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K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER by Tom McCurrie
You know why you shouldn't use cliches? Well, the reason is as plain as the nose on your face. You groaned at that one, didn't you? Sorry to rain on your parade. Groaned, again, right?
Not to beat a dead horse (groan), but the trite phrase, the overused situation and the tired plot point can all conspire to kill audience engagement in your story. And if K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER proves anything, it's that cliches know no national boundaries.
(Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)
Written by Christopher Kyle from a story by Louis Nowra, K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER (horrible title, so I'll use K-19 for short) is about a Soviet sub stricken with a reactor leak. Not exactly a gripping story to begin with, unless you have a fascination for Russkies laid low by radiation poisoning. But the preponderance of cliches only makes it worse, so bad, in fact, you begin to hanker for a lethal dose of Strontium 90 yourself.
K-19 doesn't so much have a plot as a Xerox of a plot. In fact, it has a Xerox of several plots. This flick contains every sub movie clich? in the book, from the dive that takes the boat too deep (DAS BOOT) to the mutiny against its hard-charging captain (CRIMSON TIDE). Of course, no sub movie would be complete without the Battle of Wills between said captain and the nice-guy XO (RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP). And let's not forget the sailor pining over his gal (DAS BOOT again), the sub crashing through the ice (ICE STATION ZEBRA) and the East-West confrontation that threatens to start World War 3 (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER). We should be thankful they didn't rip off VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
Unfortunately, K-19's dialogue is no better. From sailors pushed to the "edge" to a crew that's just like "family," no cliche is left unsaid.
It doesn't help that the dialogue sounds like a bunch of badly-translated subtitles. Lines like "He turned himself into a hero" are such howlers even a pro like Harrison Ford can't deliver them with conviction.
So make sure you avoid cliches whenever you can. If you don't, your script will pay the piper (groan).
(Note: Though I'll be off the next newsletter, I'll be back right after that. Your comments are greatly appreciated -- keep 'em coming!)
Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to gillis662000@yahoo.com.
A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive and a story analyst. He is currently a screenwriter living in Los Angeles.
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