Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

adriennenoracarter In Bodrov's Prisoner of the Mountain, Ivan (Vanya) has just entered the Russian army. He's barely uniformed by the time he is on his way to Chechnya. On the road into the mountains, the group comes under attack by a group of Chechen rebels. Vanya and Sacha are both knocked out and taken prisoner by the Chechens in the attack. One of the Chechens, Abdul, is hoping to trade the two Russians for his son, who is being held in a Russian army prison. The story that ensues shows both the cruelty and humanity that can be found in war. Both sides commit atrocities: the two captives kill the mute Hassan in their struggle as they attempt to escape—this is one cruelty on the Russian side. A Chechen father kills his son who has traded sides in order to work for the Russian police. Neither side has its hands clean. However, even in the midst of war, love can be found in this story— not just the fraternal love that grows between Vanya and Sacha, but love between enemies. Abdul's daughter Dina is kind to the captured soldiers, and in turn, Vanya shows her kindness she doesn't experience from her peers. She wants to help him escape, but he refuses to go because he knows that the rest of the villagers will never forgive her. Vanya, throughout the movie, represents an opposition to war. He never directly kills anyone, and never even learns how to properly handle a gun; even by the end of the movie, he is misfiring his weapons. When he is going to spar with the Chechen leader's nephew, he comes off as a pacifist. Even when he knows Sacha is dead, he doesn't turn to violence as a solution. A beautiful story with a beautiful backdrop, Prisoner of the Mountain is a true Russian gem.

Becca Dhume I thought that this movie was an okay one to watch. It shows us that we are all humans, and we all have feelings and hopes and dreams. We see the lives of the villagers and we begin to understand them, just as the main character does. We see that war affects everyone on both sides of the struggle, and not everyone on the side of the "enemy" is evil. On both sides of a struggle, everyone thinks that they are right. Some people are bad, but they all get mixed together so its hard to tell the difference between the two. This movie also shows that in dire situations you will do what you have to do in order to survive, even if that means that you are going to have to hurt some people in the process.

petra_ste Based on a short story by Tolstoy, Prisoner of the Mountains is a wonderful, bittersweet anti-war story directed by Sergei Bodrov. Two Russians soldiers - veteran Sacha (Oleg Menshikov) and rookie Vanya (Sergei Bodrov Jr.) are captured by Muslim rebels and kept in a remote mountain village, as Abdul-Murat (Jemal Sikharulidze) plans to exchange them with his son.Character relationships are the core of the movie. First, the camaraderie between the two prisoners - Sacha is cocky and bitter, Vanya is young and naive. The two have nothing in common aside for their captivity, but they slowly bond, and their growing friendship is so well-acted, it doesn't come across as clichéd. Even more interesting is the relationship between the two prisoners and their captors - Abdul-Murat, his young daughter Dina (an excellent Susanna Mekhralyeva) and their mute guard (Aleksandr Bureyev). A typical Hollywood movie would have made this sappy, but their interactions here are low-key and convincing.Menshikov is perfect as Sacha; the actor makes him increasingly likable as he bonds with Vanya and the rebels, but never loses the character's edge. Likewise, Bodrov Jr. gives a vivid portrayal of quiet Vanya. Sikharulidze plays Abdul-Murat as a cold but decent man who occasionally shows glimpses of kindness. And Mekhralyeva is magnificent as young Dina - one of the best performances by a child actress I have ever seen.Without spoiling anything, the bittersweet ending is powerful, effective and memorable. A must-see.10/10

lgjones-2 Best, most moving anti-war movie I've ever seen. The scenery is breathtaking. The acting and direction superb, and the story is without equal. Highly recommended for anyone who likes great movies. This Russian movie is incredible in scope and production. Two thumbs up!