It is the best Russian movie in years, deep, powerful. At times it reminded me of "Idi i smotri" but it touches a lot more than the Klimov's classic. I see this movie as a story of a powerful love and an invisible connection between a father and a daughter, at least that is how I felt when I was watching the movie. Everything else was secondary but nonetheless just as powerful. The movie is fairly long but I find that it was paced perfectly, perhaps some of the dialoges between Menshikov's and Makhovetsky's characters could have been reduced by about a minute but that is probably important for the final part of the trilogy.
There is really a very little connection to the first movie but it does not matter. Burnt by the sun - 2 is a very different movie, has a different feel and is much more epic. The acting was superb, so many great performances, one that really stands out is by Mironov but even the miniroles have been performed flawlessly.
Never before they showed in any of the Russian movies the panic that ruled in the Western USSR during the first months of the war, I believe Mikhalkov portrayed it very similar to what it actually was. I have spoken with some Russian WWII veterans before and this is very close to what Mikhalkov showed.
In any case this is movie not for everyone, specially in the age where Avatars rule the box office, the movie will probably be not be appreciated as it deserves. I seriously have no idea how this movie can get a 3.9 rating while Dark Night had 9.8 for a long time. I would say if you appreciated "Idi i smotri" before this movie is a MUST.
There is really a very little connection to the first movie but it does not matter. Burnt by the sun - 2 is a very different movie, has a different feel and is much more epic. The acting was superb, so many great performances, one that really stands out is by Mironov but even the miniroles have been performed flawlessly.
Never before they showed in any of the Russian movies the panic that ruled in the Western USSR during the first months of the war, I believe Mikhalkov portrayed it very similar to what it actually was. I have spoken with some Russian WWII veterans before and this is very close to what Mikhalkov showed.
In any case this is movie not for everyone, specially in the age where Avatars rule the box office, the movie will probably be not be appreciated as it deserves. I seriously have no idea how this movie can get a 3.9 rating while Dark Night had 9.8 for a long time. I would say if you appreciated "Idi i smotri" before this movie is a MUST.