Battle for Sevastopol (2015)

Even if this is a biography, I was expecting a historical movie, war scenes and some action. The most of the movie is about complex romance, female soldiers and too much girl talks, and american woman. Unnecessary scenes not only made the movie longer but also much more boring (for example, do we have to watch some soldier's walking all down the hall... and some other walking.. and more walking ... and staring each other for minutes). And american first lady unnecessarily took too much time and it was not adding anything to the movie. Just a visit! Even shooting scenes did not leave any effect on me. The gun was shaking or she was shooting without keeping a serious posture. not realistic! Overall, this movie does not show the strength of Pavlichenko as Russians or Ukranians would like to see, rather the movie shows her as a weak, confused and reluctant person. Wasn't this movie about a war hero? Sadly, hollywood movie (Enemy at the Gates) shows the Russian perspective more realistically than this movie. 3/10.

Any student of history or even a passing interest in WW-2 will see this as an opium pipe dream to brainwash the Russian young. Long-winded, unrealistic "heroic machines" of the soviet state set an example for the gullible. The movie starts in 1937 but completely fails the slightest mention of the Molotov- Ribbentrop alliance between Stalin and Hitler, and tries to present a peaceful Russia suddenly dragged into war by German surprise aggression. Insulting to the terrible suffering of Russians before the war and the extraordinary sacrifices made by them during the war, and the engineered genocide of 7 million Ukrainians by Stalin in the early 1930s. A travesty.

Before seeing Bitva za Sevastopol I didn't expect it to intrigue me as much as the other two Russian flicks I covered - Ispytanie and Chempiony. Thankfully, I was wrong.The main character of the movie - Lyudmila Pavlichenko - gets an excellent performance. You care about her, she is likable and badass at moments. The supporting cast shares excellence as well and as the film continues their characters get better and better. There's a great amount of action, provided with nice cinematography and some blood. Fortunately Bitva za Sevastopol isn't all about the action but for its story, which gets you more and more intrigued as the minutes pass with moments of war genre brilliance.A small issue I have is that it begins a bit too slow but the action, the drama, the characters pay off for the slow beginning.As a whole, Bitva of Sevastopol turns out as a personal favourite of mine, with its own way of getting a 10/10.

I would like to share with you my thoughts. First of all I loved the film. You get real war movie. The visuals was not really trouble. Although less spectacular element in it. Instead of a serious war drama I could compare the film. What WWII was transposed to the environment. The characters were well developed and realistic. Real emotion could be seen on their faces. What I liked even more the use of the camera. Very simple scenes have been able to make it interesting. It maintains the interest in the story. I would not compare this film to the film Enemy at the Gates. Those who look to a slower but more emotional love war drama to expect.