A British couple along with several Russians are held hostage by Chechen rebels . The British man John is released along with a Russian soldier Ivan . John is told by the Chechen leader Aslan that he was two months to raise $2 million dollars for the release of his companion Margaret otherwise she will be gang raped and beheaded
VOYNA is a very strange film . Reading the above premise you can be forgiven for thinking it's going to be a dark gloomy thriller and if I tell you the opening scene features a Russian soldier getting his throat slit and another being decapitated this will no doubt reinforce your opinion that it's ultra violent but that's not really how it works out . John and Margaret are a couple of touring actors appearing in Shakespearian plays and this film has a feeling that it's the theatre of the absurd . This however doesn't mean it's an exceptional film and quite often is as implausible as the worst Hollywood action blockbusters
One point people on this page have picked up upon is the score which seems to belong in another film but I do remember many years ago seeing a hard hitting documentary about the first Chechen War called THE BETRAYED that showed gut wrenching carnage and battle scenes from the front line with the most inapporpiate Euro-pop soundtrack playing over the action and one wonders if this influenced Aleksei Balabanov and he's trying to be ironic ? Whatever the reason it's slightly intrusive and interferes with the mood of the film
Actually that's the other more major failing of the movie and the tone is very uneven and is slightly perplexing . It's probably fair to say this is a black comedy featuring the absurdity of war . After seeing people getting tortured and beheaded by the Chechens John is released and Ivan decides to help him and we see a quest where they run in to many colourful characters . But even then you find yourself asking if perhaps Balabanov could have pushed the boat out with a bit more insanity and fatalistic cynicism . Some scenes are implausible and sit in an uncomfortable manner with scenes that seem deadly serious and one wonders what point the director might be making ?
At the end of the day VOYNA is a slightly unsatisfying film . It does hold the attention about a conflict that remains relatively unknown in Western Europe and just does enough to hold your attention but at the same time you'll be confused as to what the director is saying about this particular war
VOYNA is a very strange film . Reading the above premise you can be forgiven for thinking it's going to be a dark gloomy thriller and if I tell you the opening scene features a Russian soldier getting his throat slit and another being decapitated this will no doubt reinforce your opinion that it's ultra violent but that's not really how it works out . John and Margaret are a couple of touring actors appearing in Shakespearian plays and this film has a feeling that it's the theatre of the absurd . This however doesn't mean it's an exceptional film and quite often is as implausible as the worst Hollywood action blockbusters
One point people on this page have picked up upon is the score which seems to belong in another film but I do remember many years ago seeing a hard hitting documentary about the first Chechen War called THE BETRAYED that showed gut wrenching carnage and battle scenes from the front line with the most inapporpiate Euro-pop soundtrack playing over the action and one wonders if this influenced Aleksei Balabanov and he's trying to be ironic ? Whatever the reason it's slightly intrusive and interferes with the mood of the film
Actually that's the other more major failing of the movie and the tone is very uneven and is slightly perplexing . It's probably fair to say this is a black comedy featuring the absurdity of war . After seeing people getting tortured and beheaded by the Chechens John is released and Ivan decides to help him and we see a quest where they run in to many colourful characters . But even then you find yourself asking if perhaps Balabanov could have pushed the boat out with a bit more insanity and fatalistic cynicism . Some scenes are implausible and sit in an uncomfortable manner with scenes that seem deadly serious and one wonders what point the director might be making ?
At the end of the day VOYNA is a slightly unsatisfying film . It does hold the attention about a conflict that remains relatively unknown in Western Europe and just does enough to hold your attention but at the same time you'll be confused as to what the director is saying about this particular war