I've been waching american movies for 30+ years and i'm sick an tierd of their propaganda. This movie is something new and refreshing. For those who are saying that this is russian propaganda, they are right...So what...at least it's from different angle.
244 Reviews
Great film.bonkers dubbing of american accents
petertrainor1 February 2020
I found this to be a well produced yarn. My only gripe was the mad idea by some producer or other to dub over the Russian actors, while subtitling the german tank crews.
Not only was it dubbed, it was appaling cod americaneese with unrussian responses like "Sir, yes sir!"
Perhaps they weren't russian tank crews at all, maybe the Soviet army was made up of navy seals. One russian even said to another "just you cool it". Was the dubbing crew drunk or just vandals.
I nearly deleted my sky rental of this movie because of this but stuck with it as it is a tight, if unlikely thrilling yarn.
The slow-motion footage is impressive.
peterp-450-29871610 April 2019
I'll give you another chance.
You choose and prepare a Russian tank crew.
On a designated day at the shooting range,
you show your science, to my cadets.
You won't have ammunition. Just your skill.
If you die ... you die as a soldier on the battlefield.
I thought it was time again to watch a realistic WWII war movie. One that focuses on heroism and the urge to survive. A film where you almost can smell the war and experience the despair, as if you were in the middle of it. Not a movie that shows experimental creatures (like in "Overlord") or Nazi Zombies. I have to admit that after seeing the trailer for "T-34" (yes, yes, I know I always claim to avoid trailers), I was very curious about this film. The trailer looked phenomenal. And I wanted to see if the entire film was peppered with such spectacular images. Or was the trailer again a summary of the best phases of the film? Believe me. The film is unparalleled from start to finish and keeps you glued to your screen.
When it comes to Russian-made films, I need to confess that I don't know much about that. To be honest, my knowledge is limited to the clichés known about this enormous country. But in hindsight, I really have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by it. The film didn't have such an old-fashioned and woolly appearance, but it looked highly qualitative with extremely perfect footage and solid acting. You could say this film has true Hollywood blockbuster allures.
The movie is about the T-34. A Soviet tank that was used en masse against the invasion by Germany in the former Soviet republic. This medium-sized tank, which was provided with thickened armor, was initially unable to cope with the better-made German panzers. However, they had one advantage: the large caterpillar tracks made them tactically very mobile and the infamous mud pools were no problem in the winter period, while the German armored brigades got stuck in it. So the film is a tribute to this legendary tank that helped defeat Nazi Germany.
If you like action-packed war films and want to see how ruthless and cruel a tank battle can be, then you should definitely watch this film (but I am convinced there are other wonderful films that tackle this subject). The confrontations between German tank brigades and Russian lieutenant Nikolay Ivushkin (Alexander Petrov) and his crew are ultra-realistic and impressive. The close-up images in the T-34 with its limited movement space, are breathtaking and have a claustrophobic effect. You can feel the nerves rushing through your own body. Just as the crew, as they realize they can expect a fatal hit any time. You can almost smell the sweat of fear. And it's the images that leave a huge impression. The slow-motion images of the all-destructive grenades going through steel and concrete, look really exquisite. It all has a very high PC game vibe and perhaps this technique was used a bit too much. But it was entertainment of the highest level.
But not only the tank battles impressed me. The part about Nikolay's captivity in a German concentration camp was also excellent. The scene where the train, crammed with "Prisoners of War", arrives at the concentration camp in the rain, I found impressive. The despair, despondency, and hopelessness were contained in that one image with the train where dead people fall out of the wagons, the moment the sliding doors open. It's here that Nikolay is picked out by camp commander Klaus Jäger (Vinzenz Kiefer) to fix a captured T-34 and make it ready for battle with a crew chosen by Nikolay. The intention is that their Russian tank becomes a target during tank practices by the Germans. What Klaus Jäger doesn't know is that they also found ammunition while removing the dead bodies. And that's the impetus for Nikolay to escape during such an exercise and after that trying to reach Czech Slovakia.
When I was young I loved to play the board game "Tank Battle". "T-34" reminded me of this repeatedly. Only the board game was a bit more peaceful compared to this movie. "T-34" is extremely ruthless and shows how heroism makes the impossible possible. And amidst this war violence, there's even room for some romance between Nikolay and the Russian translator Anya (Irina Starshenbaum) whose privileges in the concentration camp are invaluable for Nikolay and his companions. I kept asking myself just one thing. What impact did such a grenade (that bounces off the armor) have on the crew in the tank? Is it the air pressure? Or the decibels? Because I can imagine that must be a lot of noise. As if you are sitting in a bronze clock and someone hits it with a heavy sledgehammer. It's just a futile question about an otherwise excellent and impressive Russian film.
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
I thought it was time again to watch a realistic WWII war movie. One that focuses on heroism and the urge to survive. A film where you almost can smell the war and experience the despair, as if you were in the middle of it. Not a movie that shows experimental creatures (like in "Overlord") or Nazi Zombies. I have to admit that after seeing the trailer for "T-34" (yes, yes, I know I always claim to avoid trailers), I was very curious about this film. The trailer looked phenomenal. And I wanted to see if the entire film was peppered with such spectacular images. Or was the trailer again a summary of the best phases of the film? Believe me. The film is unparalleled from start to finish and keeps you glued to your screen.
When it comes to Russian-made films, I need to confess that I don't know much about that. To be honest, my knowledge is limited to the clichés known about this enormous country. But in hindsight, I really have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by it. The film didn't have such an old-fashioned and woolly appearance, but it looked highly qualitative with extremely perfect footage and solid acting. You could say this film has true Hollywood blockbuster allures.
The movie is about the T-34. A Soviet tank that was used en masse against the invasion by Germany in the former Soviet republic. This medium-sized tank, which was provided with thickened armor, was initially unable to cope with the better-made German panzers. However, they had one advantage: the large caterpillar tracks made them tactically very mobile and the infamous mud pools were no problem in the winter period, while the German armored brigades got stuck in it. So the film is a tribute to this legendary tank that helped defeat Nazi Germany.
If you like action-packed war films and want to see how ruthless and cruel a tank battle can be, then you should definitely watch this film (but I am convinced there are other wonderful films that tackle this subject). The confrontations between German tank brigades and Russian lieutenant Nikolay Ivushkin (Alexander Petrov) and his crew are ultra-realistic and impressive. The close-up images in the T-34 with its limited movement space, are breathtaking and have a claustrophobic effect. You can feel the nerves rushing through your own body. Just as the crew, as they realize they can expect a fatal hit any time. You can almost smell the sweat of fear. And it's the images that leave a huge impression. The slow-motion images of the all-destructive grenades going through steel and concrete, look really exquisite. It all has a very high PC game vibe and perhaps this technique was used a bit too much. But it was entertainment of the highest level.
But not only the tank battles impressed me. The part about Nikolay's captivity in a German concentration camp was also excellent. The scene where the train, crammed with "Prisoners of War", arrives at the concentration camp in the rain, I found impressive. The despair, despondency, and hopelessness were contained in that one image with the train where dead people fall out of the wagons, the moment the sliding doors open. It's here that Nikolay is picked out by camp commander Klaus Jäger (Vinzenz Kiefer) to fix a captured T-34 and make it ready for battle with a crew chosen by Nikolay. The intention is that their Russian tank becomes a target during tank practices by the Germans. What Klaus Jäger doesn't know is that they also found ammunition while removing the dead bodies. And that's the impetus for Nikolay to escape during such an exercise and after that trying to reach Czech Slovakia.
When I was young I loved to play the board game "Tank Battle". "T-34" reminded me of this repeatedly. Only the board game was a bit more peaceful compared to this movie. "T-34" is extremely ruthless and shows how heroism makes the impossible possible. And amidst this war violence, there's even room for some romance between Nikolay and the Russian translator Anya (Irina Starshenbaum) whose privileges in the concentration camp are invaluable for Nikolay and his companions. I kept asking myself just one thing. What impact did such a grenade (that bounces off the armor) have on the crew in the tank? Is it the air pressure? Or the decibels? Because I can imagine that must be a lot of noise. As if you are sitting in a bronze clock and someone hits it with a heavy sledgehammer. It's just a futile question about an otherwise excellent and impressive Russian film.
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
Great movie
Armin208 July 2020
Really enjoyed this movie. A good story and full of action. What makes this movie special was, the slow motion scenes of how the tanks fired to each other, there explosions and how the crew reacts to everything. The "love story" was strange. I wold have liked it more if they kept on task instead of in pants. Falling in love on the first girl who translates your words never works.
I'm giving it a 10 because of I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie. Have not seen this delivered by Hollywood in a long time. I do have a few points to make out about this movie.
Point 1: I saw the russian and german spoken movie with english subs. What first disturbed me was that the german dialogue was narrated. I could not hear clearly what was said when the germans spoke. Why Russians make movies and dub over it with or use a narrator is a strange choice for me because i'm Dutch and we picked subtitles, because it was cheaper (the Dutch way) back in the day and as a plus for this later on was that we learned easier foreign languages from tv. Plus is that the narrator has a good calm voice, so he is not annoying. I was happy that Irina Starshenbaum her translating started so this was brought back to a minimum.
Point 2: After 12,5 minutes to 35 minutes we see that the tanks are escorted by footsoldiers. At the end we don't see the footsoldiers anymore. Maybe when this movie is remade after 55 years we can have them add a scene where they find machinegun bullets for that gun and the footsoldiers are back? It could be then a Clint Eastwood scene as in "Where Eagles Dare" on the staircase
Point 3: Remarks I read about the CGI or the, etc ...Lower budgets and the actors look under payed, there is no more money for beter CGI. Maybe with a higher budget this movie would have been even greater. I don't think this movie even came out in my country. The budget it says it was estimated 10,000,000. And the Worldwide Gross 35,950,901. The movie Fury had a budget of 68,000,000 and the cumulative Worldwide Gross $211,817,906. So 2 tank movies... Fury was good but if it had 1/6 of it's budget it would have never been a good movie.
I'm giving it a 10 because of I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie. Have not seen this delivered by Hollywood in a long time. I do have a few points to make out about this movie.
Point 1: I saw the russian and german spoken movie with english subs. What first disturbed me was that the german dialogue was narrated. I could not hear clearly what was said when the germans spoke. Why Russians make movies and dub over it with or use a narrator is a strange choice for me because i'm Dutch and we picked subtitles, because it was cheaper (the Dutch way) back in the day and as a plus for this later on was that we learned easier foreign languages from tv. Plus is that the narrator has a good calm voice, so he is not annoying. I was happy that Irina Starshenbaum her translating started so this was brought back to a minimum.
Point 2: After 12,5 minutes to 35 minutes we see that the tanks are escorted by footsoldiers. At the end we don't see the footsoldiers anymore. Maybe when this movie is remade after 55 years we can have them add a scene where they find machinegun bullets for that gun and the footsoldiers are back? It could be then a Clint Eastwood scene as in "Where Eagles Dare" on the staircase
Point 3: Remarks I read about the CGI or the, etc ...Lower budgets and the actors look under payed, there is no more money for beter CGI. Maybe with a higher budget this movie would have been even greater. I don't think this movie even came out in my country. The budget it says it was estimated 10,000,000. And the Worldwide Gross 35,950,901. The movie Fury had a budget of 68,000,000 and the cumulative Worldwide Gross $211,817,906. So 2 tank movies... Fury was good but if it had 1/6 of it's budget it would have never been a good movie.
A very casual approach to WWII movie
rainfollower-95-64632427 January 2019
First of all, this is not a "War movie". If you want drama like in "Saving private Ryan", you chose the wrong title. This is action movie. And this a very casual, childish action movie, more like a computer game than real life.
I can't say it's bad. It's got some good sides to it. Like... it is quite spectacular, and stylish, too. Slo-mo, trick shots, inside-the-tank perspective... Some nice little details of the tank warfare, too (like: what the crew feels when a shell ricochets from tank's armor).
But I can't say it's very good, also. First of all, the basic plot is secondary to an old soviet movie of 1965. The story is mostly different, but it's built upon the same plot. And if you try to compare, you will see how lame and casual this movie is. Secondly, the personalities. No objections to the actors themselves, but the personalities they perform look false. Ivushkin and his adversary do not look like war enemies. They do not feel like that. They look like guys competing in a PvP computer game, really. And many other people also feel like one-note characters. Thirdly, quite some plot twists are plain stupid. That is, if you know anything about nazis, and war, and tank warfare. And it is not the case of "alternative reality" (like in Marvel movies), it is a case of the wrong and overly simplistic perception of how it all works. As if makers did not dip into the epoch deep enough. And some other scenes and plot twists look like they're just plainly taken from the original 1965 title without any real need to it (beer scene, for example). Fourthly, the CG in some scenes is absurdly bad (of tanks, in particular). You _see_ the CG! Although it does not happen very often, to be honest.
I can't give this "T-34" a rating above 6, I'm afraid. It's nothing special. You watch it once, and next day you forget it all (except maybe some funny in-tank camera angles).
I can't say it's bad. It's got some good sides to it. Like... it is quite spectacular, and stylish, too. Slo-mo, trick shots, inside-the-tank perspective... Some nice little details of the tank warfare, too (like: what the crew feels when a shell ricochets from tank's armor).
But I can't say it's very good, also. First of all, the basic plot is secondary to an old soviet movie of 1965. The story is mostly different, but it's built upon the same plot. And if you try to compare, you will see how lame and casual this movie is. Secondly, the personalities. No objections to the actors themselves, but the personalities they perform look false. Ivushkin and his adversary do not look like war enemies. They do not feel like that. They look like guys competing in a PvP computer game, really. And many other people also feel like one-note characters. Thirdly, quite some plot twists are plain stupid. That is, if you know anything about nazis, and war, and tank warfare. And it is not the case of "alternative reality" (like in Marvel movies), it is a case of the wrong and overly simplistic perception of how it all works. As if makers did not dip into the epoch deep enough. And some other scenes and plot twists look like they're just plainly taken from the original 1965 title without any real need to it (beer scene, for example). Fourthly, the CG in some scenes is absurdly bad (of tanks, in particular). You _see_ the CG! Although it does not happen very often, to be honest.
I can't give this "T-34" a rating above 6, I'm afraid. It's nothing special. You watch it once, and next day you forget it all (except maybe some funny in-tank camera angles).
A romantic movie, I guess?
y0unG10 February 2019
As a War-Thunder player, it makes me so excited. But as a movie watcher, it can not be considered as a good movie for me. However, this movie is not bad for common watchers. Complete story,plump characters and real tanks!!! What can be better than this! So if you are a tank enthusiast or War-Thunder player, please, you must watch it. If you have a little interest in tank or WWII, I also advise you to have a try, believe you will not be disappointed after finishing it
Good film Must watch for Action Lovers
shadychiri29 January 2019
This film is quite remarkably the best I have seen from Russia in the recent years. Despite negative reviews from Hollywood film hardened fans who always perceive russia as a poor 'money laundering' state, this film does more than just prove them wrong by presenting stellar filming technique and a very different Point of View.
Better Than Fury - T-36
arthur_tafero25 September 2021
Although the acting might not be as good as Brad Pitt is in Fury, the action sequences, of which there are a solid hour of, surpass Fury by a wide margin. At times, it has the feel of Enemy at the Gates, and at other times, it has the feel of a relentless escape film; both elements surpass the usual Hollywood norms in this area. If you like great WW2 action movies, you can hardly do better than this one between the nazis and the Russians Highly recommended.
Good Russian War Movie
joenadenicek6 October 2019
There was a lot to like about this film. Granted, it didn't look as good as a big money Hollywood studio movie like Fury, but it did look quite good. I'd say it was on par with the better US independent films. The cast was good - looked good great and acted well. Props and wardrobe were excellent. I must admit, I like these Russian films better dubbed than subtitled, and the dubbing was good along with the voice acting. I'd say the CGI was quite good - I watched it on a pad which probably helped, but I thought the tank battle sequences looked good, though not as good as live action special effects. Still good enough to carry the story. As for the story, interesting and fact based, but unlikely in Its totally. Then again, not much more unlikely than Fury, which I also liked but found a bit fantastic.
So that's my take - a good war flick if that's your cup of tea.
So that's my take - a good war flick if that's your cup of tea.
Not bad, but vastly diminshed by dubbing
atapj8 December 2019
Thoroughly disappointed that there was no option to see it subtitled with the original russian dialogue. To quote another reviewer here: " respectfully and realistically handles the dialogue of the era and conflict. You won't see an actor from Brooklyn doing a lame General Burkhalter impression in English."- Definitely NOT SO in dubbed version that is written and voiced with such gems as "let's get ready to rumble".
This movie is definitely made with the sensibilities of the now international "Marvel audience" in mind, long on action, shorter on substance. Without harkening back to the USSR era where eastern front movies were blatant propaganda vehicles, I would heartily endorse that anyone who enjoyed this take a stab at "White Tiger" from a few years ago- plenty of tank action, but backed up by a compelling storyline.
Yeah it's a bit rubbish but it's good
dabluebox11 October 2020
A lot of people are moaning it's propaganda yeah course it is! So is saving private Ryan, Rambo, fury but it's just American propaganda. So chill out and just enjoy it for what it is ! And stop moaning. Oh and for god sake don't watch the dubbed ( I'm guessing for the americans ) have subtitles make it far less painful to watch
Unexpectedly good action movie
deangelised22 February 2019
This is an 80's type action movie with modern special effects. Generally, I am sceptical about Russian movies, they are mostly art house types. This one is an exception though. Everyone who loves a good action with heroes who has no superpowers but are supercool would enjoy it. I loved it. Nowadays it is rare for me to say that, but I really loved it. Please watch it in a theater or on a great screen: cinematics are awesome.
Hollywood, Russian version! ( Spoiler tells you when to stop reading, no worry )
thomaslorriette29 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A good entertaining movie. Action oriented, not so realistic ( don't expect a band of brothers or a 1993 Stalingrad here ). Literally: Hollywood Captain America, made in version. Without the super powers, of course.
Beside Fury and a few others, no so many movies take the time to describe what was happening inside tanks during WW2.
However, it has flaws: acting and scripts are soso, plot armours, full of clichés and weird slow motions ( if you saw the Russian movie Stalingrad, you know what I'm talking about ). Also, if you are a history nerd you'll see that, just like in Fury, some tank battles are heavily unrealistic. As the plot itself, to be honest. However...
SPOILER ALERT!
The humanity between the protagonist and the antagonist save the movie, in my opinion.
It's just a few seconds in the end, and a few minutes during the movie, but it takes the time to show that both the protagonist and the antagonist are human beings fighting with honour, with even some kind of respect for each other.
A small detail which, for me, made a difference.
END SPOILER ALERT
In anyways, the movie remains an entertaining epic piece, and one of the few talking mostly about the mechanical warfare during WW2. As a result, and even if the plot armour was huge, I had a good time watching this one.
Beside Fury and a few others, no so many movies take the time to describe what was happening inside tanks during WW2.
However, it has flaws: acting and scripts are soso, plot armours, full of clichés and weird slow motions ( if you saw the Russian movie Stalingrad, you know what I'm talking about ). Also, if you are a history nerd you'll see that, just like in Fury, some tank battles are heavily unrealistic. As the plot itself, to be honest. However...
SPOILER ALERT!
The humanity between the protagonist and the antagonist save the movie, in my opinion.
It's just a few seconds in the end, and a few minutes during the movie, but it takes the time to show that both the protagonist and the antagonist are human beings fighting with honour, with even some kind of respect for each other.
A small detail which, for me, made a difference.
END SPOILER ALERT
In anyways, the movie remains an entertaining epic piece, and one of the few talking mostly about the mechanical warfare during WW2. As a result, and even if the plot armour was huge, I had a good time watching this one.
A mixed bag of nuts.
glambright9 November 2019
The plot line was unrealistic. German female POWS did not wear clean pressed uniforms. Nor did the male POWS participate in war games. But I lost my breath when I saw peaceful farmlands and a group of elderly german women waiting for a bus less than 30 miles from the eastern front. But I guess this is in keeping with escaped POWS going for a swim while being chased by Nazis. Some of the cinematography was good until they started using cartoon figures.
Entertaining and well made action movie
mallaverack19 November 2020
No great depth here when it comes to characters but special effects/action scenes were very well put together. Would have preferred subtitles throughout - Russians using 'Americanisms' a little trite.
On the subject of sub-titles - people who reject these outright, mark down movies which use them or even refuse to watch them in the first place really need to be confronted: you are intellectually lazy; emotionally challenged and show a regressive cowardice in appreciating films not in your mother tongue. Yanks are the best examples of the above described movie retards.
Awesome action scenes
sonadi-137464 February 2022
Really nice
valentey21 February 2019
Strong points. 1. Film is the 'optimized' version of the old russian movie "Zavoronok", which script -writer was former KV tank commander and WW2 veteran - Orlov . In Germany Orlov heard how the captured soviet crew managed to escape from german tank range . 2. It is about the times when the russians and the americans fought together against common enemy, so no one in the USA will feel uncomfortable to watch it. 3. T-34 used in the movie is the real veteran-tank. 4. Liked the movie because it is about brotherhood and courage, but not about soviet propaganda.
Weak points. Smtms i didn't like CGI. But the movie is damn better than Fury .
Weak points. Smtms i didn't like CGI. But the movie is damn better than Fury .
It's Russian Propaganda pure and simple but
cicchinojoseph4 February 2019
I liked it. In the USA people are used to a certain type of movie with a huge budget. If you have seen Russian made War films or Superhero movies you know this follows the mold. It's fast and Furious, the Matrix and B movie at its best. I'll watch it again in a second.
Great WWII based action movie.
vikndigit-4983419 February 2019
I found CG a little bit cheesy, and on opposite side sound department made a great job. T-34 - is a tank of victory on Nazi Germany, but it was not possible without courage, bravery and partriotism of soviet soldiers as well as people, this what this movie about. It's not Russian propoganda, cause Russia was just a republic in USSR;)
Impressive movie
photobykjerstein19 August 2019
Mindless video game
prelibation11 December 2019
I assume that if one have experienced war only through video games this film will be
just another tank game. I've never played video games, but I did take part in a war in a tank unit. What we see in this film is even below the worst of the war movie trash we got used to see in the last decades and an insult not only to soldiers who fought real wars, but to any intelligent viewer. The idea that one can make a film based mostly on computer generated imagery and ignore any realism may work in a fantasy film, though the computer graphic in this and most modern film is so artificial and crude one can get nostalgic about the simple miniature models used in some films of the past century.
WW2 in Russia, the "Great Patriotic War" as it is known there, was an unparalleled tragedy with Russia (or Soviet Union as it was called then) loosing 27 million people, almost half of all the casualties of WW2. Hardly surprising that the war as a subject featured heavily in the post war film and literature. There were some great masterpieces and some poor propaganda films in the 30-40 years following the war but nothing as bad and mindless as those we see now. The "Liberation" film series released in 1970 was maybe one of the most expansive and realistic using hundreds of real tanks and thousands of troops. It was not a great film, but I cannot even start comparing it with this garbage.
"Destiny of a Man" the1959 Soviet film is as well about a Russian soldier captured in the first months of the war, going though a terrible ordeal in concentration camps and escaping 3 years later by driving (a car, not a tank) across the front line back to the Russian side. How one can even compare this masterpiece with the T-34? Maybe it came to my mind because of the superficial plot similarity. And now, 60 years later, with all the new technology all that we can make is an idiotic computer animation.
Better Than 99% of the Hollywood Movies of the Past Decade
Freedom06028615 July 2019
This was a thoroughly enjoyable WW II movie, with excellent acting, direction and special effects.
The story is about the struggle of a brave and determined Russian tank commander and his handful of men, and a courageous woman he met in a Nazi POW camp. A single Russian T-34 tank has to get past multiple German Tiger tanks for the group to survive.
The story is about the struggle of a brave and determined Russian tank commander and his handful of men, and a courageous woman he met in a Nazi POW camp. A single Russian T-34 tank has to get past multiple German Tiger tanks for the group to survive.
Great Movie
marco-franca18 October 2019
Waste of time
mazcoroni5 November 2019
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