Edison Witt
The first must-see film of the year.
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Kirpianuscus
a different perspective. less heroic. more human. about fragility, friendship, errors, sacrifice and the importance of the other. a film about men in middle of terror. and about war. not as example of blockbuster's subject, not as fresco of cruelty and victories, far by romantic nuances or dark circles. only a honest picture about few men looking survive. a film who reminds a sort of innocence and force and courage and old fashion support for be in real, deep sense , yourself. one of Russian films who are not an artistic success but a story about life who defines things, events, sacrifice and purpose of facts in different, nuanced light.
malhiggins
I was a bit unsure wither or not to watch this film as it would mean staying up to 2am in the morning, but having done so I am extremely glad as this is a magnificent film, which pulls no punches about the horrors of war. The first part of the film dealing with basic training for raw recruits and the sheer brutality imposed on them and is similar to, as most reviewers have pointed out, the Hollywood blockbuster Full Metal Jacket.For me the plane crash scene is the introduction to the Afghan war and shows recruits stepping of the plane in Afghanistan and being replaced by jubilant veteran soldiers returning home having completed their tour of duty. The plane takes off and is then hit by an Afghan rebel SAM missile therefore forcing the plane to land again. Just as you think the plane has landed safely, a tyre bursts and it skids and crashes into a fuel dump thus incinerating everyone inside it.All this happens in front of the newly arrived recruits and sets the tone for the remaining action scenes in the film. I would not say this it is anti-war film but more like a film that show the horrors of war, which is not a bad thing.
wcianni
9th Company would have to be the most interesting war film I've seen to date. I've often heard it compared to Black Hawk Down and I have to agree that it is on that level of filmaking. First off, the film appealed to me as a vet and war buff. I was very pleased by the authenticity of film, i.e. accurate equipment, similar location, and etc. The movie had all of the classic elements of a war film, hardship, triumph, tragedy. The cast's acting was good, everything you would expect from war movie. A very, very good movie even with the occasional strangely shot scenes, such as the excess amount of gore in the final scenes; the actors were just covered, almost more than humanly possible. Overall, definitely a movie worth watching. Just excellent, you will not be disappointed. Is certain to become one of your war classics as well.
ramius007
Aside from some beautiful heli shots, the entire movie was a complete waste of time. It is possibly the slowest moving movie I have ever seen, and the climax is anything but. For those of you who love to watch anything related to war (I am not one), there are MUCH better movies out there depicting recruits. Hardcore military fanatics who have seen every war movie ever made might watch it for the unique Russian take, but ultimately it's just so dry it's painful to watch.Save your life and do something else with your time.
