This is the story of a rearguard defending against the advancing German army as they march toward Stalingrad. The movie is in two parts totaling over two and a half hours. The director is one I'm familiar with for his series War and Peace and epic movie Waterloo (Sergei Bondarchuk).
The rearguard goes through a lot and doesn't get much appreciation from the locals. It seems like every time they run into farmers (granted it was only twice, but still) they don't hold back their criticism of the soldiers' retreat from the German army.
It doesn't pay to become attached to anyone in this film. The one person I wasn't necessarily a fan of was the one that came out "unscathed." The film ends before the tragic battle of Stalingrad, so he may not have made it through that, but everyone else seemed to deal with some sort of trauma or die.
The movie felt a little long, and my subtitles were a bit suspicious at times. I can't imagine anyone, no matter what country they're from, saying, "bear with me, bro" in 1942. I got the general idea of what was going on, but moments of reflection could lose some of their gravity when the subtitles aren't quite right.
Overall, I felt the movie was a bit longer than it needed to be. Scenes dragged on at times, and I can't justify any real reason for that decision. The acting was good, and I felt like the aspect of the war being portrayed was explored pretty well. I wouldn't watch this one again, but I appreciate it for what it is. I also appreciate that a lot of the actors were veterans themselves. The movie just didn't grab me like some do.
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