Russia's Fedor Bondarchuk should need no introduction in these pages, the man being active as an actor, producer and director on numerous projects covered heavily on ScreenAnarchy over the years. But for those who need refreshing, on the directing front Bondarchuk first came to our attention with his stellar war picture The 9th Company - a remarkable account of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan as told by a technical virtuoso who also had a remarkable gift for character - before moving on to big budget scifi spectacle Inhabited Island.
Well, Bondarchuk is back and he's returning to war ... but this time the time period is somewhat different. Made for a reported $30 million - a monstrous budget by Russian standards, where the dollar goes much further - Stalingrad tells the story of the historical battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in modern history stretching out for months as the Nazis attempted to gain control of the Russian city. The number of casualties was simply enormous but the Russians refused to be moved in what would prove to be not only an important battle for the overall shape of the war but one which has become something of an emotional rallying point for Russians in the years since.
Nobody held back in the actual battle of Stalingrad and Bondarchuk clearly isn't with his film version, either. This thing is simply massive and the battle sequences truly epic. You want something on the scale of Saving Private Ryan or Feng Xiaogang's The Assembly but done in 3D and buffed up in a manner that recalls 300? This is that movie. Watch the trailer below. Do it in high res and crank up the volume while you're at it.