Smelye lyudi

This film (known in English speaking countries as either 'The Horsemen' or 'Brave People'), tells the story of a young worker on a stud farm in pre-WWII USSR. His boss and trainer is cruel, and doubts his assessment of a potential champion horse. When the war breaks out, the trainer sides with the Nazis, while the workers band together to fight against them.

This is a unusual film, as while it tells a war story, the style is very much like an American Western (apparently Stalin loved westerns and personally ordered this film be made). The horses are very much the focus throughout, and the look of the film (over-saturated colour) really makes the film seem like a Hollywood 'B' Western. Nothing spectacular here is terms of style, and aside from the Soviet setting, the story is ultimately well worn too. Bit of a curio, not the worst.