Atmospheric, bleak. I really liked the beginning scene, as a russian citizen I quite felt that. Bykov does a great job at portraying good shots, I believe them. Brings the memories of watching "The prisoners" by Denis Villeneuve. Characters are good, almost everyone has a unique story and something in common - nothing to lose. Well, not exactly. Freezing metal, never ending night rain, sad reality which pursues the workers of the factory. Welcome to zavod, tovarishi.
Some scenes feel incomplete, obscure and break the dynamic. Several action moments are unpredictable and better than today's Hollywood junk. The story itself is good, but not great, at least for me. For non russian viewers it will seem odd, probably. I didn't get what Bykov had to say specifically. Maybe something about people's egoistcal nature, two completely different figures fighting against each other ideologies, but are they really that different? Perhaps not.