Really?

Same here. Seems ridiculously overrated, and it's hard to believe it's the most popular Soviet film about the GPW. There are so many others... Bykov was a big star, and it's really interesting to see how he matured from Maxim Perepelitsa, yet managed to credibly be the same character in two unrelated stories. But he is also clearly not as energetic as he had been, nor as humorous. Yet even though there is no connection between the two fictional characters, I couldn't help seeing him as the same character, younger and older, in the two movies. Which I really liked. Ironically, the newer movie was made 18 years after the older one, so he sort of ages backwards... because the newer movie was set before the older one.

Perfectly unclear, I know, but nobody will read this anyway.

This movie was referred to me by a friend in Russia. I have not seen many war movies made in the Soviet Union during this era, but I thought the overall message was very powerful. The use of music, while it would be out of place in today's cinema, reminds me so much of the people I met in Russia and their love of their cultural history. I think the narrative has a few kinks, but for me the movie has nostalgic value. The music is what sets this movie apart from others. The dogfight scenes set to Smuglianka tug at my heartstrings. There are better movies out there, I'm sure. But this one has found a very special place in my heart.