Where do I start for the review of Attack On Leningrad! Firstly, as the title identifies, the former Soviet city of Leningrad is the focus, the attack is the German air and land forces during their summer offensive in 1941. For reason of ideology, The German leader, Hitler, wanted to raise this city to the ground. Opposing this attack, the Soviets wanted to prevent the city that renders the name of the Russian revolutionary leader falling into German hands and contingent destruction. During this attack and eventual besiege, the inhabitants of Leningrad suffered 900 days of the most harrowing experiences any group of people suffered during those already horrifying years of violence and brutality. Uniquely, the directors injects a story involving foreign, British, news correspondences reporting from inside this city befitting hell, a young Soviet female police officer, a young family and various army officers, both soviet and German, members of the NKVD and inhabitants of Leningrad. Also, half way through the film their is a tense plot twist.
On paper this film appears a nerves strain of cinematic representation. If the director's ambitious vision had matched this cinematic ability, it could have been an epic film worthy of a higher rating. Instead, Attack on Leningrad is tedious and choppy. It jumps from one plot point to another without returning to resolve the storyline. About half way through, we discover that news correspondent Kate was raised in England yet born in Russia, and her father was a White Russian General during the revolution. This is not a good thing for Kate to be in the midst of the desperate Red Russians and their murderous regime now fighting to save their Motherland. Yet, this arousing plot twist is unsuspectingly left unevaluated, resulting in a incoherent film failing to fulfil an interesting and enumerating subject. Even though there are scenes well handled and diligently display the suffering of the cities population. Yet, overall there are too many emotionally flats and poorly constructed moments throughout the film. The result is a promising plot and creaky enterprise finally collapsing into a smoking heap.
On paper this film appears a nerves strain of cinematic representation. If the director's ambitious vision had matched this cinematic ability, it could have been an epic film worthy of a higher rating. Instead, Attack on Leningrad is tedious and choppy. It jumps from one plot point to another without returning to resolve the storyline. About half way through, we discover that news correspondent Kate was raised in England yet born in Russia, and her father was a White Russian General during the revolution. This is not a good thing for Kate to be in the midst of the desperate Red Russians and their murderous regime now fighting to save their Motherland. Yet, this arousing plot twist is unsuspectingly left unevaluated, resulting in a incoherent film failing to fulfil an interesting and enumerating subject. Even though there are scenes well handled and diligently display the suffering of the cities population. Yet, overall there are too many emotionally flats and poorly constructed moments throughout the film. The result is a promising plot and creaky enterprise finally collapsing into a smoking heap.