Some critics have described Russian writer & director Andrey Bogatyrev's World War II outing "The Red Ghost: Nazi Hunter" as a horror movie. Indeed, what World War II movie unfolding in the dreadful conditions depicted here wouldn't qualify as a horror movie? Some have pointed out the elusive and seemingly indestructible nature of the eponymous character qualifies him as a horror movie bogeyman, perhaps like Jason in "The Friday the 13th" franchise. Despite its blood, gore, and high body count, I don't consider "The Red Ghost: Nazi Hunter" a horror movie. Unlike either Jason or Michael Myers in the "Halloweven" franchise, the title character here succumbs to battle fatigue. Eventually, he is slain by the arrogant Braun. Nevertheless, the legend of the "Red Ghost" lives on as somebody else steps up to shoulder the burden. Ultimately, the "Red Ghost" epitomizes the indomitable spirit that the Nazis have come to dread. Meanwhile, Bogatyrev's film pauses momentarily after the title character rescues a cowering actress and her actor husband from a Nazi firing squad before he vanishes into the snow-clad wilderness. These two people ask for his name, but he ignores them. Instead, the filmmakers superimpose the film title as a seeming response rather than have their hero reveal his identity. When we catch our first glimpse of the Red Ghost (Aleksey Shevchenkov), he looks as desperate as he is destitute, a pugnacious, lone-wolf sniper who has succeeded in slaughtering 61 German soldiers during a month and a half of warfare. However, before the film is over, you come to suspect he is just one of the many "Red Ghosts" that the impressionable enemy has conjured up like a bogeyman. The Germans entrust the capture and killing of this apparition to a young Nazi officer named Braun (Wolfgang Cerny) who isn't as impressed with the so-called 'Red Ghost,' until he finds his men and himself pitted against him.
Clocking in at a lean, mean 99-minutes, "Red Ghost" qualifies as a gripping, little low-budget, actioneer helmed with considerable style and wit. Composer Sergey Solovev's majestic orchestral soundtrack captures the atmosphere of the moment, while lenser Nikita Rozhdestvenskiy's widescreen cinematography gives this World War II combat thriller a sprawling sense of spectacle. Together, these two provide solid craftsmanship that heightens Bogatyrev's gritty combat yarn. Although the Russians aren't behaving themselves these days, "The Red Ghost: Nazi Hunter" celebrates their glory days when they were fighting an honorable war against the Germans. The cast is superb, and Wolfgang Cerny constitutes an excellent adversary. Moreover, in his arrogance, he discovers just how lethal the "Red Ghost" is when he takes time out to enjoy a sauna bath in a farmhouse. The title character intervenes and sends the naked Braun fleeing for his life wearing little more than a a woman's dress to cloak his nudity and a rifle. This amounts to the only comic relief we're granted when watching this violent epic. Happily, the filmmakers either edited out any Soviet ideology. Mind you, there are no patriotic speeches. Cleverly, Bogatyrev book ends his exemplary war movie with amusing scenes involving an actor (Michael Gor) who is a dead ringer for Adolf Hitler. "Red Ghost" confines its action to the ground during the winter, with the main fight occurring in an abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere. No armor or aircraft intervene in the action.
Clocking in at a lean, mean 99-minutes, "Red Ghost" qualifies as a gripping, little low-budget, actioneer helmed with considerable style and wit. Composer Sergey Solovev's majestic orchestral soundtrack captures the atmosphere of the moment, while lenser Nikita Rozhdestvenskiy's widescreen cinematography gives this World War II combat thriller a sprawling sense of spectacle. Together, these two provide solid craftsmanship that heightens Bogatyrev's gritty combat yarn. Although the Russians aren't behaving themselves these days, "The Red Ghost: Nazi Hunter" celebrates their glory days when they were fighting an honorable war against the Germans. The cast is superb, and Wolfgang Cerny constitutes an excellent adversary. Moreover, in his arrogance, he discovers just how lethal the "Red Ghost" is when he takes time out to enjoy a sauna bath in a farmhouse. The title character intervenes and sends the naked Braun fleeing for his life wearing little more than a a woman's dress to cloak his nudity and a rifle. This amounts to the only comic relief we're granted when watching this violent epic. Happily, the filmmakers either edited out any Soviet ideology. Mind you, there are no patriotic speeches. Cleverly, Bogatyrev book ends his exemplary war movie with amusing scenes involving an actor (Michael Gor) who is a dead ringer for Adolf Hitler. "Red Ghost" confines its action to the ground during the winter, with the main fight occurring in an abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere. No armor or aircraft intervene in the action.