BINGEWORTHY? The Attackers (Istrebiteli) (2013)

 

                   I like to watch Amazon Prime Russian television series while walking on the treadmill.  Concentrating on the subtitles takes my mind off the walking.  Amazon has a surprising number of Russian series set in WWII.  The first series I watched was “Night Swallows”.  The series are similar in that they both cover air warfare on the Eastern Front.  “Night Swallows” is the story of a squadron of female bomber pilots and “The Attackers” is about a fighter squadron that includes female pilots. 

                   “The Attackers” is set in 1943 during the period when the situation was in flux.  The squadron of Yaks is based near the front line and is mainly tasked with determining and thwarting German intentions.  They occasionally tangle with “Messerschmitts” (Me. 109s).   The characters include the pilots, their commanders, and the ground crew.  The main characters are a count who is an excellent pilot but suspected of being a German supporter, two brash young male pilots, a no-nonsense female veteran pilot, her friend who is more feminine, a slimy political commissar, and their gruff, but empathetic boss.  The twelve episodes play out as an extended soap opera with the pilot’s lives intermixing and some romances ensuing.  The soap opera scenes are leavened with some action, usually brief missions to locate enemy bases or downed pilots.  Some of the missions are carried out by biplanes.  This all leads to a German assault on their airfield which forces them to defend themselves and it will not end well for several of the main characters. 

                   “The Attackers” is pretty typical for a Star Media production.  You can expect competent acting by a decent cast.  Usually  there are photogenic female actors and in this case, a particularly cute pilot who is worth watching while walking on a treadmill.  The characters are distinctive and appealing.  They are not as stereotypical as you would expect.  Noteworthy is the commander who goes to bat for his men and women and often stands up to his superiors (although not successfully).  The villain is the political commissar, but he is not totally evil and gets a bit of a redemption arc.  The Germans are faceless and not demonized.  The series is not particularly propagandistic.  It does have an interesting episode where the count is captured and put in a camp with Soviet collaborators who are treated well by the Germans, but it turns out to just be for propaganda purposes.

                   The weakness comes in the quantity and quality of the air combat.  The CGI is inferior.  The dogfights are too rudimentary and sometimes don’t fit the scenario.  However, at least the Yaks are not made to do things they were not capable of.  For a series about a fighter squadron, there is a surprising lack of action.  The missions are abbreviated and sometimes end abruptly.  And they tend to be repetitive.  Speaking of abruptly, the final episode is a major letdown.  It appears the producers ran out of time and had to rush the conclusion, which is decidedly unsatisfying and blew a clear opportunity to end with a bang.  Kudos for being willing to kill off major characters.

                   “The Attackers” is a decent watch.  It should be near the end of your to-be-binged list. I would watch “Night Swallows” before it.

GRADE  =  C