Convoy 48: The War Train (2019)

            This is a Soviet war movie set in Leningrad.  There have been other movies about the siege, but I don’t know of any that concentrate on the period after the siege was broken.  The movie is dedicated to the citizens of Leningrad, but specifically the ones who worked on the rail line that brought in supplies.  The railway was within German artillery fire, so it was dangerous work

            Two young women sign on to train as engineers, but first they have to help build the railroad.  Part of the railway will be on a bridge constructed over a frozen lake.  They have to work under fire from artillery and aircraft.  The movie uses CGI to depict a dogfight between a German and Soviet fighter.  The Soviet wins and the Me. 109 crashes.  A group of Russian women beat the pilot to death with shovels. That’s realistic.  The Great Patriotic War (as the Soviets called it) was fought with little quarter given, by either side.  Later, the women are on a locomotive that races through a German bombardment.  All of the shells land on each side of the train.  Simplistic explosive effects.  The safest place is always on the tracks.  Another mission involves  transporting a trainload of children.

            I am a fan of Soviet movies.  The top ten movies hold up against the field of war movies.  The change from the Soviet Union to Russia was a transition to lesser war movies.  There are exceptions to this rule, like “Brest Fortress”, but most are average.  “Convoy 48” is below average.  There’s nothing to recommend it, unless you are a big fan of train movies.  The movie seldom strays from the locomotive.  While you learn some of the skills of engineers, the movie saves the action for the second half.  Before then, nothing much happens of interest.  There are some tepid flirtations, but no romance ensues.  I guess that deserves a kudo for sticking with memorializing the women who worked on the railroad.  As far as historical accuracy, the movie makes no claim to being a true story.  Other movies have dealt with the famous “Road of Life” that brought supplies over the frozen Lake Ladoga.  This movie concentrates on the railway that was built after the Soviet army opened a route for a railway. 

            The acting is mediocre and there is little character development.  Despite the danger, it takes a while for a main character to kick the bucket.  The hardships of living in Leningrad are not covered.  Even thought the setting is outside the city, it would have made sense to highlight why the railroad was so important.  It also would have made sense to have a train destroyed by the German bombardment to emphasize the dangers the characters faced.  The bridge over a frozen lake promises cinematic disaster and then doesn’t deliver.  In fact, the movie doesn’t deliver as entertainment. 

GRADE  =  D