User reviews

In order to fully enjoy this movie i think that you must know quite well the context in which it was made, or to have "enjoyed" at least some of the 80's in Ceausescu's Romania.

At the time it was made, Sergiu Nicolaescu, it's director, was a kind of Romanian Bruckheimer, with some of the most successful action movies of those years. Of course, it must be said that almost 100% of the movies we could see in theaters in 1986 were from Romania, Russia, China or some other communist country.

The plot can be resumed as it follows: After 23 August 1944, the Romanian Army joined the Alied Forces in their fight against Hitler's troops. Horia is a young sergeant, with some lack of experience, but lot of enthusiasm, who has to lead the front-line of the Romanian army during the end of the war. Until the surrender of all the German troops, he will have the hardest experience a soldier could achieve.

The movie shows the heroic behavior of some ordinary men, forced by the circumstances to a constant fight for survival. The characters are quite "by the book", the good ones are very good, while the bad ones are worse than Hitler himself, and the love story between our hero and the General's daughter is quite hard to believe, but, anyway, these are just the moments between one battle and another, certainly the best parts of the film.

Lots of explosions and some very nice stunts make this movie a classic one in the Romanian history of action movie making.

At the same time, we can see some of the most important Romanian actors of all times, people like Mircea Albulescu, Ion Besoiu, Colea Rautu, Stefan Iordache, etc...

So, i think that almost every Romanian who was between 10 and 25 years old when the movie was released and enjoys action movies would recommend it.

Oh well, I have seen this movie too, when I was young and careless. Several mistakes: The tanks were not used as mobile artillery, especially the the light tanks the Romanian army had during the WWII. The German (Nazi) Tanks were substituted by Russian T-34's.

The aircraft were NOT Me-109 or IAR-80. The aircraft painted with German colors were, in fact, IAR 824 of a much later production (the 60's). But otherwise it was quite a good war movie, NAZI's getting killed and stuff.

Otherwise, a lot of good actors and good looking actresses in this one. Very patriotic and nationalistic.

The Second World War was for almost all the soldiers involved, a constant struggle to survive, especially in the last part. This movie have war fighting scenes extremly accurate and real, without exaggerations like in most of the american or english movies, where one soldier kill an army of enemies by himself without been even hurt. The heroes of this movie are normal people in the middle of a war that it must be won or else. You must see this movie !

Mr. Nicolaescu, (actually senator of romanian social-democratic party) is one of the best romanian director, specialized in war / history movie and action movie. Like the most of the directors, he try to show his version of history, making a self view picture of a page of romanian history. Which is pretty close to the reality. He seems to ignore facts well know by the young children, trying to make a good show. He is successful in most of the situations, but...

A goofs chapter could contains few lines about let's say cars which can be seen and which unfortunately, are not second world war german car but post war soviet car, much later produced and run in our country. The military cap, was also showed in a way which was forbidded (it cannot be seen the crows). Beyond doubt, mr. Nicolaescu made a very nice movie about fights, war, courage, sacrifice for nation, things which can be seen more and more rare among us.

This movie, to be honest is the best movie i have ever seen, despite the poor money resources Sergiu Nicolaescu had. This movie, is actually the best war movie ever made, but it isn't recognized by the International Academy of Foreign Movies.

In this movie, you shall see the true face of the II-nd World War, in it's true face. Sergiu Nicolaescu, had many problems with the Romanian government during the communist's reign. Initially, the movie wasn't accepted, but many people, knowing that it is illegal to view it, started watching it in cinemas.

This production has two parts, and, I guarantee that it has the best special effects anyone has ever seen until that year. OK, there are other movies that have better effects.

This is one of the worst Romanian war movie ever , because it looks like American propaganda war movie directed by Romanian communist .The battle scenes are hilarious, 5-6 fake Panzers sitting ducks until some Romanian soldiers with grenades (!) destroyed them, one general ask for a machine gun and join the battle ( against all military rules ), from time to time you can see German soldiers holding Russian machine guns, German general use same car ( Russian ) as Romanian general etc ... Most characters act unbelievable for a bunch of untrained peasants and the history tell us different story about the way Romanian army fought in WWII . And finally, like in all dumb Romanian war movies, most of the characters must die in the most stupid way. Like ...the last German soldier , with the last bullet , in the last second of the war will kill our near and dear hero bla bla bla . The effort of the director to show a glorious well trained army goes like dust in the wind when faces the sharp blade of historical reality. Truth is that untrained Romanian army betrayed Germany after 4 years of alliance for Russian balalaika ...and after 50 years betrayed Russian balalaika for the American "goodies" .Knowing these facts you cannot "enjoy" the stupid heroic story on the screen . Better watch "wheels of terror" after a Sven Hassle novel , looks 1000 times more real than this crappy movie .

first word to say about it is - it is one of the most impressive Romanian war films. sure, if you do not ignore the context. because it has the ordinaries virtues of the series from the "80 decade - good actors, Sergiu Nicolaescu, a love story, dramatic moments, one of the most seductive roles of George Alexandru and a form of freshness, one of sources being the performance of Anda Onesa. discovered out of political context, it could be perceived as fake, strange. but, for that time, this mix of romance, heroism and fights, the grow up of a young, honest, ambitious and vulnerable officer in the middle of fight , remains a good thing. and, maybe, for the viewers from 1985, it is the most important detail.

Sergiu Nicolaescu is at its worst in this propaganda movie about the valiant Romanian army in the 1945 campaign of the Soviet armies from Budapest to Berlin, well only to Budapest in this movie full of Stalinist cliches in ... 1985, the year of perestroika in Moskow, not so much in the so called 'independent' and maverick Romania Truly disgusting display of some notable Romanian actors forced ( or maybe not..) to debase themselves in this abomination of a Communist B movie.

Soviet military drinking with their Romanian brothers in arms is something that Nicolaescu knows a bit about, his uncle Nicolae Cambrea, a Soviet decorated prisoner of war on the Stalingrad campaign, had decided to defect the Royal Romanian Army and fight for the Soviets while bringing Russian Communism to Romania.

4 years later, in 1989, Sergiu Nicolaescu finds himself at the forefront of the New Romania, free of communism, in the same family tradition of switching sides and bank accounts.

The film has value as depiction of Romanian society in the 80s and the limits of freedom of expression in the Romanian Gulag in the last years of Communism, most of the actors making the transition to the freedom of expression of the 1990s with the same B movie acting qualities.