Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

provp I liked the film a lot. Sure enough, as an action film, it is more realistic than the Rambo movies, but it is not its biggest merit. I'd recommend watching the film only for the sake of getting to know the Russian perspective on things - Westerners, Chechen "freedom-fighters", the Russian army, Moscow, the Russian "outback", etc).I did not see any problem with Ian Kelly's acting, he looked quite convincing to me - after all he was playing the role of a British actor.My favourite quote from the film:John: This is an offence against our human rights! Chechen (in Russian): What does he want? Russian translator (in Russian): He wants to drink. Chechen (in Russian): Tell him to shut up or he'll get the gun-stock. Russian translator: John, shut up.

Mike (mmrbass) The plot really reminded me of the old Chuck Norris action movies. Soldier, taken prisoner, manages to get free, then comes back and takes revenge.The difference is that this is nowhere near over the top as a traditional action film. Grenades don't go off like mini-nukes, cars don't burst into flames when shot, gunshots sound as unimpressive as they are in reality, fights are not elaborately choreographed dance sequences. There are quite a few places where disbelief must be suspended, but they aren't painful in the context of the film. Other notable action movie aspects that are missing are one-liners and the happy end. However, there is an absolutely classic equipment-gathering scene.This low-key realistic approach coupled with little touches of Russian life is what makes this movie good.The acting... Well, the two main characters aren't that great, but in a way that works. Both of them are supposed to be amateurs, forced into action by circumstance. In fact, Ivan's amazing transformation from an imprisoned private who was drafted into the army into a commando is one of the less believable aspects of the film.Those expecting deep social commentary and much philosophy will probably be disappointed. Seeing this as a different kind of an action movie works much better.

slon45 Some people complain of the "boring" action scenes, but this is not true. The scenes that occur in villages or other close-quarters situations really are interesting. Many people expect something out of Commando or Total Recall, but that is not how these battles happen. Even at relatively close range, there isn't much that a pinned down, wounded soldier can do. He can shoot back, hoping to hit something, but he is more or less immobile and probably less aware of his surroundings. The battles that occur at range are slow because, well, they are. When soldiers are closing in on a location from, coming over a mountain and moving around, there isn't much you can do, even with a relatively accurate machine gun. You can fire off rounds here and there, but mostly it is about killing at least one or two of them, while conserving ammo for the time when the enemies are closer. You are even worse off with an AK-47 when are long ranges. That's why it isn't so exciting. It is, nonetheless, an interesting and realistic plot. No, the cars don't explode because the hero fired a few rifle rounds from a huge distance.

orbit66 From a British perspective, it's interesting to note the only really poor performance came from Ian Kelly (John), an English actor. Had it not been for his atrocious skills, the film would have been excellent. Casting him took some authenticity away from the film, but then again, why Ingeborga Dapkunaite as (Margaret) didn't have a single spoken line in the film didn't help either! Aleksei Chadov as (Ivan) put in a great performance, and all other elements came together to make good entertainment and a rare look at the Chechen "situation".This is probably one of the most realistic films I've seen gore-wise. Family entertainment it ain't.If you're male, and looking for something different from the usual blockbuster bore-fest, then give this a viewing!