A war movie that stands out

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2010)

Just for starters, this is a movie that is actually painful to watch, and one of a few that made me look away from the screen several times. However, it carries a strong message and is filmed in a way that makes it feel incredibly real. Things I read and heard such as the guns being fired with live ammunition strengthens the realism even more. I also appreciated details such as when the protagonist Florya goes deaf from explosions and the way the director lets us understand it. All in all an incredibly good movie about an incredibly horrible time of which we all bear a responsibility of never forgetting. If you are to only see one WWII movie, choose this one. PS. I felt sorry for the cow.