One of the greatest

I've finally managed to watch it. A truly horrific portrayal of war. The character of Florya looks constantly mortified , and the Director used live ammunition on set and terrified him throughout filming so that must have been a factor. His transformation on screen is something to really savour, although probably not ethically sound. The sense of impending doom and dread is thrust into the viewers face. Even the noise of the planes overhead sound sinister. I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to watch it again as it is a traumatizing experience but it's quite clear when watching it, that it is a massively important film. I saw 'The Ascent', made by the Director's wife Larisa Shepitko recently and thought that was superb, but this is a step up. It's surely one of the most harrowing, realistic tales of the brutality of war put onscreen. I haven't rated a movie as 10 out of 10 for a number of years. But this is a 10 out of 10. Unforgettable.