Reviews

First of all it is amazing the amount of research that went into this movie. When Mortissen's characters says that his father worked for the government, in Russian he actually says: "Hunched his back for the uncle"! Even the poster with little and index finger straighter then the rest, it all breathers authenticity.

I didn't go in expecting non-Russian actors to suddenly have no accent, but I did have hesitations about the pronunciation, that usually tends to be horrible. Not so here, despite the accent (that was slight), the intonation, the way the characters cary themselves especially Mortinssen's are very Russian. (Even his less then perfect English sounds Russia when he misses articles: "Not good place for girl to grow up.") Overall the director shows a bit of what a real SinCity looks like. Violence is like a snap of a whip, sudden and loud. The movie is very stylish, but without trying to be so. It's just how these people like to live their lifes. A lot has been said about acting and it is true Mortinssen really delivers. All the auther actors are great too though, there is no weak link in this movie.

Anyway the bottom line: The most authentic movie about Russian mobsters that the west has produced so far. Furthermore I find the only aspect in which it looses to the Godfather is scope. Although the movie is complete I can not help, but to want for more. The best film I've seen this year.

I was reluctant to watch this movie in the cinema, because it was rated horribly low, but having just downloaded and watched it… well, I feel sorry that Mr.Shamyalan, was screwed by the critics. I usually find that I agree with such behemoths of film critics as Eburt and Robert, but they made a big mistake downgrading this movie. This is a great film, but a film that has more in common with "Donnie Darko" than "The 6th sense". This film is a great allegory; my hat goes of for Mr.Shamyalan for having shot this film, which is so much bigger and more beautiful, than the 6th sense. If I may compare movies to food, 6th sense is like McDonalds fajitas, fast food easy to consume, yet spicy, new and satisfying. The Village I would compare to a glass of good wine. You don't need to be a whine connoisseur to enjoy it, yet you need to taste it slowly to savor the experience, to absorb all the texture and flavor as you drink it.

Befoure I watched the film I was a little disappointed by the reviews. Because such a great cast I expected everyone to sing psalms of the film.

Fortunatly the critics in my opinion were mostly wrong. Although Fandorin is shockingly cold the first time we see him, he becomes believable as the film progresses. Mashkov who played Kozyr' is simply amazing. His whole over the top-act, the slang is just so fun to watch. Khabenski does well, and Fandera, who plays Igla is wonderful, very believable. Emiliya Spivak is somewhat irritating, but is what she should have been according to the book. Though of course it is Nikita Mikhalkov who steals the show. A lot can be said about his intrigues at the Russian Film Guild, but he is without a doubt a great actor fit for specific roles. He is at his best when he plays a "Barin", as in "Bespridannica".

The action is quick, brutal and not flashy, even the sound of gunfire seems somewhat muffled. There isn't an awful lot of action since it is a Crime movie, not an action film. For some reason they didn't really pay attention to Masa, because he was far too young, and not round enough (according to the book he was "short and round like a barrel"). Green's character was somewhat downsized in the film too, with little background, like the facts that he was Jewish and his whole routine, so I felt that was missed out, because while Igla's motivation is present Green's is none existent. However unless you have read the book you wouldn't notice such nuances, and even if you have not you would not dwell on them.

The cinematography is very good, the way light and shadows are used makes some shots worthy of being posters, or photos.

So overall I would say that this movie was excellent despite some very minor imperfections.

Summary: Quiet life of a four member Moscow middle class family is disturbed when the father is reunited with his long lost son, who's only recently come back from the war and was badly injured. It is soon obvious that his scars are not only physically, but emotional. He sees "spooks" everywhere, and his new found family is the only thing he has left in the world, other than one or two army buddies. Family is divided over him, mother sees him as an unstable element, while the son takes an instant dislike to him.

I loved this movie. It's a film that is long due in Russia. Russia has fought Vietnam style wars for the past 20 years and the soldiers who come back are often traumatized. The movie is about one such soldier, trying to adjust to peaceful life. Well, he isn't really trying, for him the war hasn't finished. He sees enemies everywhere. The return of the son also highlights the dormant problems present in the family. The film has its funny moments too, but it's not slap-stick humor, like in say Two Towers where at the most dramatic moments they have the dwarf do and say all the stupid things, it fits perfectly into the movie. The film also highlights the problems in Russian society, that soldiers that place their life on the line of fire are discarded when they are back. A very, very good film, worth watching by everyone.

I think this movie is great. A few things upset it a bit, but overall it's very true to the realty of the situation in Chechnya and Russia, which is ultimately what matters to me. I especially like the style with which the movie was shot. It is as if it is made of little pieces each with it's own tagline. It's not philosophical in most aspects; it just shows the reality and well... that's it. If the viewer wants to think about something he/she can, if not just take it as it comes.

Plus at least it's honest with the viewer that in ANY war conflict civilians do die, unlike `Black hawk down'.