Probably, each of our compatriots, if they did not watch Alexei Balabanov’s film “War,” at least had heard of him. An interesting and exciting plot, a wonderful play of actors - all this made the film a real masterpiece of cinema.
Plot
A simple twenty-year-old Russian guy, Ivan Ermakov, being in a pre-trial detention center, gives an interview to the journalist, talking about events that forever changed his life.
A young sergeant, who had no combat experience, was sent to Chechnya, where in 2001 there was a real war. Events developed in such a way that he was captured and became a slave. The militants hoped to get a ransom for him, as well as for another conscript named Fedor.
Soon, two British are also captured - John Boyle and his bride Margaret. They arrived in Chechnya with a cultural purpose - to acquaint residents with the tragedies of the immortal Shakespeare, but instead fell into slavery.
Once the whole four were transported to another village, where they were put in zindan. Here they meet Captain Medvedev - a fighter wounded in the back and paralyzed below the waist.
Understanding that it will not work to get money for Ivan and Fedya - their families simply will not be able to collect the necessary amounts - the head of the fighters Aslan decides to exchange them for criminals who are in prison, and receives consent. At the same time, he was letting go of John, demanding £ 2 million to free Margaret.
After captivity, Ivan goes home and tries to live a normal life. But after a few months, John finds him. He could not raise the required amount, John received only 200 thousand pounds from the British television company for the promise to film the situation in Chechnya. The Russian authorities are also in no hurry to help free the slaves from Zindan. Then Ivan promises to help John. First of all, he wants to save Medvedev, to whom he was imbued with respect.
Of course, it does not do without a fight - armed with a hunting rifle, a well-known former sergeant kills several bandits, seizes machine guns, and grenades. After breaking the guard of the aul, Ivan frees Medvedev and Margaret. John, realizing that his bride was repeatedly raped, furiously kills Aslan. The Englishman's video camera captures all the events that are occurring.
The fugitives manage to get out of the village and send a signal for help. A helicopter flew behind them.
After the rescue, Medvedev undergoes a course of treatment, and Joe and Margaret go home. Ivan is sent to a pre-trial detention center where the sergeant is awaiting trial. He is accused of killing peaceful Chechen citizens, the fate of the guy is unknown.
main characters
It is the perfectly selected cast of the film Balabanov's "War" that makes him so lively and exciting.
The main role - Ivan Ermakov - is played by the young and then still unknown Alexei Chadov. Admittedly, he coped with the task, he was just great. Participation in this film was the beginning of his successful film career.
The role of captain Medvedev was played by Sergei Bodrov Jr. - he already had considerable acting experience, and he worked a lot with the director Balabanov.
John Boyle was played by a real Englishman - Ian Kelly. He practically did not speak Russian and perfectly played his part.
Finally, Margaret - the bride of John - was played by the famous actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite.
Strict requirements of the director
During the filming of Balabanov’s film “War”, the actors had to endure many real dangers. The director categorically refused to attract understudies, pavilion filming and other techniques that increase efficiency and reduce the complexity of the work, but affect the effectiveness and reliability.
For example, despite the objections of Ian Kelly, Balabanov forced him and his colleagues to spend several hours in a cold pit, Zindan. Dirty, wet and frozen, the actors perfectly conveyed the whole gamut of feelings that their heroes should have felt.
Ingeborg Dapkunaite had to swim in a real mountain river, the water temperature in which did not exceed +5 degrees Celsius.
Many episodes were filmed in Chechnya. Moreover, this happened in the midst of the Second Chechen War. Therefore, a detachment of armed guards was assigned to the crew, thanks to which they managed to avoid serious problems and difficulties. Many fighters had experience communicating with the local population, and this made it possible to ensure the proper level of security for the entire team.
Also, to maximize the realism of the picture, real Chechen residents were involved to create extras, and detachments of soldiers who were at the time of filming in nearby areas participated in the filming.
Perhaps it was due to such realism that Balabanov’s film “War” received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Interesting Facts
Trying to better understand the mysterious Russian people, Ian Kelly read during the filming of Tolstoy's book "War and Peace."
In many scenes, the fire from machine guns and machine guns was real, live ammunition was used instead of idle. It also frankly frightened the Englishman Ian, who was not used to such realism.
The film has received many prestigious awards - both in Russia and abroad.
In 2002, the film "War" was included in the list of 50 best-selling films in Russia, and took 4th place. And this is definitely a success!
Conclusion
From the article you learned a lot of new and interesting about the magnificent film directed by Alexei Balabanov and the actors who starred in it. If you have not seen this film yet, then be sure to watch this exciting film - you definitely won’t have to regret the wasted time.