P First, I have distant relatives who suffered due to Serbia elsewhere in the Balkans so I am no fan of Serbia. And my eyes hurt, from rolling, at the frequent lies, and revisionism, by all the parties in the Balkans-Serbs most of all.
P This movie is no more an accurate account of the real world Pristina Airport I
ncident than ZULU was an accurate account of the Battle of Rourke's Drift. Or for that matter the Spanish movie on this conflict, GUERREROS. As with all too many films these days, "The Narrative" is front and center.
P What distinguishes this movie is the excellent acting, pretty realistic combat scenes, and the leitmotif of The Last Stand. Strong character development and, unlike in ZULU, the opponents here- the Albanians-have real faces, emotions and lives outside the battle. Plus the line later in the movie when a character observes that of the Magnificent Eight" only one is Russian, the rest are diverse, even two Muslims with the "Eight".
Want to watch a documentary-accurate account of the Incident? Skip this one for sure. Want to see a good actioneer that highlights the martial values of loyalty, bravery and honor (for BOTH sides)? The watch this one. Accuracy: 2*; Action:: 8*; Pathos:: 8*.
Review of The Balkan Line
