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The 9th Company
The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place at Elevation 3234 in early 1988, depicting the event of Russian army recruiting complete training and taking their posting in late 1980s Afghanistan, where the insurgents are slowly gaining the upper hand.
24 September 1955, Sogom, Khanty-Mansiyskiy rayon, Khanty-Mansiyskiy NO, RSFSR, USSR [now Khanty-Mansiyskiy AO - Yugra, Russia]
10 August 1957, Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]
10 November 1963, Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]
January 15, 1986 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]
10 October 1969, Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]
February 16, 2007
With what's going on in Afghanistan today, 9th Company is nothing if not timely.
February 16, 2007
The film has no real thematic ambition beyond restating the old "war is hell" adage.
February 19, 2007
The characters are given life by the script and actors, while the mountainous terrain (provided by Crimea) adds novelty to the combat scenes.
February 16, 2007
Tells a familiar story very well, thanks to a charismatic ensemble cast and boundless ambition when it comes to the scale.
February 16, 2007
It's all beautifully photographed and lit, using a bright palette that recalls old Technicolor, and exerts a cumulative power over its 130 minutes.
February 14, 2007
The unquestioning lionising of Russian heroism is far from comfortable viewing, especially given the Putin regime's darkening human rights record.
February 16, 2007
Americanised macho-sentimental war movie about an isolated Soviet division.
February 16, 2007
It may not be a new subject but, as an update on bellicose jingoism, it's just right.
February 16, 2007
To a man, the movie's impressive young Russian cast cover themselves in glory with some truly top-notch turns.
August 14, 2010
So is the director's beef with the barefoot belligerent fundamentalist Afghans or the beefy bungling brass of the Soviet Union? Less likely any of the above, than a battle of the blockbusters showdown with Hollywood, as to whose got the bigger bull-ets.
February 16, 2007
It's beautifully shot and includes bravura set pieces from the front line. Unsurprisingly, it ends badly.