Zalozhniki (2017) Reviews

• What kind of a person excuses terror?

  realmarvelous2017-09-27

  This so called "movie" is so awful. Don't waste your time and money. Seems like it's producers had been buying tickets themselves and paid for the reviews to ensure interest and ratings. Terrorists are shown as good guys. What? They say that this so called movie is based on reality. It's a big fat lie. You won't see the real facts: how these animals tortured women and children, how they did all of this just because they craved for popularity and money, how they laughed while killing people, how enormous their cruelty was. And how almost all of the terrorists were "Golden Children", whose rich parents tried to buy them out with their millions afterwards. And how those parents sponsored the book this so called movie is based on. Maybe they sponsored this too? Imagine if some crazy liar makes a movie with the idea that 9/11 terrorists were nice people that rebelled the regime and we all are just too stupid to understand them?! I was told that the director Rezo is a Russian Gigolo, who has no real job. Well, "Hostages" is a proof that if you are good on a couch, you'd better stay on a couch and don't annoy people with your face-palm creativity.

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• Poor kittens fighting for freedom

  nyutkamarko2018-12-23

  It's based on true events, but it shows a completely different characters. The movie depicts those people as victims, who just wanted freedom. In reality, they were spoiled brats of quite rich powerful people, with all the money and means to immigrate (as they wished so much) peacefully. Instead they chose to hijack the plane and become anti-soviet heroes in the western world, asking for a political asylum. (Because there is a difference between an unknown immigrant and a high profile political victim, sponsored and promoted by the other government PR agents) According to the real documents and witnesses they didn't act as scared good guys on the plane, they didn't help wounded - they inflicted those wounds! They acted as all classic terrorist act - killed people who showed any threat, tried to keep the crowd scared and under control by abuse and humiliation (e.g. didn't allow them visit the toilet, keep beating flight attendants when they felt like it). Same story about the special forces, authorities, the trial and the person who inspired the group - it was all shown a little bit opposite of what it was. Authorities were shown as eager-to-assault people, aborting the negotiations. In real life "hostages" refused to talk to their parents themselves. Nobody mentioned that they threatened to bomb the plane with all the passengers on board (because they had grenades). Nobody showed how special forces managed to bloodlessly secure the plane in 8 minutes (I would be keen to watch this part instead). Court speeches included more "political" parts from the real trial than the parts about murders and violence. The initial mastermind of the whole attack (the priest) was shown as a completely uninvolved innocent person, guilty of only gifting someone Beatles records (although Beatles were not banned in USSR in 80s, they were quite popular and were sold legally at the music stores). Of course as a result the final verdict seemed like a cruel over-reaction in the movie. I think that if you wanted to film something about the dark sides of USSR regime, you should have picked something else. Anything but the bloody terrorist attack, organised by wealthy attention seekers, where real innocent hostages have died or became disabled for the rest of their lives.

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• not fun to watch

  i-fathy2018-03-17

  It may be a true story and may be technical it is good, but my opinion is that there is so much filling in the movie at the beginning and then the main event is very short and i didn't really enjoy watching this movie.

• Well done, but not a fun watch

  Red_Identity2017-12-10

  I can't deny the technical strengths of the film. The film is well done. The performances across the board are strong, the cinematography gripping and effective for the kind of story being told, and the screenplay never feels exploitative. However, it's not exactly an enjoyable film to watch. I definitely do recommend it as a piece of filmmaking, but it's one that's hard to love. Still, one can't deny the impact the film has. I think the mysterious incident at the core of it does cloud it in mystery, and the film rightfully doesn't want to give easy answers or excuses for the behaviors shown.

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• Hostages

  indiecinemamagazine2017-02-21

  The film Hostages (Mdzevlebi) directed by the young Georgian director Rezo Gigineishvili was shown at the Berlinale in the Panorama section. It is based on the true events of a plane hijacking in 1983 by a group of youngsters belonging to the artistic elite of Georgia. The hijacking resulted in multiple casualties and all hijackers, except the woman, were executed. After the USSR dissolved, the participants of these events were sometimes romanticized and represented as heroic martyrs. The film leaves a strong impression and leaves room for thought. The closing sentence of the film – " In 1991 the freedom of movement was finally granted" – is something completely unnecessary; first of all this is common knowledge and secondly the lack of freedom of movement cannot be an excuse or explanation for the atrocities depicted in the film. The film does not offer answers and does not explain motivation of horrific actions of hijackers, however it poses some profound questions, which is also important, especially as this event is still shrouded in mystery. The picture filmed in minimalistic style and is made in an almost documentary fashion, it is tense and grips the viewer all the way through. Read more at: http://indie-cinema.com/2017/02/hostages/

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