Battle for Sevastopol

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a good student who can never match the ideals of her austere NKVD, Officer father. Then war breaks out and it is discovered that she is a crack shot. So she is made to join the snipers after the Germans invade in 1941 through Operation Barbarossa. She is also a woman with the needs of such and has already attracted a few suitors, one is aspiring doctor – however, she is more enamoured with her commanding officer.

The fates of war mean that you must seize today what may be gone tomorrow and that is a theme that is more or less a constant throughout this. It follows the plight of the Russians as they retreat across their vast country until they are able to build up their forces to give the invading Nazi's the righteous kicking they so keenly deserve. This though ends with the stand at Sevastopol and Lyudmila's personal and actual battles on and off the field of battle.

Now the action scenes are all very good, the character development is fine too. The acting is all above average and the CGI is good in most parts. Some of the Americans are dubbed though which I always find annoying but that is a small gripe for what is in the main part a really good war film with full on emotions thrown in for added pathos and drama; this is not up to the calibre of say 'The Admiral' but is still deserving of a watch – recommended.

It's a weird time to see a joint Ukrainian and Russian film project to come out, considering the breakdown in relations between the two countries. The production apparently begun before the conflict, and it's an achievement in itself that it's been seen through, since a project like this probably wouldn't be possible today.

Coming in the wake of Russian WWII-themed schlock like Stalingrad (2013), I didn't expect too much, and there was a somewhat similar, almost gaudy quality present, but overall the movie was much more decent, particularly considering that its budget was about 5 times smaller than Stalingrad's. The actors were well cast, with Yuliya Peresild's performance creating a main character that can grow on you, and some interesting supporting characters. This brings me to the point that, despite the title, the movie's focus isn't as much on the port city of Sevastopol as it's on the Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, and the movie being called "Battle for Sevastopol" betrays an apparent lack of confidence in selling a biopic of a female sniper. There's a fair amount of action in the movie, however, so I don't think that the kind of people who wouldn't go for a biopic would come away disappointed or feeling mislead.

To give us the single view from a member of the army and how the woman behind the gun went on to become who she became (soldier, reformist sort of and a person of "interest" or at least of some pull, concerning her voice), might have gone wrong, but the movie itself handles everything smoothly.

That doesn't mean the ascend of the sniper is smooth. There are bumps and other hurdles she has to take. And her character gets tested too. The feeling of empowerment, the feeling of revenge, the feeling of love and sadness. It might seem like a roller-coaster ride at times, but it's not like feelings are just dismissed like that. They are there and there are periods where we feel certain things we might be ashamed of later. That doesn't make us less of human beings. Flaws are in us, it's ourselves who have to overcome them ...

Although it's mostly in Russian with subtitles, I was drawn in deeply and remained so throughout the duration. This is the most gripping WW2 film I've seen since Saving Private Ryan. The direction, acting, cinematography are all top notch. It tells the story of heroic Russian sniper without glamorizing war. Instead the horror of war is pervasive and though she is a survivor her story is tragic. It's also very interesting to get a glimpse of Stalin-era Soviet culture. It's a must see for anyone interested in WW2, history, biographies, or intense drama.

I would like to share with you my thoughts. First of all I loved the film. You get real war movie. The visuals was not really trouble. Although less spectacular element in it. Instead of a serious war drama I could compare the film. What WWII was transposed to the environment. The characters were well developed and realistic. Real emotion could be seen on their faces. What I liked even more the use of the camera. Very simple scenes have been able to make it interesting. It maintains the interest in the story. I would not compare this film to the film Enemy at the Gates. Those who look to a slower but more emotional love war drama to expect.