Estnische wrote:I know its not the font of all truth but check the Wiki entries for the movie and the actual events. The real thing was found by the Soviet govt to be greatly exaggerated, but was a handy story when there was not much that was positive. Also the movie started with crowd funding, which was enthusiastically supported by the Russian govt - (cue bared-chested rider...)
As the old saying goes: The first casualty of War is truth, (although the same might be said when substituting 'Vodka' for 'War'

). Yes, I noticed the funding sources, and the inevitable Govt/Autocratic link. Nonetheless, no matter the exaggeration at that time (think also: Battle of Britain claims rate- RAF vs Luftwaffe, and vice versa, or USA winning war on its own..

etc.... )...the Germans were stopped, and didn't reach Moscow. Whilst we live in an age where history is being shamelessly re-written, under the bizarre Big Brother auspices of Political Correctness (for the sake of 'inclusivity' etc., blah, blah), and East/West propaganda(- or is it 'Fake news'-) still persists, there can be no doubt that millions died on the Eastern front for a fatuous cause: crazed Dictator vs crazed Dictator. Thankfully, there are no instances of this in the modern world...

. Hmmm...there isn't an emoticon for tongue-in-cheek...
Perhaps the Finns and Balts exaggerated their own heroics in the worthy, and very watchable, films they have put out of late. They, like the Russians though, still maintain a not-so-hidden agenda. That would be survival, of course,in the case of the riven Baltic states. By their own account, they certainly gave the Soviet era forces a really bad time in WW2...
Taking all of this into account, along with a massive inch of salt for the 'truths' of the 21st Century world, this film is still entertaining in my humble opinion. My definition being, if the film holds my attention, and suppresses the urge to laugh in derision, or to make the disc into a coaster, then it was worthwhile buying....just about. Just that.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.