Dovbush

The story of Oleksa Dovbush is the story of a man in a feudal system. And moreover, this feudal system was made worse by the fact that the territory of Ukraine was occupied by Poland. In this story, the injustice of the lords towards ordinary peasants, oppression, humiliation, and all this provokes resistance. And this resistance in the film takes on a blockbuster scale.

The film is in some aspects similar to Quentin Tarantino's films, and echoes the story of Robin Hood. The plot develops dynamically. The acting is at a decent level. There are some questions about the performance of the mainstream actors.

A nice advantage of the film is that it was not made in Hollywood, which makes it unique, devoid of clichés.

This is a great film to learn a little more about Ukrainian culture and the suffering of this people throughout their difficult history.

Dovbush is the story of the legendary Ukrainian opryshok Oleksa Dovbush, which captures not only the beauty of the Carpathian landscapes but also the skillfully recreated atmosphere of the struggle for justice and freedom. The film immerses the viewer in the complex world of the eighteenth-century Hutsul region, where ordinary people rise up against oppressors, believing in strength and honor. The director has captured the spirit of Ukrainian folklore extremely accurately, giving the story an epic scale. The acting is impressive, especially in the main roles - in every movement you can feel the devotion to the idea and understanding of the importance of this figure for Ukrainian culture. Although the plot is sometimes a bit slow, this is compensated for by the attention to detail and insightful moments that emphasize the courage and deep feelings of the characters. Dovbush is an impressive tribute to the past and a powerful reminder of the value of national identity. Eight out of ten for the authenticity, atmosphere, and inspiration this story provides.

Dovbush is a technically competent film that impresses visually, especially with its mountain scenes. Despite a relatively low budget (by international standards), it manages to blend legends and myths about Oleksa Dovbush into an entertaining package. However, this blend is where the film stumbles, presenting a loosely connected mix of random retellings.

Apparently realizing the story lacked cohesion, the filmmakers chose to inject Pirates of the Caribbean-esque vibes, quirky humor, and intense action. This artistic decision makes for easy viewing if you're not too concerned with character motivation, coherence, or traditional script structure. The "final revenge battle" occurs prematurely, leaving the film without a strong climax.

Despite its flaws, Dovbush wasn't a bad film. As a Ukrainian, I was pleasantly surprised by my compatriots' ability to deliver a reasonably competent production. It wasn't as politically charged as I expected, though some character depictions might still ruffle feathers (despite the creators' attempts to distance themselves from controversy in the intro credits).

Should non-Ukrainians watch it? Possibly. Will they be sufficiently entertained? Probably not. While the film does a good job playing with Carpathian legends and myths, the lack of a comprehensive storyline significantly undermines its overall impact.

This film is a testament to practical filmmaking, with a small (~USD$4m, 2018) budget, the talented filmmakers created amazing scenes, sets, costumes, and action scenes that kept me eagerly waiting for what's next.

The action was incredibly well choreographed and executed, and not to mention just downright fun to watch.

The practical effects were simple, well executed, and incredibly effective. I couldn't find any obvious CGI, and I was just blown away by the action scenes.

The chemistry of the actors was perfect and the performances were all top notch.

I was honestly surprised with how funny it was. The dialogue was often hilarious, and most jokes translated very well into English.

I watched this with someone fluent in Ukrainian, and they said the subtitle translations were very well done. I often find subtitles aren't translated properly and it can distract, but it was very well done.

I'd wager, it's a film that will put Ukrainian filmmaking onto the map.

SLAVA UKRAINI!

I will start with caste. Serhiy Strelnikov was a good choice for the role of Oleksa Dovbush, at least he looked natural, but while watching the film I thought that Strelnikov was playing Batman, not Dovbush. I can single out Oleksiy Hnatkovsky in the role of Ivan Dovbush, who turned out to be the best character in the film. Ivan took all the attention when he was with Oleksa.

Cinematography sometimes pleased me, and sometimes disappointed me, especially in the very first battle scene, although this is probably a question for the director. Beautiful views of the Carpathians and beautifully staged battles.

The artists and directors surpassed everyone and everything.