Generally good, but with a few problems

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2009)

For the most part, I liked this film. It had a good story, based on historical people and events, some taut drama, a nice little love story on the side. It was well-shot and mostly well-acted.
There are, however, a couple of significant problems with the film. First, there are the accents. Most of the actors made little effort at developing believable accents and spoke in their own accents. I could have lived with this, although some credible accents would have helped. What was really objectionable was Ron Perlman, who tried to speak with an accent, but it came out more Australian-sounding than Russian. He would have been better off just using his American accent.
My other chief objection involved the climactic scene. Without delivering any spoilers, I will only say (as others have) that it seemed to have been plucked straight out of a western movie. There was not even any subtlety to that allusion, and it served no purpose in the film. My guess is that writer-director Jean-Jacques Annaud was a fan of those classic western showdown scenes and wanted to incorporate the look as a matter of style. It didn't work.
Having made those objections, however, I will re-iterate that my overall impression of the film was positive. If you enjoy a good war film that is not just a "rally round the flag" kind of glorification of war, you will probably enjoy enough to make it worth watching. Just don't expect it to be on your list of all-time greats.