Brilliant in bits and pieces.. but not to be missed.

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2012)

Being a WW2 fan, i was a bit late to see this brilliant movie. Although there are not many movies which are shot in German POV, i find this movie full of uncompromising quality and workmanship.
Its visually breathtaking, the battle scenes are brutal and chilling, even the conditions are so unbearable and yet greatly filmed.
The Story line is unevenly told and lacks a neat narration. The actions scenes stop abruptly and lacking a final punch. At times, the movie drags on and on. The lead actors are good if not great. I feel that with the kind of brilliant setup the film crew had, they could have shot few more brutal action scenes instead of dragging the whole movie.
If you really want to have a very few taste of German sympathy towards Communist counterparts, this is the flick and its aptly shown in bits and pieces.