alex h
"Trial on Roads" is a brilliant masterpiece by Russian director Aleksei German. In the film's times, there were barely any Soviet movies that showed the weakness of the soldiers, but this one truly showed soldiers at war as who they really were, for which the movie got basically banned. It got banned for lack of patriotism and showing the truth. The story is about the Russian descendant – Lazarev, who is amazingly portrayed by one of my favorite actors – Vladimir Zamansky. Lazarev is a polizei; the army captures that. However, the main character is not him, but Lokotkov – lieutenant of the Soviet army, which during the entire film is in a dilemma of whether to trust Lazarev or not, eventually trying to make the entire squad trust him. Lokotkov is the real image of a person during the war; he has come through it entirely while being with the lieutenant rank; he is a simple man, and German is showing him as the reason why Soviet people won the war – Soviet people won it because of people like him, fair people. Such people have seen a human in every soldier, so if the polizei has basically given himself in, why hate and bully him? Such characters as Lokotkov are the reason humanity has stayed inside the people of the Red Army. Besides all that, the film is also very realistic: there are many details, costumes are amazing, every single step, everything the characters feel can be transitioned on yourself, and it works fantastically. The operator's job is truly wonderful. The idea to keep the film in black and white tones gives it more seriousness, which I adore due to also thinking that war should be portrayed exactly in such a manner – melancholic and tough. The film by Aleksei German is a tough psychological drama that shows war just how it really was. It has the hatred towards the traitor, the conflicts between friends and colleagues. Some people are scared of dying, while others are willing to die for the country. German is truly a one-of-a-kind director that has truly understood war and has shown the entire Soviet Union just how it really is even before "Come and See" came out. A 10/10 without any doubt
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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bill t
Boring, after 20 mins shut it off.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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walter m
During the Great Patriotic War, Lazarev(Vladimir Zamanskiy) is a sergeant, who having once defected to the German army, now surrenders to the Russian partisans in the person of young Mitka(Gennadi Dyudyayev). While most of them are wary around him, not even offering a cigarette(probably for the best since they stunt your growth) and throwing him in the same cell with a young man who claims he was gangpressed onto a German firing squad, their leader Ivan Lokotkov(Rolan Bykov) sees some promise in putting Lazarev to use.
"Trial of the Road" is in general terms a movie about second chances.(Is it just me or does the name Lazarev sound like Lazarus?) This is part of the cerebral debate running through the movie, most of which occurs with the partisans on the run, making it harder for them to decipher who is on whose side. In any case, with a healthy disdain for authority, they are not so much interested in abstract concepts like patriotism but in defending their land, so do not laugh at the man who runs after his cow. Because his face is one of many memorable images, including an expert use of close-ups, in this endearing and suspenseful film.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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