On the Road to Berlin

One immediate thing of note... this is one of very few WW2 movies that shows an Asian looking Russian soldier (the character of Dzhurbaev). In reality, they were significant in number.

I loved the plot. The cinema-photography very well done. The actors were convincing in their roles. Authenticity applies to the sets/locations and the uniforms, weapons, Russian military command and battle scenes.

This is definitely one of the best Russian made war movies.

I give it a solid 8 stars

This Russian production has holes in it as big as the holes left by German shells from bombs dropped on Russian soil. However, this screenplay and the characterizations within are of a superior quality, so we must forgive the subpar production values. The lead role of the Russian officer, wrongly accused of cowardice, is played by Juriy Borisov, and his guard, well-played by Amir Abdykalov, steals several scenes with his stoic perserverence. His character appears to be the writer's alter ego; the writer being Emmanull Kazakevich, a classical Russian writer who is well-versed in bringing tragic figures to life. Several good Russian writers excel at tragedy, probably because they have suffered so much of it in the last century.

There will be those who denigrate this film as glorifying Russia, while Russia tries to subjugate the Ukraine, and politically, they may have a point. But this film is not about Putin, Russian leaders or generals; it is about the unheralded sacrifices that nameless thousands of honorable Russian men endured during the Russian-German conflict during WW2. The Russians took a terrible beating at the beginning of that conflict; and yet, they endured. Some would say it was the last honorable military action they were ever involved in. I will let the viewer decide that for themselves. It is interesting to note that Kazaks, historically, were not too keen about becoming part of the Soviet Union. However, when hostilities broke out with Germany, they served with great honor all along the Russian front. In some ways, this film is a hidden gem among all the preachy WW 2 films that do not center on real people. See it for yourself; I do not think you will be disappointed.

An interesting look at the war in rhe East at individual level. The absurdity of war and the silly bureaucracy of the army and in particular that of the totalerian Soviet union's Red Army is nicely shown. Think Valery Grossman meets the Good Soldier Schwejk.

The lead actors fo a good job.

Some of the bits in between take a bit lo g and the pace of the movie is rather languid.

The uniforms and equipment are fairly well done.

Some of the German tanks seem to be made to look like Tigers which would be inaccurate so early in ww2. I do believe I saw a Churchill tank which is pretty cool.

There even is a very brief love story.

In all a good watch.

This film is grossly underrated. Maybe not enough battles shown for some but it shows the stark reality of after battle scenes. Soldiers marching through the devastation left by enemy attacks on villages and countryside alike. It was surprising to me how well made the film was. From the acting to the cinematography and especially the clothing or costume realism. This film deserves to be more appreciated in my opinion.

This film has been made with a modest budget . But there is no modesty in the themes it so tellingly portrays . All the clumsiness of huge organisations , all the nobility of the individuals that have to deal with that clumsiness .

A small masterpiece .