Prisoner of the Mountains

Starring:Oleg Menshikov, Sergei Bodrov Jr., Susanna Mekhraliyeva, Jemal Sikharulidze, Aleksandr Bureyev, Valentina Fedotova, Aleksei Zharkov, Pavel Lebeshev
Director: Sergei Bodrov
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

There's a beautiful irony in the way that the most specific war tales are often the most universal. Set high in the imposing, isolated Caucasus mountains, where the 20th century meets ancient lifestyles, Sergei Bodrov's drama of the Chechyn war finds two opposing cultures locked in conflict for so long that the reasons seem moot. Young Russian grunt Vanya (Sergei Bodrov Jr., the director's son) and his jaded veteran Sergeant (Burnt by the Sun's Oleg Menshikov) survive an ambush by Chechyn guerrillas and wind up hostages of a village elder, a war-weary widower who has lost almost everything to fighting and wants merely to swap them for his POW son. Bodrov's humanism is directed with empathy and stirred with harsh realism--he takes no sides and offers no fantasies of happy endings, only small miracles of kindness that refuse to be swallowed in the destruction and mistrust. --Sean Axmaker

Description

A stunning, emotionally charged indictment of war, this OscarÂ(r) nominee* for Best ForeignLanguage Film is at once 'thoughtful, moving (Roger Ebert), potent, engrossing (Variety),and unexpectedly affecting (The Wall Street Journal)! Two Russian soldiersa fresh recruit named Vanya and a hardened veteran named Sachaare taken hostage by Chechen guerillas after a deadly ambush leaves all of their comrades dead. Their captor, a battle-weary village elder,wants to use them as a bartering tool to get back his own son, held prisoner by the Russian army. But when the trade goes sour and all trust is broken, Vanya and Sacha realize their hours are numbered and attempt to escape before they're forced to join their comrades in death. *1996

Customer Reviews:

Good movie, horrible sound track.......2007-03-22

I liked this movie, but the soundtrack was horrible. Very loud and soft. Had the volume at "59" on my sound scale a number of times. The acting and the plot were memorable. The scenery brings the rugged countryside to life. Oleg Menshikov was excellent as always. All the actors were perfect in their roles.

Hey look! A war movie I like!.......2006-12-04

Like many of the other reviewers, I went into the movie thinking it would be about the horrors of war. But it was much more than that. It was a story about prejudices and how they can exacerbate already terrible situations. It was remarkable to see the interactions between the Chechens and their Russian prisoner. On a human level, they were so similar. In another life, they could have been friends. But in that moment, they were enemies, and no matter how comfortable each were acting, you could tell they never forgot that.

The movie started out very slow, but toward the middle it started to pick up. There were some very funny moments. I'm not sure they were supposed to be funny, but I had a good laugh. Overall, not a bad movie, but not for everybody.

Prisoner of the Mountains.......2006-11-28

The movie brought the Chechan Conflict into perspective for me. Two Russian soldiers, a seasoned fighter Sasha and a new trainee Vanya, are captured by a Chechen Soldier Abdul. Abdul hopes to trade Sasha and Vanya for his son who had been imprisoned by the Russian army. As the characters of the soldiers and the villagers develop, the Chechan and the Russian Soldiers come to appreciate one another.

The movie was great. I am not into war movies but this movie had an actual story line and a great ending. I give the movie A-.

Prisoner of the Mountains.......2006-10-16

Set in a small village in Chechnya, Prisoner of the Mountains isn't so much a war film as it is a drama. Going into the movie I expected to see a lot more action but it was pleasantly surprising to watch a film based on social interaction between cultures. There are brief moments of action during the film, including the ambush at the beginning and the two soldiers attempt at escaping. But for the most part the movie focuses on the interactions between the various characters. I found myself more interested in Dina, the young daughter of Abdul. Abdul is an older man who decides to capture Vanya and Sacha in an attempt to trade them for his son in the local prison.

Throughout the film you begin to sympathize for all the characters and their different circumstances. But for me, I was most sympathetic to Dina. She had gone through so much in her life that she almost seemed numb to it all. Mentioning that her fathers aid Hasan had murdered his wife after she cheated on him, she casually throws in there that it was her sister. I found her situation quite sad and to me, Dina was the prisoner of the mountains.

Where was the War?.......2006-10-12

This is a film about two soldiers captured during the Chechen war. Normally the Chechen rebels don't take prisoners but one of the men is hoping to trade the soldiers for his son who is being held by the Russians. As time passes the younger of the two soldiers, Ivan, begins to feel for the rebels and to wish he could live among them. The soldiers are told to write to their families and have them ask the commander to trade them for the rebel's son. Ivan's mother tries but ultimately fails in her attempt. Eventually the rebels get tired to waiting and kill the older soldier. Ivan gets free and runs for the hills ending the movie with his escape.

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