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A Russian army unit is ambushed by Muslim rebels in the Caucasus. During the attack, two soldiers (Oleg Menshikov and Sergei Bodrov Jr), one a cynical veteran, the other an innocent recruit, are captured and taken to a remote village. While Abdul the village elder plans to use them in a prisoner exchange for his own son, the duo start to develop an unlikely bond with their captors. Based on Tolstoy's 150-year-old short story, Bodrov's film is a low-key, slow-moving tale, a film that expertly and vividly depicts the clash between two different cultures. Subtitled and restricted to small cinemas and arthouse slots, Prisoner Of The Mountains stands out as a visually striking film, one that's suffused with a great deal of compassion and humanity for its characters. The cumulative impact of its gritty newsreel realism is truly devastating, compounded by the fact that this is a heartfelt homegrown tale. Needless to say, if you only see one Chechen hostage drama this year, make it this one.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
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