Prisoner of the Mountains

In this film, I can find almost everything what I like in a movie. It presents the life of a small community, their thoughts, their feelings and their habits. It has a nice atmosphere, beautiful sights, good actors, and a strong story. What else do you want? Another reason to love Russian movies.

Prisoner of the Mountains is an excellent movie. Vanya a young recruit , and Sasha a veteran soldier in the Russian army are captured after an ambush by the Chechens. The Chechen leader keeps them to trade for his son who is captured by the Russians. Then a friendship develops between the Chechens, and the two Russians. I study Russian in college, and even though the subtitles aren't very accurate at times it still helps. The whole plot is just amazing. It shows the human side of soldiers. I definitly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it.

It's funny how several simple characters can be combined to create a complex storyline. While each character is unique, none of them are particularly interesting on their own. It's only when they interact that the story and the underlying array of emotions come to life.

As with many "war movies," you get the hardened veteran, the raw recruit, the inert, somewhat indifferent commander, and the worried mother. Each are truly one-dimensional and could not stand on their own to carry the film. But when combined, their synergy creates an absolutely engrossing story. They all draw the viewers into their world and don't let go. I couldn't have looked away even if I had wanted to.

Further, this film allows westerners a glimpse into a world they will likely never see firsthand. While the shots of the Dagestan mountains are impressive, the stark poverty found in what one assumes to be actual villages and dwellings in those mountains are both captivating and horrifying to the average western sensibilities. Not everyone in this world lives for the latest fad or gadget or is as pampered as the ones who need to watch this film the most. Even the Russian military base, a very realistic depiction, was hardly fit for western barnyard animals. Welcome, viewers, to how most of the world lives.

Now I must take exception to some of the other reviewers who try to explain Vanya's inability to fire on the enemy as a reflection of his" pacifism." It is obvious that those reviewers have never experienced the confusion of a combat situation - especially that of a poorly trained recruit in an ambush in unfamiliar terrain. If one doesn't know from where the fire is coming, one doesn't just start launching rounds indiscriminately in all directions. Additionally, these reviewers have never felt the fear of being on the receiving end of live rounds which can temporarily shutdown one's capacity to think clearly. Ignore their comments.

Overall, I must say this movie is well done and the actors fit perfectly into their roles. I definitely recommend this movie, and also, don't be off-put by some of the other comments about the slow moving story or the lack of action in what's supposed to be a war movie. This is a real story. If you want nonstop action, explosions, and shooting, rent a Schwarzenegger war picture.

The simple story of two men captured an imprisoned in a small village develops actually to one of the most poetic and effective peace messages of our times. Based on stable and very well described characters and by the use of magical photography of a small village in Caucausus the movie helps us face the tragedy of war and the madness of human conflict as well.

The movie is about two Russians captured by the rebels, kept as hostages by an old man whose son is also in prison by the Russians. Since the old man wants to trade the two Russians with his son he insists that they must not be killed, he keeps them as a hope for his own tragical mission, to rescue his own son, despite the fact that other rebels want hostages killed. One of the Russians, actually a young and unexperenced soldier ends up respecting that small village. The relations among villagers and hostages, the deep human touch between the young Russian and the niece of the old man become the real story in the middle of the war.

The viewer confronts since the very beginning what war is about, the importance of human existence and life and the madness of human conflicts. Above all is life, creativity (the youg Russian repairs clocks), laugh and drink. While poverty and sadness reigns in the village tradition and human figures seem to survive. Those human values survive for a few moments before reality shows the cruel side of life once again. The movie is extremely poetic, images and folkloric scenes are well dressed with silent and simple russian music, silence and well developed scenes (the old man loading his son's dead body, the mother of the Russian and the old man meet each other as ennemies with the same feelings though as parenthood is above all wars, the young Russian is afraid to die).

Although the actors are not famous you will appreciate the natural talent of the actor playing the old man, a perfect tall-thin shape which dominates the screen. This movie is a must, a call of nature of humanism, a message which can't lose its modernity.

I liked this movie very much. It showed the human side of war. It is a compelling view of life during wartime, as seen through the eyes of a handful of individuals, each with his own perspective and agenda. The story is a warm, sometimes depressing, but ultimately hopeful look at human nature at it's best, and worst.