One of the best movie experiences of my life

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2001)

Already from the promos, one could see how different, unique and original this movie is among the usual "goo" coming out of Hollywood in the last few years. There is much to be said on this movie. But briefly - it is a wondrous experience, with a superb movie making skills - from the captivating screenplay and direction of Jean-Jacques Annaud to the memorable acting of Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. Jude Law conveys a truly one of a kind hero/Human character, and manages to color every scene with the most extreme emotions - from fear to desire, from love to hatred. Joseph Fiennes, who already proved his acting skills in "Shakespeare in love", pours the content of the the script into action. Ed Harris, who already proved to be true to his acting and not to his "Hollywood standards", makes one doubt the villain/human conflict as one finds it more than difficult to despise this character. The movie has some unforgettable scenes. From the very beginning the movie brings us into the war from the perspective of the soldiers, who were literally thrown in and are stunned by the sights as we are. One of the most admirable features of this film is how non presumptuous it is. The film deals with sensitive issues like the Communism ideology in an authentic matter. It depicts the Russians in a human way, and criticizes the Communism idea, not per se, but its "mutation" to Stalin's Soviet Union. Several scenes in the movie are truly magnificent, from the entrance of Nikita Krushchev, played by talented Bob Hoskins, to one of the best scenes in Film history - the love making of Vassili and Tanya. This scene can in itself characterize how different this film is from the rest of Hollywood films. In impossible environment and without actually showing anything, Annaud manages to convey passion, love and desire among the opposite feelings of probably the worst period in Human history. I can only hope that this movie will deserve its respect among next year's Oscars, as even though it is such a dark film taking place in WWII, it is truly a colorful film which conveys emotions in an authentic way - love, revenge, regret, envy, passion and hatred. If you love cinema or not, if you prefer war movies, if you prefer romantic movies... if you are human - go see this movie. You won't regret it!