Grozovye vorota

It's a very enjoyable film to watch. It has good characters and an engaging story about a unit surrounded by a superior enemy force. It does get a bit too melodramatic at times, and a bit too manipulative in terms of pushing propaganda, but it never disrespects the audience. The plot is well written, and while the flashbacks do at times retard the narrative a bit too much, and come across as intrusive, the payoff is that these flashbacks really do provide a good backstory for the characters and make them relatable. The action scenes are quite impressive for a TV-film, and have a realistic feel to them. They are a real treat to watch. All in all, it's one of the better Russian war films. I actually enjoyed it more than the big budget feature 'The 9th Company'. I can warmly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Russian and/or war films.