In the summer of 1944, the Nazi Armies prepare a massive Tank Division named 'Viking" for the offensive on occupied Russian land. The Russian Army's special group of seven snipers named "Zvezda" is sent for a reconnaissance operation behind the enemy lines in the back of the Nazi Tank Division. Two previous Russian groups never came back. The seven Russians know that they are going to an almost certain Death for the sake of Victory.
Cinematography
Misty forests that swallow men whole—visual despair done right.
Acting
Petrenko's quiet acceptance of death hits harder than any speech.
Direction
Lebedev refuses to glorify; war here is wet, terrified, and pointless.
Director
Nikolay Lebedev
Igor Petrenko
Travkin
Artyom Semakin
Vorobei
Aleksey Panin
Mamochkin
Aleksei Kravchenko
Anikanov
Anatoliy Gushchin
Bykov
Amadu Mamadakov
Temdekov
Yekaterina Vulichenko
Katya
Andrey Egorov
Barashkin
Sergey Miller
first prisoner
Aleksandr Efimov
third prisoner
Aleksandr Naumov
Serbichenko
Aleksandr Dyachenko
Galiev
Oleg Gushchin
Likhachev
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on real Soviet reconnaissance squads with 90% casualty rates—Lebedev interviewed surviving veterans who refused to call themselves heroes.
Released during Putin's early presidency when Russian cinema was reclaiming WWII narratives from Western 'Saving Private Ryan' dominance—this is the anti-Spielberg.
RU
