Fully Loaded Kalashnikov
This weekend's review: 9th Company.
9th Company had a lot of interesting potential. It’s a Russian war movie based on an actual fight that happened during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, so I’d get to see a rarely discussed period of history and see how a different country tackles making war movies. The final result was not what I was expecting, and unfortunately, that’s not a good thing in this case.
As I said, the story revolves around soldiers of the Soviet Union, a few years before it collapsed. A group of young men from Siberia all report for duty in the motherland before shipping out to Afghanistan. There are quite a few we’re introduced to, though thanks to army haircuts and the fact that most of the characters are referred to by nicknames (which IMDB didn’t copy over on their “About” page), I’m afraid I can’t credit the individual actors. At any rate, the three most recognizable characters are Sparrow, a man with a sweetheart waiting at home for him and an uncertainty if he has what it takes; an artist who apparently volunteered for the job so he can paint war things more realistically (though based on one oddly philosophical conversation, it’s more about getting into the right mentality than being able to draw guns and tanks up close); and a man with a silver tooth and a tendency to be a jerk. The new recruits all wind up in boot camp under a drill sergeant who’s actually seen combat, but was pulled off the lines thanks to an injury that may or may not have messed with his head. Their training takes up about an hour of a two hour movie, after which they get shipped off to the front lines and join 9th Company, who are tasked with protecting a mountain route so supply and military convoys can get through safely. It’s at this point that the movie shifts more into “War is hell” territory, with only a few actual scenes of fighting. Though I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by this-not only do most war movies nowadays have that message (this came out in 2005), but the Russians have a reputation for grim media. If that’s true, then this was probably perfectly normal for them.
I really don’t have too much to say about this movie, because most of my comments all boil down to one thing; this is basically the Russian Full Metal Jacket. You’ve got the extended section with a harsh drill sergeant (minus the creative insults and verve of R. Lee Ermey, though not knowing Russian, I can’t be positive on that score), and then you get the grim realities of war, complete with a dramatic action sequence at the end. It even has a similar morbid vibe. There are obviously differences, including different (and sometimes intriguing) training techniques and a bleaker ending, but if you’ve seen Full Metal Jacket, the similarities will hit you very quickly. And if you didn’t like Full Metal Jacket, or the “war is hell” style of war movies, then you’re probably not going to care for this one much either.
I wouldn’t recommend this movie, for the reasons outlined above. There are a few interesting moments scattered throughout, but overall the movie is grim and bland. I’d seek out other movies with similar settings, plots, or messages instead; at least one of them is bound to be far more entertaining.
9th Company had a lot of interesting potential. It’s a Russian war movie based on an actual fight that happened during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, so I’d get to see a rarely discussed period of history and see how a different country tackles making war movies. The final result was not what I was expecting, and unfortunately, that’s not a good thing in this case.
As I said, the story revolves around soldiers of the Soviet Union, a few years before it collapsed. A group of young men from Siberia all report for duty in the motherland before shipping out to Afghanistan. There are quite a few we’re introduced to, though thanks to army haircuts and the fact that most of the characters are referred to by nicknames (which IMDB didn’t copy over on their “About” page), I’m afraid I can’t credit the individual actors. At any rate, the three most recognizable characters are Sparrow, a man with a sweetheart waiting at home for him and an uncertainty if he has what it takes; an artist who apparently volunteered for the job so he can paint war things more realistically (though based on one oddly philosophical conversation, it’s more about getting into the right mentality than being able to draw guns and tanks up close); and a man with a silver tooth and a tendency to be a jerk. The new recruits all wind up in boot camp under a drill sergeant who’s actually seen combat, but was pulled off the lines thanks to an injury that may or may not have messed with his head. Their training takes up about an hour of a two hour movie, after which they get shipped off to the front lines and join 9th Company, who are tasked with protecting a mountain route so supply and military convoys can get through safely. It’s at this point that the movie shifts more into “War is hell” territory, with only a few actual scenes of fighting. Though I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by this-not only do most war movies nowadays have that message (this came out in 2005), but the Russians have a reputation for grim media. If that’s true, then this was probably perfectly normal for them.
I really don’t have too much to say about this movie, because most of my comments all boil down to one thing; this is basically the Russian Full Metal Jacket. You’ve got the extended section with a harsh drill sergeant (minus the creative insults and verve of R. Lee Ermey, though not knowing Russian, I can’t be positive on that score), and then you get the grim realities of war, complete with a dramatic action sequence at the end. It even has a similar morbid vibe. There are obviously differences, including different (and sometimes intriguing) training techniques and a bleaker ending, but if you’ve seen Full Metal Jacket, the similarities will hit you very quickly. And if you didn’t like Full Metal Jacket, or the “war is hell” style of war movies, then you’re probably not going to care for this one much either.
I wouldn’t recommend this movie, for the reasons outlined above. There are a few interesting moments scattered throughout, but overall the movie is grim and bland. I’d seek out other movies with similar settings, plots, or messages instead; at least one of them is bound to be far more entertaining.