By definition this is a war film, however the vast majority of the film is something else. The main protagonist, Zhilin, is a novice enlistee, played by Sergei Bodrov Junior. Whereas Sanya, the senior officer is played by an incredibly emotive Oleg Menshikov. Both of these men are captured after being knocked out during the course of a small skirmish with local militants in the Caucasus region, and are held captive in the hope that an exchange of prisoners can be made.
War is an existential event, setting our perspectives into two options: life, or death. As one might assume, the role of manhood within this film is evident and in a sense acts as a determining factor as to who makes it out alive. Sanya shows cracks within his inner being; he goes from moments in which he is radiant with boundless energy – dancing on the roof of the aul in which they are held captive, and in another instance he is seen sobbing uncontrollably while chained to his fellow soldier. Obviously this is a perilous predicament, but Vanya (Zhilin) is able to keep a level head under this pressure of not knowing whether or not he might make it out of these mountains.
In fact Vanya is able to make friends with his captors, both Hassan and Dina – the daughter of Abdul Murad. Sanya when in his brighter moods is able to socialize and make fun of the tongue-less Hassan, and Vanya seems to go along with this. Overall it is this glimpse into the human side of war that helps to make it a good movie, but it is the ending that truly makes it all worthwhile. As a viewer you feel horrified, because you have begun to see these "mountain savages" as living breathing human beings. Given the ongoing war at the time of the movie's release, it is likely that it could have been filmed in this particular time period (before or after 1996).
In terms of rating, I would give it a 9 as it's not the most cinematographically groundbreaking film, but it does gives people a glimpse into the inner sanctum of a lesser understood culture. There are some amazing shots that show the rugged beauty of the auls, which are the dwellings carved into the sides of cliffs. Furthermore, it is possible to get a taste of the way of life – how humans regardless of nationality just want to live by whatever means possible, and that war is not something to seek out.
War is an existential event, setting our perspectives into two options: life, or death. As one might assume, the role of manhood within this film is evident and in a sense acts as a determining factor as to who makes it out alive. Sanya shows cracks within his inner being; he goes from moments in which he is radiant with boundless energy – dancing on the roof of the aul in which they are held captive, and in another instance he is seen sobbing uncontrollably while chained to his fellow soldier. Obviously this is a perilous predicament, but Vanya (Zhilin) is able to keep a level head under this pressure of not knowing whether or not he might make it out of these mountains.
In fact Vanya is able to make friends with his captors, both Hassan and Dina – the daughter of Abdul Murad. Sanya when in his brighter moods is able to socialize and make fun of the tongue-less Hassan, and Vanya seems to go along with this. Overall it is this glimpse into the human side of war that helps to make it a good movie, but it is the ending that truly makes it all worthwhile. As a viewer you feel horrified, because you have begun to see these "mountain savages" as living breathing human beings. Given the ongoing war at the time of the movie's release, it is likely that it could have been filmed in this particular time period (before or after 1996).
In terms of rating, I would give it a 9 as it's not the most cinematographically groundbreaking film, but it does gives people a glimpse into the inner sanctum of a lesser understood culture. There are some amazing shots that show the rugged beauty of the auls, which are the dwellings carved into the sides of cliffs. Furthermore, it is possible to get a taste of the way of life – how humans regardless of nationality just want to live by whatever means possible, and that war is not something to seek out.