This movie is better than most Russian World War 2 films, no unbelievable super-heroics. It is told fairly straight forward. The Germans in it do act pretty dumb in it. The ace German sniper pulls a Major König and walks out in the open after he thinks he killed the Russian sniper, copying Enemy at the Gates, as if there may not be any other Russians in the area. Not very smart for an experienced soldier. AS with the majority of Russian WW2 movies, the Soviet troops are always outnumbered by the Germans, and win by pure guts and bravery. The Germans advance in Russian tactics, all upright, human waves, not caring about their own casualties. All in all, not too bad.

I really wanted this movie to be worth watching. The plot looked great, the setting (WWII Eastern Front) has always been one of my favorite topics in history. This movie does have a great storyline, but it looks like they were trying too hard or had zero budget. The scenes are far too contrived, the war action looks completely fake, and the actors are a bit too hard to take seriously. The "German", which was obviously dubbed in by Russians, was awful (I speak both languages). Even someone who does not speak either language could easily hear how awful that dialog is. They couldn't find ANY real German actors in all of Russia???

This is a gripping thriller IMHO. Other than how clean everyone is in the movie, it depicts war in the Russian trenches during WW2. It is precisely the evolution of becoming a sniper. Bravery, honesty, morality and brotherhood are depicted 'matter of factly'.

If you are a student of war and a student of russian history, this movie adds to the narrative in a way that you will remember. It is not just another propaganda film. War between the Russians and Germans was an incredible time of sacrifice by both countries. The men who were part of it are shown in this film as compassionate and vengeful at the same time. It is a testament to the director viewing the war through the eyes of the soldiers who were part of it. I should like to share a beer with this director and wish him well in future films.

Note: As I watch movies like this I tend to pause the movie and look up what I see to see how true it is. This movei was suprisingly well researched.