Chechen guerilla leader Aslan (Georgi Gurgulia) holds captive two touring actors, John (Ian Kelly) and his fiancée, Margaret (Ingeborga Dapkunaite), along with an injured Russian Captain Medvedev (Sergei Bodrov Jr.) and his sergeant, Ivan (Alexei Chadov). Aslan sets John free to return to Britain and Ivan free to return to Russia; however, he informs John that he must raise ransom money or else Margaret will be gang-raped and killed. John tries frantically to raise the necessary funds, but can only get a fraction of what he needs; meanwhile, he agrees to document his life with a digital camera to make more money. He contacts Ivan for help and they cross the Caucasus and return to Chechnya with a mission to rescue Margaret and Captain Medvedev. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
This film presents a starkly unsentimental view of military conflict. The story is told in an efficient manner without dwelling too long on unnecessary subplots or exposition, the violence is effectively barbaric without seeming too theatrical, and the ending adds an interesting touch of irony to the story. However, the characters tend to be one dimensional and the film's politics seem rather simplistic. This is basically a
Rambo-style story in which the official military is too incompetent to stop a bunch of sadistic foreigners, so an ordinary soldier with extraordinary skill leads a mission of his own to bring back POW's from behind enemy lines. It is still an entertaining film if you don't mind the simplistic characterizations, including the extremely negative portrayal of the Chechens, but there's really not that much to this movie beyond the message that war is brutal. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide