Panfilov’s 28 Men (2016)

                    “Panfilov’s 28 Men” (also known as “Panfilov’s 28) is a Russian film about the legendary defense of Moscow by members of the 316^th Rifle Division which was commanded by Gen. Ivan Panfilov.  The 28 men were collectively awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union.

                    The movie opens on Nov. 14, 1941 at a bleak moment for the Soviet Union.  Operation Barbarossa has been spectacularly successful and the Wehrmacht is closing in on Moscow.  The Red Army is fighting desperately to slow down the Germans.  The 28 are all that is left from three companies.  They prepare by training using a wooden tank (ironically as you will read later).  As the men throw snowballs at the tank, their officers discuss the odds against them and the plan to block the 11^th Panzer Division.  They march to the site and dig foxholes and trenches.  They withstand a heavy bombardment that shows you how soldiers can survive when they are dug in.  Soon German tanks and infantry approach.  From here the movie is a last stand.  The Soviets fight desperately with anti-tank artillery, machine guns, Molotov cocktails, and grenades.  Some of the men are armed with PTRD-41 anti-tank rifles.  The unit is led by commissar Klochkov (Aleksey Morozov).  He inspires the men to fight to the end.

                    “Panfilov’s 28 Men” is a good pure combat film.  It doesn’t spend a lot of time on background.  But we do get to know the men as generic, stoic soldiers.  On the march, they discuss the Seven Samurai and the 300 Spartans.  The banter is realistic, although there is no dysfunction and no one grumbles about the suicidal nature of their mission.  The acting is adequate for a film that is focused on action.  The cast is sincere, but no one stands out.  They are all warriors who give the Germans hell.  The movie is not a Soviet style propaganda piece, but it is clearly meant as an homage to the 28 and not interested in depicting any of the 28 as anything else but patriots.  As evidence of the goal, the main character is a commissar who explains to the men what they are fighting for.

                    The main reason for seeing the movie, besides learning about one of the most famous legends of the Great Patriotic War, is the combat.  It is not combat porn of the Korean variety.  The bombardments are realistically horrific.  The cinematography puts you with them in the trenches.  The fighting is intense and there is a lot of it.  The soldiers use a variety of authentic weapons which is a treat for war movie lovers who care about weaponry.  It’s a good tank movie.  Besides the ironic use of a full-scale wooden replica that was moved on a sled, there were 1:16 scale models that are better than CGI.  Unfortunately, the movie makes the common mistake of having the tanks less than capable.  They rarely use their machine guns or even their main guns.  They are too easily taken out.  If the movie was realistic, the Germans would have easily broken through the Soviet line.  But then we wouldn’t have had a heroic last stand.  And we wouldn’t have gotten the satisfaction of Nazis being slaughtered.  The tanks do little to stop the 28 from mowing down the infantry.  The deaths are not of the touchdown signaling type, thankfully.  This is not the Russian equivalent of “Battle of the Bulge”.  Instead, it is closest to “9^th Company” in its combat.  It is not as good as that movie because most of the characters are not recognizable and although you care about the group, you don’t care about the individuals.

                    “Panfilov’s 28 Men” is an entertaining combat movie.  It is just for guys as there are no female characters.  It is an excellent example of a movie that perpetuates a legend and is not interested in historical revisionism.  By the time the movie was made, scholarship and evidence from opened Soviet records had proved that the story of the 28 was made up.  It originated in an article in a Red Army newspaper at the time of the Battle of Moscow.  That should have been a major red flag that the story was invented for morale purposes.  In spite of the fact that the movie could easily be proved historically inaccurate, the culture minister snippily defended it as telling about “a sacred legend that shouldn’t be interfered with.  People that do that are filthy scum”.  Since I am not really interested in the true story of Panfilov’s 28 Guardsmen (mainly because there is no story), I have no problem with the historical license taken here.  I would assume most Russian viewers were aware that they were watching a movie about a legend.

GRADE  =  B+

 

 

TAEGUKGI (1) vs. PANFILOV’S 28 (16)

 

 

PLOT

                “Taegukgi:  The Brotherhood of War” is a South Korean war movie released in 2004.  It was a huge hit and put Korean war movies on the map.  It is the story of two brothers who are drafted into the South Korean army in the dark early days of the war.  The older brother adapts to soldiering quickly, but his brother is not built for it.  Lee Jin-tae is told that if he wins a prestigious medal for bravery, his brother will be sent home.  He becomes obsessed with this and becomes a fanatical warrior.  His suicidal actions in combat bring fame and he becomes addicted to the combat and the glory.  Lee Jin-seok is not on board with his brother’s actions and they fall out.  In a wild twist, Jin-tae ends up in the Chinese army.  The brothers meet in battle.  The plot is highly implausible, but it links the bouts of combat porn well.  The biggest weakness is the unrealistic arc for Jin-seok.  GRADE  =  B (8)

                “Panfilov’s 28 Men” is based on the legendary defense outside Moscow of a small unit of Soviet soldiers in 1941.  The plot follows the unit from a brief introduction to their digging trenches to block a German attack led by tanks.  The movie is only about the battle and nothing else.  No women appear in the film.  There are no home front scenes.  There is some intercutting for command decisions, but for the most part we spend most of the time in the trenches with the men.  There are no frills.  There is little character development.  The movie is meant to be patriotic, but manages to limit the propaganda to some low-key speechifying.  The interaction of the men makes them appealing and representative of the Red Army, at least the official version.  GRADE  =  C  (7)  

ACTING

                “Taegukgi” is a two man show.  Jang Dong-gun received some nominations for Best Actor for his performance as Jin-tae and he has a lot of charisma and is one of the biggest stars in South Korea.  Won Bin is fine as the younger brother, but is not believable as he goes from pacifist to pugilist.  The movie has the makings of a small unit movie, but the rest of the cast is given little to do.  Lee Eun-ju tugs hearts as Jin-taes fiancé who is falsely accused of being a communist.  GRADE  =  B (8)

                “Panfilov’s 28 Men” is not an actor’s movie.  Only a couple of the characters make any impression.  Aleksey Morozov does the best job as the inspirational leader, but no one turns in a memorable performance.  The actors are not helped by the fact that the screenplay makes them all stoical patriots.  No one panics, no one disagrees with the suicidal nature of their mission.  No one grieves over the death of a comrade.  And no one gets a poignant death scene.  They are basically cannon fodder.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

CLICHES

                “Taegukgi” has a few minor cliches.  A soldier shows a picture of a loved one, with predicable results.  Jin-tae is seduced by glory.  He makes a promise to protect his brother.  For the most part, the plot strives to be different than the average war film.  GRADE  =  B (8)

                “Panfilov’s” doesn’t have time for cliches.  It does fit firmly in the subgenre of the last stand.  We are counting down from 28 from the start.  No German gets wounded, they all die if hit.  But this is pretty standard for war movies.  Also standard are the tanks that are sitting ducks that seldom use their machine guns or main guns.  There is something of a cavalry riding to the rescue moment at the end.  GRADE  =  B  (8)

COMBAT

                The combat in “Taegukgi” was revolutionary.  There is a high quantity of combat and the quality is great if you like over the top action.  Although often imitated by other Korean films, it has yet to be topped.  There is a huge set piece battle involving 15,000 bullets, 3,000 extras, and 500 stuntmen. There were numerous minor injuries in the 3 weeks of shooting, mostly from the fist-fighting. Director Kang Je-gyu throws in the kitchen sink in one of the most remarkable battle scenes ever filmed.  It’s very graphic and not for the squeamish.  GRADE  =  A+  (10)

                While not on a level with the combat porn of Korea, the Soviets have developed a reputation for visceral combat.  The movie is a simple battle movie and has a high percentage of combat.  I timed it at 28 minutes.  Possibly more than “Taegukgi”.  Although not as gonzo, it is guy-pleasing.  The model tanks (Pz III and IV) look authentic and are menacing, although easily destroyed.  The cinematography takes you into the trenches.  You feel like you are with the defenders.  There are a variety of weapons that are featured.  Bundles of grenades, Molotov cocktails, anti-tank artillery, and the awesome PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle.  The movie has one of the best artillery bombardment scenes.  GRADE  =  A  (9)

FINAL SCORE:  Taegukgi  34  Panfilov’s 28 Men   31

ANALYSIS

                This was pretty good for a 1/16 matchup.  Both movies are examples of the combat porn styles of their countries.  Although “Panfilov’s 28” may have more quantity, but it is such a one-dimensional movie that it can’t compare to a movie that has a complex plot to support its action.  “Taegukgi” is a bit overrated, but it still stands out in a increasingly large field of over the top combat films.  It is anything but subtle.  While clearly not based on a true story, it is more entertaining than the supposedly true Russian film.  With that said, the legend of Panfilov’s 28 Guardsmen was ripe for cinematic treatment and the movie is good at passing on the legend without making it a farce.  It is a better film than its #16 seeding would indicate.