I totally disagree with the previous review awarding this movie 4 out of 10 and viewers then not going ahead and seeing this great movie. Just because this movie depicts a genuine Russian war hero; instead of the usual USA war hero does not mean we should not appreciate a realistic, uplifting and patriotic drama displaying a more positive side to the Russian character than we usually see, e.g. Russian mafia etc. I found the movie fascinating and exciting, re-creating a war little is known about in the west. This movie is in the great tradition of earlier Russian movies about the Second World War and shows a long-suffering people still has pride in their country despite its sad recent history. The love story is cute and although I would have liked to have seen more passion, it might have been out of character for the young girl who is absolutely gorgeous, by the way. As for the Moslems rebels in Chechna I thought they were depicted realistically and we all know that we can't criticize them because they are so touchy, so I will not elaborate on this and I will not include any cartoons on this public media website or I may start another war or be included on a jihad blacklist. After all as a movie buff I just want to continue to enjoy good movies and hope that one day there will be no more wars let alone; religious wars! I can only say the Cold War is over so let everyone including even touchy Moslems enjoy this great Russian, admittedly propaganda, movie glorifying its military heroes and not let Hollywood have a monopoly on brave Yankee soldiers! I noticed it on Foxtel in Australia and suspected it would be a good movie, despite the only one review on IMDb, so see it if you can, especially if you like good war movies, you won't regret it! I give this movie a solid 7/10!
4 Reviews
Sleazy fairy-tale for naive teenage girls
_Sergey_4 August 2004
First thing I want to highlight is terrible acting job on the lead actor's part. He is a boxer-turned-actor, and it clearly shows throughout the whole movie.
Second thing is the directing. It is not sufficiently sharp and precise. The movie pace is not consistent, characters are not polished, love story development is silly.
Now, to the plot. Chechen war in all its complexity is very simplified in this movie. The good guys are perfectly good, and the bad guys are undoubtedly bad. The only exception is the Chechen general who starts to have second thoughts about his role in this war. However his transformation is not detailed and directed as good as it could have been done by a better director. All the dialogs in the movie are designed for 10 year old children or early teenagers.
There is of course some positive things in this movie: good stunt work, use of real weaponry and real Russian soldiers, very decent fight scenes, physically trained lead character, cute lead actress.
Conclusion: 4 out of 10. You will enjoy this movie if you are young and do not know much about Chechen war, Russian Military and Chechen army. Be advised: if you are a young girl, you may develop a crush on the lead character.
Second thing is the directing. It is not sufficiently sharp and precise. The movie pace is not consistent, characters are not polished, love story development is silly.
Now, to the plot. Chechen war in all its complexity is very simplified in this movie. The good guys are perfectly good, and the bad guys are undoubtedly bad. The only exception is the Chechen general who starts to have second thoughts about his role in this war. However his transformation is not detailed and directed as good as it could have been done by a better director. All the dialogs in the movie are designed for 10 year old children or early teenagers.
There is of course some positive things in this movie: good stunt work, use of real weaponry and real Russian soldiers, very decent fight scenes, physically trained lead character, cute lead actress.
Conclusion: 4 out of 10. You will enjoy this movie if you are young and do not know much about Chechen war, Russian Military and Chechen army. Be advised: if you are a young girl, you may develop a crush on the lead character.
Use of the word "Patriotism" to cover a truly bad movie
Andreianti20 April 2014
2/10
A genuinely bad movie. Horrible acting, flat storyline, no character development, clumsy directing... Really wanted to watch it through, but gave up 20 minutes before the end, for a cat clip on youtube (yes i was that bored). The love story is ridiculous. In all descriptions, they compare this movie to the old fashion Soviet patriotic movies - nowhere near those. Bad fighting scenes, landscape that has nothing to do with Chechnya, clearly a directing crew that has no experience, and neither has advised any real Chechen conflict veterans.
And the most obnoxious aspect of the film is the blatant Russian propaganda that is being forced down your throat. I wouldn't mind some propaganda if at least the movie was decent, not the case here.
Don't waste your time on this movie unless you're 12yo. There are better modern Russian movies that describe that conflict in a realistic and mature way.
A genuinely bad movie. Horrible acting, flat storyline, no character development, clumsy directing... Really wanted to watch it through, but gave up 20 minutes before the end, for a cat clip on youtube (yes i was that bored). The love story is ridiculous. In all descriptions, they compare this movie to the old fashion Soviet patriotic movies - nowhere near those. Bad fighting scenes, landscape that has nothing to do with Chechnya, clearly a directing crew that has no experience, and neither has advised any real Chechen conflict veterans.
And the most obnoxious aspect of the film is the blatant Russian propaganda that is being forced down your throat. I wouldn't mind some propaganda if at least the movie was decent, not the case here.
Don't waste your time on this movie unless you're 12yo. There are better modern Russian movies that describe that conflict in a realistic and mature way.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
