First Run: L, Int'l, 1994
Cast: Barry Kushner, Victor Verzhbitski, David Kheird
Directors: Timour Bekmambetov, Gennady Kayumov
NEW CONCORDE
Story Line: During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, two outsiders--a journalist (Kushner) and a doctor (Verzhbitski)--venture into a Pakistani prison camp to discover how Russian prisoners of war are being treated. Shortly after the two arrive, the Russians revolt against their captors, resulting in a series of brutal battles and numerous casualties.
Bottom Line: Although it contains an ample amount of violence and expressive, memorable visuals, this 1994 Russian-made feature, originally titled Peshavar Waltz, is likely to alienate both of its target audiences. War movie fans will be put off by the film's nihilist viewpoint--with the exception of the (mostly silent) doctor, there are no sympathetic characters until the inevitable climax is reached. Aficionados of foreign film will detect the influence of Andrei Tarkovsky and Lars Von Trier on the red- and yellow-saturated images but will reject the English dubbing supplied by New Concorde. The studio obviously hopes to attract renters with the timeliness of an Afghanistan-related war story, but the film, reportedly fact-based, is politically impartial. The Pakistanis mercilessly torture their prisoners, the U.S. "advisers" on the scene do nothing to stop the inhuman treatment and the Russians ultimately sell out their own men. Recommend to viewers with a tolerance for foreign movies altered for U.S. video release and a preference for thought-provoking war stories (Das Boot, Enemy at the Gates). --Ed Grant