Known as one of the bloodiest chapters in all of World War II, the Battle Of Stalingrad could be, for better or worse, a highly cinematic event should a director be so inclined. And here we find director Bondarchuk very much inclined, directing this movie in such a manner that it could easily have been renamed Zack Snyder's Russian War Movie. Stylised battles are one thing, but there is something distressing when the battles are based on real events.
Opening with a pointless framing device in the aftermath of an earthquake in Japan, a rescue worker is telling a survivor about his parents. We then flashback to Stalingrad, and after some explosive fussing about, we get down to the nitty gritty; five Russian soldiers have been tasked with protecting a specific building in the central square of Stalingrad from the Germans, but really they find themselves protecting one young woman (Smolnikova), who will go on to be our narrator's mother.
Had this movie been based on a fictional battle in a fictional war, then there would have been a lot to enjoy and recommend here. The battle scenes are incredible, with some fantastic visual and aural work put into every scene, plus this is Russia's first IMAX release, and the production values and clear-as-day 3D conversion puts most Hollywood movies to shame.
Not wanting to be outdone however, they also compete with Hollywood's complete lack of subtlety and tact. The most recognisable actor in the movie – Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Wanted) – is supposed to be playing some kind of Nice Nazi, even though he sexually assaults a helpless woman that reminds him of his wife. The 300 editing trick of slow-FAST-slow worked wonders in that movie, but not so much here when it's used in a scene where a Jewish mother and child are burned alive. When one of the good guys shoots dead a member of his own team for being a coward, it's played for laughs.
Tonally, the movie is all over the place, and you're never quite sure if you're supposed to be enjoying the OTT violence, or feel bad that it actually happened. Yes, the sights and sounds are great, but it's still in bad taste.