LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Tgrain Balabanov considered this to be one of his best films. Cinematically Cargo 200 is pretty solidly made, it is an effective period piece horror film laden with social commentary on the disintegrating Soviet system, just prior to its collapse a few years later. It discusses police corruption, alcoholism, the black market, the nepotism of the communist party, the Afghanistan war, and the party enforced 'scientific atheism'. It is likely not a coincidence that the key antagonist, played skillfully by Alexei Poluyan, resembles Stalin's head of secret police, Nikolai Yezhov (Poluyan had previously played the role of a ruthless Soviet secret police officer in Rogozhkin's "Chekist"), and that Felix Derzhinsky's bust figures prominently in one shot. The characters are very real, performances are effective, the cinematic treatment is Balabanov's traditional medium to wide shot (with a more static camera than usual), accompanied by period pop tunes carrying the soundtrack. The drama is suspenseful, and what is implied off screen adds to it. Personally I would have preferred if the story didn't enter horror territory (something Brother 1 and 2, and even War didn't do), that would make the social commentary more effective and broaden its audience (though Balabanov was a typical Russian director in that he didn't much care for public opinion). Having both combined in one is overload, although if you're a bonafide horror fan (which I'm not) your opinion may differ and feel free to add some more stars to my assessment.

zvisha The film was clearly made to please the Kremlin (or by order from) in time of civil unrest. The only goal of this film was to make the Russian people understand how good is the Putin government for bringing order to Russia, and how horrible and lawless was life in Russia before that. The reality of life in USSR in the 80's was for sure hard, and the Afghanistan war horrible, and the people were poor and full of uncertainty. But to say that this film "does not show a balanced picture of those years" is an understatement. Without knowing the current political situation in Russia it is hard to understand what this movie is trying to say. There are much better films to see made in Russia today without such clear political bias and without government involvement.

runamokprods Unique, deeply disturbing combination of 'Last House on the Left' type horror, pitch-black political satire, and fury at the sickness of one's own society. The film was said by it's director to have been explicitly made to combat the growing nostalgia, fueled by Putin, for Soviet era Russia. Based on true events that occurred in 1984, as the Soviet Union sank ever deeper into the Afghanistan quagmire ('Cargo 200' is the code names for bodies being brought back from the war), this depiction of a 'Deliverance' type grotesque family who sell illegal booze to finance their fantasy of one day creating a utopia in the middle of nowhere, and the complete psychopath of a police captain 'friend' who protects, but ultimately turns on them, and ends up committing murder, along with rape, torture and kidnapping of a young girl who happens by – all while being paid by the government. The slow build is handled pretty brilliantly, and we're surprised over and over at exactly who turns out to do what – although the feeling of doom hovers over the film from it's first moments. By the end of the film, the depravity is so insane, and depicted in such a matter- of-fact way, that the only reaction one can have is to laugh a terribly disturbed, uncomfortable laugh. It's as if Balabanov took torture porn, but turned it into the darkest possible comedy performance-art by having it comment on the world in a bigger way (but isn't that really what all the truly great horror films do?) The cinematography is also 'beautiful' in its almost loving framing of ugliness, both human and industrial.Major plot questions are left unanswered, but that doesn't feel like sloppy film-making, but rather an intentional (if frustrating) method of making us ponder what we've just witnessed, instead of being able to walk away and forget. Some of the acting is awkward, but there are images I that will stick with me a long time, and I have the feeling the film might grow even deeper on repeated viewings. It isn't often you read various critics comparing a film to both the Coen bothers and 'Saw', or a critic saying 'it made me want to puke, and I mean that as a high complement', but it's that much a one-of- a-kind film.

Pascal Zinken (LazySod) The title of the film is a code name for the return home of a body from the battle field. The reason why this title is chosen becomes clear early in the film - but the build of the film would allow a lot of different titles and each one of them would be matching for this film goes far beyond a body returning from the battle field. As the story rolls the film switches back and forth between a number of people and tells their respective tales - and the way all of them connect in one way or the other. The stories are not altogether happy but are not too dark either so the film doesn't turn too dreary. It is very grim though. As each of the stories turns to its conclusion one can not escape the biting cold reality of them.Played out well enough to be believable and quick enough to be entertaining this film does pretty well. It's ending is fitting, its after-taste is bitter. But, above all, it's an interesting watch.8 out of 10 broken bottles of vodka