Students of propaganda films will enjoy seeing the familiar in this gem. The film is Russian, so we're presented with the image of the stalwart and faithful Russian peasant-soldier. All of the Russians in the movie are brave and pure. Oh, and they're superhuman, as well. A company of Russian soldiers is shown rushing the German positions while the Russians are literally on fire, their uniforms engulfed in flames. That's from an early scene, and it gets worse later on in the movie.
However, war movie buffs will find this film to be too loaded with over-the-top, in-your-face, Russian nationalistic propaganda to be anything close to realistic or historical. It's the kind of film made by a country preparing for war and looking to brainwash its young people and make them ripe for recruitment. It's shockingly bad, and yet there's a creepy Stalinesque undertone that might cause concern for former Cold Warriors. Looks like the Bear is done hibernating.
However, war movie buffs will find this film to be too loaded with over-the-top, in-your-face, Russian nationalistic propaganda to be anything close to realistic or historical. It's the kind of film made by a country preparing for war and looking to brainwash its young people and make them ripe for recruitment. It's shockingly bad, and yet there's a creepy Stalinesque undertone that might cause concern for former Cold Warriors. Looks like the Bear is done hibernating.