No Mercy

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2008)

This is possibly the most disturbing war film ever made. The story of a boy who wants to fight the Nazi machine only to slowly be mentally and even physically destroyed by it. The portrayal of the Nazi invasion is not one that attempts to humanise them as many films have done before.
The film is very keen to show the audience the kind of atrocities committed by the Nazi's and the hatred that built up in the Soviet Union. It would of course ultimately lead to the Soviets wreaking terrible revenge on the Germans at a later date.
Some may argue that this film is propaganda at it's best and even a means by which to forgive the Soviets their actions once they arrived in Germany after successfully pushing the Nazis back. "We did this to them because look at what they did to us". I must admit, it certainly worked on me......i wanted the Russians to annihilate the Germans.....show them no mercy. If this was the films aim or not, i personally believe it is essentially irrelevant. This is a film about war and the impact it has on everyday life.
However you interpret the message and however you perceive the apparent propaganda, this film is not easy to forget. Powerful.