As a standalone movie, without knowing the background, it might be a decent movie for you. If you like to see mighty Russian soldiers heroicly defend their fortress against evil german psychopaths with chairs as their last weapon against the enemy fighting in "300" manner and sacrificing themselfs without a question, accompanied by slow-motion explosions ala Michael Bay, you will love this movie !
If you are still reading and asking yourself : So what is his problem with this film ? Why only 3 Stars ? I can tell you this is were the fun begins. The only good thing are the actors. I cant blame them, they did a good job. The story claims to be "historical accurate" and portrays a typical good vs evil plot. The russians are the good guys, who are caring family fathers and good party members, who would never do something immoral and are just protecting their motherland against the evil german occupiers who like to rape and slaughter the poor civilians who are living in the fortress. The first thing a german says in the movie is "we make no prisoners". This sentence is the main base for the unfolding massacre of the people inside the fortress. At this point the film is okay, even though leaving unportrayed that the Russians themselfs are occupiers of Polish land and massacred the old inhabitants of the fortress. In fact the germans actually took prisoners around 6500 from ca. 9000 people which lived in the castle. They didnt murder them, the film just ignores every single historical fact and its getting worse. From now on the mighty russain soldiers are fighting a battle without ammunition and killing as many Storm Trooper like german soldiers as possible just to die a heroic martyr like death. In reality it was more likely a guerilla war than a heroic defense. This film serves a victim myth of the russians comparable to the Bombings of Dresden, were only "Innocent " people died by brutal mass killing barbarians. Their own crimes, which lead them to this point are irrelevant, because they dont serve their victimized picture of the "great patriotic war" and the "evil mass murdering facists".
This film is a missed opportunity, to refute the myth of the Brest fortress.
If you are still reading and asking yourself : So what is his problem with this film ? Why only 3 Stars ? I can tell you this is were the fun begins. The only good thing are the actors. I cant blame them, they did a good job. The story claims to be "historical accurate" and portrays a typical good vs evil plot. The russians are the good guys, who are caring family fathers and good party members, who would never do something immoral and are just protecting their motherland against the evil german occupiers who like to rape and slaughter the poor civilians who are living in the fortress. The first thing a german says in the movie is "we make no prisoners". This sentence is the main base for the unfolding massacre of the people inside the fortress. At this point the film is okay, even though leaving unportrayed that the Russians themselfs are occupiers of Polish land and massacred the old inhabitants of the fortress. In fact the germans actually took prisoners around 6500 from ca. 9000 people which lived in the castle. They didnt murder them, the film just ignores every single historical fact and its getting worse. From now on the mighty russain soldiers are fighting a battle without ammunition and killing as many Storm Trooper like german soldiers as possible just to die a heroic martyr like death. In reality it was more likely a guerilla war than a heroic defense. This film serves a victim myth of the russians comparable to the Bombings of Dresden, were only "Innocent " people died by brutal mass killing barbarians. Their own crimes, which lead them to this point are irrelevant, because they dont serve their victimized picture of the "great patriotic war" and the "evil mass murdering facists".
This film is a missed opportunity, to refute the myth of the Brest fortress.