War (2002 film)

War
DVD cover
Directed by	Aleksei Balabanov
Produced by	Sergei Selyanov
Written by	Aleksei Balabanov
Starring	Ian Kelly Aleksei Chadov
Music by	Vyacheslav Butusov
Cinematography	Sergei Astakhov
Edited by	Marina Lipartiya
Distributed by	Intercinema Art Agency
Release date	March 14, 2002
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Russia
Language	Russian

War (Russian: Война, translit. Voyna) is a 2002 Russian film by Aleksei Balabanov about the realities of the Second Chechen War starring Aleksei Chadov and Ian Kelly.

The film begins with the main character Ivan Yermakov (Alexei Chadov) being interviewed, and as he begins his story the films cuts to the spring of 2000, during the Second Chechen War, shortly after the fall of Grozny. A Chechen warlord Aslan Gugayev (Giorgi Gurgulia) runs a camp next to a mountain aul in the Chechen highlands. Despite having secure income from his organized crime gangs in Moscow, Saint Peterburg and Samara as well as some legitimate business there, he takes joy in kidnapping, since that is more patriotic and militant than random crime. Both Ivan and his comrade Fyodka were enslaved after they were taken prisoners in early 2000. They are held captive with a Russian-Jewish businessman named Semyon from Vladikavkaz, who was being held for ransom.

They are later joined by a two theatre actors Englishman John Boyle (Ian Kelly) and his fiancée Margaret (Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė). They were kidnapped in Georgia during their tour there performing Shakespeare's Hamlet who John played. Ivan, having pre-draft experience with computers, knew a little English that allows him to act as a translator for John; while also being entrusted by Aslan to utilize the Internet for communication. The five shared shocking living conditions in a pit, and every once in a while the Chechens would show how far they would go to get their way, through actions like publicly beheading two Russian servicemen and severing Semyon's finger one by one for ransom delays.

...
Wikipedia