Some are missing important aspects of the movie...

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2001)

I have come across those who do not like the sex scene between Vasilli and Tania. It fits in very nicely with the flow of the movie. To begin, we have to contrast how poorly the ordinary soldiers were armed, compared with those behind them. After all, Soviet soldiers died because they were purposely shot by those who thought better. In my observation, this is a misplacing of priority. The instinct not to lose was more important than the instinct to win. To say there is no difference is misguided. Then what about the concern Danilov had towards Tania. He wanted to make sure that she survived, but he made sure that Vasilli was placed in the most precarious position ever since he arrived. He knew it, Tania knew it, and Vasilli knew it. So, if a man is sent to what could be his death, it doesn't take much to celebrate life in any form. However at the end, the movie does take a hopeful turn. Not the reuniting of Vasilli and Tania, but the realization by Danilov just before he died that regardless of the rules; there is always something that causes one to envy another. That in itself only goes so far, and I would say in the end, Danilov learned the lesson that it is not enough to know the difference between good and evil; one needs to do what is good, and not do what is evil.