Krushev with a British Accent

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2007)

This film reminds me of John Mackenzie's "The Fourth Protocol" where we have good English actors who are portraying Russian people, speaking with a British accent (In scenes that are allegedly taking place in Russia).
Not that it matters that much, especially in this film: But I do think that an actor like Bob Hoskins would have been able to pull off a Nikita Krushev, especially after all of the characters he has made us believe in the last 25 years.
I have the same problems with Ed Harris, not that he was not the perfect actor to portray the German Sniper: He is just so... American.
Nevertheless, if you ignore these little irritants, this is a great film, apparently a true story pulled out of a huge book about Russia in WW II: but expanded and dramatized.
Jude Law looks as good as any other character part he has taken, whether it is Lemony Snicket, Sky Captain, Joe from AI, or, my favourite, Errol Flynn in The Aviator. This role just adds more to his already huge repertoire of characterizations.
The cast of this film is just marvelous, a part for just about all of my favourite character actors. Add to that the set that was built for this little drama to be enacted out on.
I like films where details are believable, aka, honest films. Well, the details that Jean-Jacques Annaud decided to show us are in fact the details that are important. It would just have been my personal taste to have the accents done according to country at least, but in retrospect, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the film.