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Cast: Artur Smolyaninov, Aleksey Chadov, Konstantin Kryukov, Ivan Kokorin, Mikhail Evlanov, Artyom Mikhalkov, Soslan Fidarov, Ivan Nikolaev, Mikhail Porechenkov, Fyodor Bondarchuk
After barely surviving an intensely grueling boot camp in Uzbekistan, an eclectic group of recently enlisted Soviet soldiers ships off to fight in Afghanistan, where they must endure hellish conditions and extremely dangerous Mujahideen forces.
The year is 1988, a group of Russian men are saying their goodbyes to their loved ones as they wait to board a train that will take them to their training destination to prepare for war in Afghanistan. The men at first have mixed feelings about each other, some get along while others seem to be at each others throats on a daily basis but as the days go by they become a tight knit group of soldiers ready for battle. Finally after 153 days they arrive in Afghanistan. Based on actual events that culminated on 7th January 1988 on the Djardan "3234" Heights of Afghanistan, 9th Company follows the ill-fated fortunes of a small group of young Soviet soldiers in the heart of the war zone and the climactic, bloody battle that made them heroes. The film is about as realistic a war film as you are going to find, it was originally released in Russian in 2005 but now it finally gets a U.S. release on DVD and Blu-ray. The Russian actors do an excellent job playing their characters, each one was believable and real and it was easy to feel for them and understand what they were going through. As far as the production values go I have to say I was very impressed, from the costumes, to the military weapons,tanks ect.. it was all realistic and effects as well were fantastic. The film has it all from the human side of things were you see these men who are afraid and uncertain of their futures to the amazing yet brutal battles scenes that put you right in the middle of the action. When the credits began to roll I was left leaving feeling angry, sympathy and sorrow for all that gave their lives for the cause. Your heart will drop when 9th Company gets ambushed on Height 3234 with no help in sight, it's a miracle any of them even survived the onslaught but at that moment in the film you realize just what a hero really is.
9th Company is a brilliant war film and displays the sad realities of war. You can compare it to such films act "Full Metal Jacket" if you want but this stands on it's own, it tells the true story of these amazing brave men, a story that is not only a must-see but an important story in history as well. Both the DVD and Blu-ray come with Special Features that include:
Making Of
20 Years Later
The Premiere
English Language
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Released by Well Go USA Entertainment
***** Out Of *****