The Balkan Line

P First, I have distant relatives who suffered due to Serbia elsewhere in the Balkans so I am no fan of Serbia. And my eyes hurt, from rolling, at the frequent lies, and revisionism, by all the parties in the Balkans-Serbs most of all. P This movie is no more an accurate account of the real world Pristina Airport I ncident than ZULU was an accurate account of the Battle of Rourke's Drift. Or for that matter the Spanish movie on this conflict, GUERREROS. As with all too many films these days, "The Narrative" is front and center. P What distinguishes this movie is the excellent acting, pretty realistic combat scenes, and the leitmotif of The Last Stand. Strong character development and, unlike in ZULU, the opponents here- the Albanians-have real faces, emotions and lives outside the battle. Plus the line later in the movie when a character observes that of the Magnificent Eight" only one is Russian, the rest are diverse, even two Muslims with the "Eight". Want to watch a documentary-accurate account of the Incident? Skip this one for sure. Want to see a good actioneer that highlights the martial values of loyalty, bravery and honor (for BOTH sides)? The watch this one. Accuracy: 2*; Action:: 8*; Pathos:: 8*.

Balcan line caught my attention with its subject and the storyline description. The film is inspired with the Balcanic military conflict, Kosovo war, the bombing of Yugoslavia and the march to Pristina. Russian task force is ordered take control over the airdrome and wait for arrival of reinforcements under the fire of Albanian terrorists.

As for me the storyline is perfect. We see the events from the different points, in different locations. The narration is smooth. Dynamics increases gradually closer to the ending and tension does not let you go until the final credits.

Atmosphere which is crucial point in this genre is tense. The picture's filled with the pain and suffering of the Serbian people. The confrontation between the Serbs and the Albanians stands by in every glance, in every dialogue. There is drama more than enough. Sometimes it's extremely difficult to watch the film further extremely difficult but still interesting. Somebody may call it too lengthy, but personally I liked the gradual disclosure of the soldier characters, and then the dynamic and spectacular slaughter. In general, the authors allow themselves some artistic nonconformities in one direction or another, this makes the story even more interesting. Should say a word about the actors. Anton Pampushny (Shatay) and Gosha Kutsenko (Beck) are outstanding. Just bravo! Alexander Srechkovich (Smuk) looked great as an antagonist. You start to hate his image almost from the moment his character appears.

To sum up, Balcanic line is ambicious action drama which unexpectedly turned out to be great. However be ready for the oppressive and heavy atmosphere. Several people left the cinema before the middle of the cinema, a few others later. Not because the film was bad. Just the pressure is enormous. If you are highly sensitive, then I advise you to think carefully before watching it.

Truly great to see the other perspective than presented in MSM or Hollywood

Ok, let's start with the positive. The film's photography and visuals are incredible. The cinematography is awesome. The story was interesting enough, and I really cared about the characters. The film has a good antagonist you simply can't help but hate (and boy, did he get what he deserved!)

Now my issues with the film. There are too many characters and therefore also too many back stories. Constant inter-cutting between scenes happening simultaneously was annoying and confusing. (It might be clearer with a second viewing). Showing scenes out of sequence further added to the confusion. There's also a lot of scenes that could - and probably should - have ended on the Cutting Room floor instead. This would have ensured a shorter runtime resulting in a faster paced film.

Based on fact, they just couldn't resist adding a fictional - and dare I say unnecessary - love story. *rolling my eyes*. In the end it was all good, though. The film's final hour is a spectacular thrill ride filled with action and suspense, and great visuals.

Balkan Line (Balkanskiy rubezh) is a film aimed at more serious viewers. It depicts events similar to those that actually took place in the former Yugoslavia. Although mostly action and warlike, the film captures the emotional side of the event, but in a serious and realistic way. Overall, the film manages to excel in all aspects, leaving a strong impression on the viewer.