Tobol

Not least for the glimpse it might give into some of Putin's thinking.

I have no idea about the historical accuracy, but the geopolitics is very interesting, showing the juxtaposition of the same sort of eastern mounted warriors who in more ancient times had often swept into Europe, but were now caught between the Chinese and Russian empires.

The predominant theme is one of peoples just wanting to live in peace - one that is extremely relevant today - and just how difficult that can be, with troublemakers at both extremes of the social hierarchy always ready to start a fight.

Despite appearances, the plot line is quite complex - even at the romantic level - and the action scenes are well staged.

It's nice to watch films from sources other than the Hollywood production line, especially when they give you a glimpse into other cultures and ways of life.

One of the most awful films I have seen in the last years. All actors' play is unsatisfactory, almost nothing left from the original book which is interesting and very good, so no surprise the author asked to take off his name from the film titles.

Good movie - interesting to watch, nicely shot, based on well written book by famous author. A.Ivanov got the "Book of the year" prise in Russia several years back for another historical book ("Heart of Parma" where he also talked about history of Siberia), therefore anything by Ivanov is expected to be winner.

Although movie only based on the book it is educational to see and highly recommended for these who want to know more. This movie deserves to be shown in wider selection of Canadian theaters but knowing how relations with Russia deteriorated and affected by sanctions, this show is a good surprise and opportunity to widen your knowledge and see something new among dominated fantasy and comic based blockbusters.

Some Russian films are sort of immature. They are clumsy and infantile. This was not. It was great visually, with a sense of humor. But the storyline wasn't really clear. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site, which shows some foreign films; along with older Hollywood films, many low-budget indies, and even some live TV.

Do you like period pieces? Especially those with big battle and fight scenes? Well this could be something for you. Don't ask me about historical accuracies or anything like that though. I just enjoyed the movie for its entertainment purposes and it had quite a few of them.

When the fight and battle scenes play out right, what more do you need? Are there better movies with similar themes? Surely - as there are worse movies of course. Overall a very decent effort ...