Pavel Limarenko When I first saw this movie back in 2010 I thought it is nothing more than a failed attempt to make "our version of Apocalypse Now". Although I caught the spirit of "The Citadel", the sequel, this one really made me mad! I hated Mikhalkov for this film, I wrote negative reviews, I really despised the guy. Although the journey through the roads of war reminded me of captain Willard's journey up the river, the plot seemed to be a mess of unrelated short B-movies piled together. The acting seemed extremely bad, political messages - too anti-Russian, the portrayal of Russians seemed to be so contrasting with heroic US soldiers of Saving Ryan. It turned out however this was the first movie I was not prepared for... And this is the only movie that grew in my eyes from absolute nonsense to masterpiece. I don't know what has to happen for the viewers to really tune to the author's language, so that it turns from torn pieces into a poem. That's what happened with me. But yet another requirement seems for the viewer to be neither pro- Russian, nor pro- Western, neither a patriot, nor a liberal, for it focuses on values different from all of these. It's not a "war is hell" movie, not a heroic movie, not a history-rewriting movie. It focuses on human beings and their plays, so to speak. But putting that aside, Mikhalkov himself is the owner of such rare human qualities, but he also possesses the true Russian character, and seems to be the only director capable to capture the scent of the past, the spirit. I certainly didn't think so back in 2010... Mikhalkov's film has a message to deliver, and that it just passes by the traditional elements of a war movie, it ignores things that usually make sense, and focuses on what has true meaning for the director. In other words, Mikhalkov wanted to share some very personal, intimate view, and the viewer is either prepared for the talk, or not. If not, the author simply does not find it necessary to explain things.

clasbin I watched the first 'Burnt by The Sun' years ago, not being aware it is the prelude of a trilogy. Then I saw it again, motivated by a discussion with a friend and it was enough of an incentive to follow up its sequels.It might be too soon after watching it to be truly objective but the story still has a hold on me and I can't wait to see its further development. There are times when I even forget to read the subtitles, but the movie still plays before my eyes and in my head. The fact that the script abides or not by the rules of Hollywood dogma is of little importance to me. Many great movies don't. It is rather a chance to see if the picture really grabs you or not. And what I see is a beautiful, graceful and subtle movie that leaves me no time to yawn or chew popcorn. Not a movie for people with the attention span of a golden fish. It relies heavily on the relation with the first part of the story, whatever knowledge you might have of the communism and your emotional intelligence.As a citizen of a country that was 'liberated' by the Red Army and upon which the Soviet Union bestowed the unwanted gift of communism I was paradoxically raised with neither hatred towards the Russian people nor with the forced love for them. So, when I say I love N. Michalkov with all my heart after watching most of his movies, it really means something. War clichés? Maybe, but expertly done. Things that don't add up? Eastern peoples are much more used to symbols instead of sanitized narrations of quantifiable facts. It's just how our brains work and we are not ashamed of it. Characters might not exist as depicted? That never stopped anyone from telling a story, but you may as well picture them as merging together lots of real experiences. Goofy moments? Great irony.One last thing that accounts for a lot of hate. In Soviet Union and some other countries (my own included) communism relied also on exacerbated nationalistic feelings. Some people will never recover from that while they still draw breath. Ironically, the main character psychological drama is based upon the fact that he accepts his fate because he 'loves his country'.So, those of you who get this movie, it can be like our private joke. Those of you who don't... Well, who cares about you anyway.

subspacesignal Utomlyonnye solntsem 2: Predstoyanye (Burnt by the Sun: Anticipation) is the sequel to Nikita Mikhalkov's exceptional 1994 period drama about Stalin's political repressions in the 1930s. However, a lot of water has passed under the bridge in 15 years and the poignancy of the original is certainly lost here.This film follows the struggles of the repressed Kotov family and the man who is responsible for their plight through the Soviet theater of WW2. The plot is neither simple enough to be called a drama nor expansive enough to be an epic. Instead its a picaresque flow of vignettes reminiscent of a play - the majority of scenes have retained the original film's intimacy, with few actors on screen at the same time.In terms of direction I was impressed in places, though mostly by technical skill rather than revelatory plot devices or subtle acting. The restrained use of sound effects and music that worked so well in the first film is definitely one of this sequel's redeeming features.On a less positive note, I was exasperated by the treatment of suffering Mikhalkov offers his audience - many characters spend their entire screen time whimpering, crying or cowering in the rubble - not exactly the Tears and Glory that many have come to expect from the genre. We can only hope the Glory will come in the third film (we are, after all, in Anticipation).As an actor Nikita Mikhalkov is accomplished and energetic as always, but the show is easily stolen by Sergei Makovetsky, gingerly portraying a sympathetic SMERSH officer stuck in a catch 22, as well as Mikhalkov's promising daughter Nadya as a tormented young Pioneer lost in the landscape of war. I should note that Makovetsky recently starred in the considerably more engaging WW2 saga "The Priest" and is on something of a roll lately.Despite the overall quality of the cast the direction takes an unusual approach to a number of performers - Dmitriy Dyuzhev of Brigada fame, for example, spends the entire film whimpering unconvincingly - something he was obviously never designed for. Oleg Menshikov, a fine period actor many will know for playing Yerast Fandorin in 'Statski Sovetnik", is no more or less wooden than grandma's kitchen ladle - it seems Mikhalkov was simply uninterested in engaging this actor.Considering how much money was spent, production values are quite low in places - props often seem lonely on battlefields and costumes lack imagination. Perhaps most of it went to the actors that managed to cozy up to this lucrative gig... In any case, a number of scenes feel cheap and give the entire production an air of inconsistency.Last but not least, it would be a shame not to mention Mikhalkov's own fate. Most foreigners will be unaware of the fact that in the 15 years since the release of the original movie, Mikhalkov has become a close friend and associate of a leader himself accused of political repression - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. I would have no qualms with this ordinarily, assuming that all the funds his efforts raised were spent making great movies. Unfortunately, Mikhalkov's tenure as figurehead of Russia's film industry did not produce many quality films. Certainly, none by Mikhalkov himself.The bottom line: a sequel unworthy of its predecessor in almost every way, but good enough to own on DVD or watch with the family.

voodoo-27 I guess, it's the worst movie I've ever seen. After this spit at Russian history Mikhalkov is a "spent bullet" director for me. If you want to know about the history of WWII in Russia don't watch this movie because all you'll see is several scenes of "how Mikhalkov wanted it to be". He's gone too far in his quest to alter the history. He shows a silly death of "kremlin cadets" just to "prove" how dull the Russian commanders were. But in a real world these "kremlin cadets" stopped Nazi's near Moscow. The final scene is absolutely amoral, it's like a knife to the heart of those who died defending their motherland. In fact, it's hard to find a scene in this movie where people are not silly. I've read a lot of feedbacks from people who fought in this war and these people say that Mikhalkov is a liar and they curse him.