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      Escape From Afghanistan

      R 2002 1h 28m Action List
      Reviews A doctor and a journalist are trapped in the war between Afghanistan and Russia; a camera captures the horrors of the war. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member What should have been an intriguing insight in the horrors of war ends up just kind of boring. Filmed in the style of an eyewitness documentary this movie follows a revolt by Soviet prisoners in a camp in Afghanistan during their war there. Made after 9/11, there are no good guys in this movie, except for the camera man and his friend. And all those not-good guys spend most of the movie just sitting around waiting for some big climatic payoff that never comes. Sorry to spoil the ending there. It's still worth a see if this is your kind of movie, but don't go in expecting an action flick with serious dramatic undertones. Because this isn't one, and even the dramatic undertones never really manage to surface and be very interesting. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Ok, so I watched the original version (Peshavar Waltz/Пешаварский вальс) from 1994, not ruined by English dubbing, so my rating is for that one. The movie isn't as bad as I thought it would be after first 10 minutes or so. There are English dialogues (translated shortly afterwards by a Russian narrator which makes it hard to follow) and most Russian dialogues actually have English subtitles. It can be watched but it can be frustrating, especially in the needlessly chaotic beginning (actually makes more sense "all hell breaks loose"). The movie does well to describe a situation where a bunch of military prisoners (hardly anyone much over 20) takes over a muddy, dark underground prison facility, completely surrounded by hostiles, with no way out, abandoned by their own, unable to trust anyone outside, and torn from the inside by severe differences in character. It's hardly a stunner but does its job well despite several annoyances and some illogical bits. But do try to get the original. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A doctor and a journalist are trapped in the war between Afghanistan and Russia; a camera captures the horrors of the war.
      Director
      Timur Bekmambetov, Gennady Kayumov
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Action
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      1h 28m