The second “Badaber Fortress”: the same real people, the same brutal militants.
I will say right away, I did not have high hopes for the film, since Russian cinema has been feeding anything lately (well, or it is my choice that falls on the wrong films). However, I can’t pass by the documentary... a blessed topic. Books are given with difficulty, but so at least something useful for general development can be learned. So, in fact, I came across “Shugaly”, the trailer of which came across my washed eye repeatedly.
Let's just say the picture is not bad, though not 10 out of 10. I’ll try to explain it now...
Plot. Hot Libya, Russian sociologists who arrived in the country in high spirits and bam... prison. If it were an ordinary artistic fiction from the category of ruminant Hollywood - would not catch. And so, the poster “on real events” and interviews with former prisoners in the credits beats emotions well. Knowing that these people are real and are still in casemates, it becomes sad, but there is nothing to help. Here, as it seems to me, there can be neither pros nor cons ... history is real, it can not be changed.
Characters. Real people, with their fears, beliefs, views. They came to work, found themselves in a difficult situation, trying to survive. Not cartoon special agents, but ordinary people. You put yourself in their shoes and wonder what I would do. And, frankly, I would not have stood out for the better. Separately, I would like to note Kirill Polukhin. First, because the image of the Russian in the harsh Libyan realities, he succeeded in hurling. Secondly, I just love this actor because of his images of brutal cops.
The atmosphere. In general, after watching the film, I personally remembered the series “Badaber Fortress”: the same real people, the same brutal militants, the same political intrigue – except that the country is different. I feel the same way emotionally. However, for those who are lazy to think and delve into the political aspect, without which it is difficult in a documentary, it is better not to touch the picture. But for me it was not a minus, again, because I have already seen similar in tone of narrative films.
However, the picture still leaves much to be desired. You can see that they tried (which you will not find in all Russian films now), but in some places there are obvious excesses. Like explosions, looking at which you do not know – laugh or cry.
Music. Now to the main disadvantage, which is difficult not to notice. It's a piece of music. Of course, Butusov’s track “Get Your Line Down” is beautiful, but not throughout the film. I, as a musical gourmet who likes to include themes from movies in my playlist, am extremely disappointed that the creators of the tape only had enough for one song.
Over. The film is interesting to watch, although there is some disparity. But I think it's because history itself has no logical end. It would have been much better if we had a different track list.
The film is based on events that happened literally less than a year ago. In the spring of 2019, sociologist Maxim Shugaley went to Libya to conduct a serious sociological study and communicate with various politicians and public figures. He ended up in prison 'Mitiga'. To date, it is only known that Shugaley is still detained in solitary confinement, periodically subjected to torture.
What is this movie about? Let’s just count: the first trailer came online on April 1 of this year. One of the scenes of the tape also takes place this year, 2020. It turns out that 'Shugaley' was completely written, filmed and edited in less than a year. This is taking into account the fact that there is simply no complete picture of what happened, or rather, of what is happening so far. The script was written literally from an interview with a pair of eyewitnesses (one of them was a companion of Shugaley, who returned from Libya shortly before the sociologist’s detention) in a state of total uncertainty. The purpose of creating the tape is quite clear: to draw attention to the problem and try to help save Maxim Shugaley. We are now witnessing a very rare (and perhaps only) case where a feature film based on current events is filmed in an incredibly short time in order to attract attention and try to solve everything.
Now about the tape itself. Due to the circumstances in which it was created, it can not be ideal. There is absolutely memorable and very conventional soundtrack, which was diluted with a couple of songs of the group Splin. Since no one yet knows how the story with Sugaley ended, the film also ends in the middle of a word, it does not have an ending. The script as a whole is also difficult to call perfect, it can be seen that it was written very quickly, without serious edits and checks. Most likely, they finished it already in the process of filming, and this negatively affected the quality. Flashbacks are scattered in random places in the film, there is no single structure, because of this, the pace of the narrative suffers. For some reason, the authors decided to play with a nonlinear narrative, which only aggravated everything.
Although the problems of 'Shugaley' are serious, I can hardly call him bad. I would even suggest that many of our producers learn from the Foundation for the Defense of National Values, which managed to make a decent movie in such difficult conditions and in such a short time. In less than a year, a film was made and released that is not dumb, delusional, boring, cheap-looking. Kirill Polukhin played very well, betraying a self-confident journalist, a man intimidated to death, and an emaciated prisoner. There's a couple of scenes here that make you squeeze into a chair for a while. Everything is fine with the camera work.
I will not recommend the film, there is no special sense in watching it, a biopic came out slightly above average, which stands out only by the very good play of the main actor. But to remember the fact of existence 'Shugalei' and to study the full history of its creation when it appears, I would advise. This film is very interesting in terms of production. I hope that someday the authors will tell more about the history of creation.
After viewing, there was a heavy sediment. I doubt that cinema can be attributed to entertainment, but to cognitive. . .
"Contra spem spero" can only be understood as "I hope against expectation." This is not enough to appreciate the idea of the film.
The main thing seems to be that Shugaley did not fall to his knees, either literally or figuratively. There is an aspect that is not shown in the film or inadvertently missed while watching. The fact is that the finale itself remembered tapes on a similar topic, and even needed to watch the famous “Ascent” of Larisa Shepitko. In the end, things only got more complicated.
It seems that the main shock to the viewer from the fact that everything happens in conventional peacetime, since the Libyan war concerns only Libyans. It seemed so. Now it seems that their war is ours too. Well, albeit to a lesser extent than the Syrian, but certainly in the film is not a story of peacetime with a paradoxical variant of development.
As a result, there was an opinion that explaining to the public the essence of what is happening, in this case, what is happening in Libya is the cognitive component that was very lacking in the adventure movie.
We are tired of films that are nothing but disguised propaganda. The public is not too lazy to prowl through the annals of real stories, from which the film bubble with rewriting was inflated. After all, it becomes clear that they wanted to inflate the bubble, and they cheated you.
The merits of the film include the fact that the story of the capture by terrorists and the imprisonment of our compatriot is not fiction. The final interviews prove that the film is true. For that, he deserved a good grade.
This is a special feature of the film. I will refrain from spoiling the impression of watching a spoiler, but there is an effect that cannot be said: the realism of this film is recognized by former prisoners of Mitiga.
The prison has a frankly gangster status - as if the Middle Ages or more ancient times have returned, under the wing of the fictitious Tripolitan government there is a personal prison of one of the gangster leaders.
The merits should be attributed to the fact that the filmmakers were not carried away by the whipping up of film passions – sometimes it seems that the film was shot simply stingy. You get carried away by the action and forget that some facts have been restored almost documentaryly - to get sociological data from the most important places for research, for example, peaceful people overcame checkpoints, hiding in the trunk with a grenade in their hand.
When you realize that these are not movie beauties, but facts from real life, you look at the screen with a different feeling. This is still a movie, you still empathize with the characters, but you understand that in life no one will say something like “the shooting is over, thank you all” – the reality around us, and the threat of spreading terrorism any “thank you all, everyone is free” does not provide.
For its realism and poignant way of reminding important things, the film earned high praise. A slight drop in the score for the stinginess of depicting the experiences of ordinary Libyans. It is clear that the protagonist is Shugaley, and this is a full-length film, not a series in which there is a place for everything, but ...
9 out of 10
I was forced to watch this movie >. I hate being forced to do something. I wish it was about something worthy... Recently, suspicious personalities began to be added to me as friends, who praised this tape. The date of registration of their profile is, of course, May, and the ratings of other films are noticeably lower than that of Sugaley. Well, now reap the fruits of your labors, comrades bots, you yourself asked...
The film is based on a true story that happened to two Russian sociologists in Libya during the civil war. In 2019, militants of the Islamist group “RADA” caught them and sent them to Mitiga prison.
To begin with, I feel terribly sorry for real people who have ever been to this hellish place. The interview with former prisoners, which was shown after the screening of the tape, caused me much more emotions than the entire hour and a half film. The real Maxim and Samer are still being held captive by terrorists. The first mistake of the authors is that they decided to shoot an action adventure based on relatively recent events. It was better to create a documentary for interested viewers than to sculpt an artistic “under-documentary” for whom it is unclear. The plot consists of 60% of depressing political dialogue, 30% of brutal bullying, and the remaining 10% included a ridiculous ending in the style of “I’m Rambo, I’ll try to throw everyone away.” You also need to be able to write a story, you know. And then it was also brazenly twisted (read the article about the real state of affairs of sociologists). And here several times secondary characters are ready to actually risk their lives and the health of their loved ones for the sake of strangers. These are important people...
Atmosphere. Of the advantages, I can note a good camera work and acting Kirill Polukhin (Maxim Shugaley). And then the disappointments begin. Flashbacks are random in different places and without any serious purpose, jerky transitions look comical for 2020, the inscriptions at the bottom are difficult to disassemble due to their poor quality. Add to this the frequent use of whiskey by the heroes "Jack Daniel's" and you get almost "Bitter" with a serious face. It is good that the characters do not create any game after that.
Music. Rot your line - almost one song for the whole film, it is used 3-4 times exactly. What is it? The laurels of "Brother" do not rest? The rest of the melodies are absolutely not remembered and instantly disappear from memory immediately after listening.
Result. I evaluate the tape in terms of artwork. And in that sense, it looks like an empty can. The shell seems to be there, but the contents are completely absent. It is a pity that the message is also unclear. Bring others to the problem? But such cases are decided at the state level. I wonder what Maksim Shugaley himself thinks about this work?
3 out of 10
(34%), value your time and don’t waste it on this nonsense. Don't repeat my mistakes.
P.S. The trailer and poster are tricking you, don’t be fooled by them.
“The Russians are not broken.” B in general, you understand
They learned how to make films well. But making good movies is not so good yet. This is not about Russian cinema in general, but only about the Russian television industry. Which quality picture and good directing can already please, but what is happening on the screen is far, far from always. “Shugaly”, filmed clearly only to show on TV, fits perfectly into this formula. It would be useful to add that the picture was almost certainly commissioned by the Russian authorities, and this fact only aggravates the situation.
“Shugaley” has everything that is so sweet and dear to the heart of domestic television: cunning ruthless Americans, and cunning two-faced Arabs, and wise Russian special services. And quotes like, "We have one Russian." The second one is coming for him. I know Russians. And another sham about the unbending Russian spirit and “we do not abandon our own”. For some, this sham may caress the eye, but for others it looks cheap and fake. The world is somewhat more complicated than the picture broadcast on state TV channels, but the filmmakers prefer not to bother with this circumstance.
Russian sociologist Maxim Shugaley is played by the charismatic (and talented!) actor Kirill Polukhin, known mainly for his roles as bandits / cops in NTV series. If you, passing by the TV, noticed an unshaven bald face, diligently intimidating someone - most likely it was Polukhin. Perhaps Kirill is tired of similar roles: that bandits, that Russian sociologists look about the same. So in "Shugaley" sometimes it seems that Polukhin out of habit looking for a gun nearby or waiting for the moment to break the offender's hand. In general, the degree of brutality of the screen Max Sugaley rather resembles the hero of the blockbuster “The Expendables” than a professional sociologist. This is especially impressive against the background of cowardly and stupid Shugaleyev accompanying, whom the authors of the film scoff at in almost every frame. To be honest, in place of the second character of the picture - the translator Samer Swayfang - I would be offended by them. Why are you guys doing this to the guy? What did he do to you? In short, there was no shaming here either.
In general, if you are not a fan of hanging cranberries and “political” talk shows on Russian TV, the movie is not worth watching. Although I definitely agree with one of his ideas - Max Sugaley and Samer Swayfan are really long overdue to return to their homeland. It is a pity that this kind of crafts can hardly help.
As the action went on, thoughts went their course. If intuition does not change, our Shugaley has fallen into circumstances that were atypical some years ago, but may become quite typical very soon.
Let’s say, with an ironic attitude to alarmists, there is no desire to shout, but not to listen to statements such as “the world is facing a terrorist threat of an unprecedented scale”, somehow it does not work.
These thoughts, caused by acquaintance with “Shugaley”, should be attributed to the signs of high quality of the film. The fact is that according to the plot, Shugaly did not just make discoveries, that is, as it were guessed. It is clear that he and his comrades have found evidence of the birth of a terrorist state.
Moreover, what is important, it did not hatch by itself, but was carefully “brained”, cultivated for some bad purposes. And the special effects should include a combination of art and documentary - both events and facts have been restored. The evidence obtained by a group of sociologists is presented convincingly.
Since the film has caused a strong response, its properties on the audience scale should be evaluated highly. If in the near future the facts revealed by Shugaley’s group give an international resonance, the viewer’s assessment will not change, but new, possibly political assessments will be added.
How will that affect us? Involuntarily recalled the famous novel, which entered the main literary treasury of the world. It was written from materials obtained during the Spanish Civil War almost a century ago, and fresh, as if about our days.
“The death of every man diminishes me, for I am one with all mankind, and therefore do not ask for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for you.”
This is from a sermon by the English poet and priest of the XVII century John Donne, a passage from which became an epigraph to the novel. It sucks if the British and the Americans have mutated so much that the bells can no longer be heard. However, this does not mean that the themes raised in the film should slip past us.
8 out of 10
Comrade Sukhov and Red Army Petrukh from the White Sun of the Desert?
First rule, don't get caught. Second rule: Never get caught!
Recruit, 2003, directed by R. Donaldson
Fairy Maghreb. Have you heard of him? Nope? Never? Then it may be worth remembering "The Magic Lamp of Aladdin" (1967)? It's there, it's then, the gin confided to his master, surprised to ask - why did my uncle want to kill me? - he's not an uncle, he's an evil Maghreb sorcerer, we gin have known him for a long time.
Somewhere very, very far away. West of Egypt. It stretches along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea this region. According to medieval Arab sailors, it rests on its tip in the waters of the eastern Atlantic and even Italian, Spanish lands were once part of it. The Russians were not frequent guests there. Far away. In the thirtieth kingdom, in the thirtieth state, it is not even in the backyard of the Russian Empire. This is much further. In "Burnt by the Sun" (1994) there are vague explanations about the strangeness of those places ...
I'm a wizard from the Maghreb. What is the Maghreb? - Well! The Maghreb is the country of the summer Santa Claus.
- Soviet?
- Yes, of course...
Libya is the Maghreb. One of its member countries. The very term "el-Maghrib" came out of the conquest campaigns of the Arabs and means the country where the sun sets - the West.
Before us are amazing and touching adventures of Russian guys in the middle of nowhere. What wind brought here the trinity of Moscow poor? One goal is business. At least that’s how they “position themselves.” Two work under the roof of so-called sociologists, the third is a translator. When it became a little pressed, when as if a noose on the neck became a ring of suspicion of locals to overseas guests, one “fuck off” quickly. Well, comrade Sukhov of the present day and his faithful squire Petrukha had to clean up the porridge. There's no rifle. Machine gun, too. And instead of one black Abdullah, there are several devils. Libya, after the “color revolutions”, is divided into camps. Everyone thinks they're a dictator.
The chaos of the country. And a man in this chaos. In an alien world. With the circles of hell from captivity, imprisonment, prison, beatings in the form of punishment. What can I hope for? What can we expect? On myself. And strengthened by the feat of the Soviet intelligence-illegal Rudolf Abel from 1957 to 1962-th pulled the strap of the convict in a US prison. To be as firm as Konstantin Ladeinikov, aka Conon Young from the “Dead Season” (1968) sentenced to 25 years in prison for espionage and subsequently exchanged for an English intelligence officer.
This is comrade Sukhov.
- Sukhov, you say, now we will see what kind of Sukhov it is.
A century later, a new round of adventures of the Russian army. Central Asia is past. Today is Africa. And all around the same - the White Sun of the desert. It's hot again. Risking your life again, you have to follow orders. No need to save the Harem. We need an accurate picture of the balance of power. Alas, “Said” is stuck somewhere and you can’t count on his help. “Vereshchagin” blew up on the boat – you will not turn to him for support. They were slapped like a wolf. Got it. Arrest.
It is difficult for Shugaley in the cage of the walls of “basmachi”. The memory warms. Memory gives meaning to existence. About the beloved, about the wife, about the faithful friend. Love will save the world. Everything is like Comrade Sukhov once - My soul rushes to you, dear Ekaterina Matvevna, like a crane into the sky. However, we had a slight hitch. I guess three days, no more. Namely, as a conscious fighter, I was instructed to accompany a group of comrades from the fraternal East. It is necessary to note - the people picked up an accommodating, one might say, spiritual ...
A film about scouts without scouts. A film about a resident without a residency. What is it? Who exactly is in front of us? Illegal? Ambitious? Desperate head? Russian outcast? Hussar? Agent. Whose is it? Who works for? The country. To Russia.
Once again in front of the viewer mentoring lessons of the character Al Pacino from “Recruit”:
First rule, don't get caught. Second rule: Never get caught!
Don't trust anyone!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
There is nothing you can do, intelligence officers of any country use the same code of honor and conduct.
6 out of 10
