9th Company (2005)

Those who write negative reviews about this movie are of course entitled to their opinion, but I think somehow missed the point...it was not meant to entertain...it is to honor and give credits to the young men fighting a useless war and dying for the sake of silly political beliefs. I strongly sympathized with the characters depicted in the movie, and felt truly sad when their lives were lost. The dreams and expectations they had could never be realized. Maybe the movie wasn't completely true to the historic events it is based on, but the essence of the madness of war can hardly be missed by any viewer. If you want to see a raw depiction of war, with realistic acting, go see this movie. 10 out of 10!

I bought this film on DVD from Poundland some time last year as the concept of Russian war cinema interested me but I've only just got round to watching it. The film shows the training of 9th Company and their deployment to Afghanistan and while being quite liberal with historical truths the film captures the valiant struggle the Russians faced, fighting off over 200 Mujahidin fighters with only 39 Russian troops. The film is powerful in places with emotion running strong, but also offers some brutally realistic battle scenes. While the soundtrack tends to repeat itself the acting is of a good standard and the direction by Fedor Bondarchuk is of a very high standard throughout, although in places it can be hard to keep up with everything going on due to the fast-paced nature of the action. I'd say "9th Company" comes across as the Russian 1980s-set equivalent of "Band of Brothers". I would wholeheartedly recommend it for fans of war films or those as passionate about this era of history as I am.

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.

impressive ? realistic ? sad ? heroic ? off course. but more that. a tale about few people in womb of a war. every war. a testimony about fear, courage, beauty, resistance and moral victory. about death, hope and life. nothing new. except the science to present the truth out of masks. because the purpose is not propaganda or incrimination of a regime. it is not a legend about brave men. it is a slice of life. profound, cold, far from pathetic formulas. it is not a history lesson. only a way to discover crumbs of a world. it is not Hollywood blockbuster in Manichean sauce. it is a Russian story with universal root. it is not a parable. only a form to understand price of things. fundamental things. it is. and it is enough. because the ash of final taste has not place in any definition.