dive with the launch doors open, to flood the missile bay and quench the fires. As the captain dives the sub, ''Aurora'' prepares to fire, assuming ''K-219'' is setting about to launch its missiles. After a brief but heated argument the U.S. commander is convinced to wait before launching and realises that the Soviet sub is diving, rather than launching its
SLBM
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of whic ...
s.
''K-219s tactic works, and the sub resurfaces with the fires out. A new crisis develops: Both nuclear reactors are overheating, and the cooling rods must be lowered manually by two crew members who have only limited oxygen left. The rods are lowered, and both reactors are shut down, averting disaster, but one crew member remains locked inside the reactor room, running out of oxygen. With seawater flooding the submarine, the captain of ''K-219'' decides to abandon ship. Throughout the crisis, Washington insists that no information on the possibility of
nuclear fallout along the eastern American coastline be leaked to the
Governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...
and no evacuation plans be activated to protect the population, in order not to derail the forthcoming
Reykjavik Summit between Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
and
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
.
Capt. Britanov and his surviving crew members return safely to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
with some crew decorated and he being dismissed from the navy. The Reykjavik Summit takes place as planned.
The film's postscript details that as a legacy almost a decade after the end of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, fifty one nuclear warheads and seven nuclear reactors from nuclear submarines litter the North Atlantic ocean floor.
Cast
*
Rutger Hauer as
Captain Igor Britanov
*
Martin Sheen as Aurora Skipper
*
Max von Sydow as Admiral Chernavin
*
Colm Feore
Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...
as Pshenishny
*
Rob Campbell
Rob or ROB may refer to:
Places
* Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia
* Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia
People
* Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn
* Rob ...
as
Sergei Preminin
*
Harris Yulin as Admiral Quinn
*
Regina Taylor as Lieutenant Curtis
*
John Rothman as Aurora Executive Officer
*
Michael Attwell as Kuzmenko
*
Dominic Monaghan as Sasha
*
Peter Guinness as Vladimirov
* James E. Kerr as Aznabaev
*
Alexis Denisof as John Baker
* Seamus McQuade as Helmsman
*
Paul Birchard
Paul Birchard is an American actor who lives in Finland. He has appeared in film, television, stage and radio productions, most notably as Bud in ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' with the Royal National Theatre, Ross in ''The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?'' at ...
as Torpedo Chief
* Oliver Marlo as Doctor
* Mark Drewry as Petrachkov
* Denzil Kilvington as Volnigbirov
*
Garry Cooper
Garry Cooper is an English actor.
He was born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, on 2 June 1955. Garry trained at Drama Centre, London and has worked extensively in film, television and theatre.
Filmography ...
as Gennady
* Frank Baker as Pumps
*
Richard Graham as Belikov
* Joachim Paul Assböck as Tigran Gasparian
* Alexander Wachholz as Martinov
* David King as Admiral 2nd Class
*
Todd Boyce
Todd Boyce (born July 1, 1961) is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Stephen Reid in the successful soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1996 to 1997, 2007 and again from 2022.
Early life
Todd ...
as Larry Brock
*
Michael Shannon as Admiral
* Sanja Spengler as Britanov's Wife
*
Philip Martin Brown
Philip Martin Brown (born 9 July 1956) is a British actor from Manchester. He is known for his long-running portrayal of English teacher Grantly Budgen in the hit BBC One school-based drama series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road'', w ...
as Cook
* J.J. Gordon as Officer 4
* Lawrence Elman as Officer
* Erik Hansen as Naval Marshall
* William Marsh as Acoustics Officer
* Rainer Sellien as Technician
* Norbert Tefelski as Admiral / Engineer
* Felix zu Knyphausen as Sonar Operator
* Frank Witter as Russian Submarine Soldier (uncredited)
External links
*{{IMDb title, id=0119320, title=Hostile Waters
1997 television films
1997 films
Cold War submarine films
Films about survivors of seafaring accidents or incidents
HBO Films films
Films shot at Pinewood Studios
Seafaring films based on actual events
Science docudramas
Films set in 1986
British docudrama films
Military of Russia in films
Films set in the Atlantic Ocean
1990s British films
British drama television films