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On June 22, 1941, "Operation Barbarossa" was officially implemented, and 5.5 million German troops were divided into three major army groups to attack the Soviet Union.
The unstoppable German chariot that swept Europe against the endless steel torrent of the Soviet Union, this fierce collision of steel and will also left behind countless legendary stories.
On the battlefield, the heavy industrial war machines with sharp edges and corners, rough shapes and full destructive power exude a wild charm. The tank, which has long been popularized in World War II and became the strongest king on land, is definitely the representative of this charm.
Even if you are not a military fan, you have heard the famous names of famous tanks such as "Tiger" and "Panther".
At the end of 2020, a tank battle that made people shout "Ulla" was officially staged. The Russian filmmakers who were keen on tank warfare and the Great Patriotic War did not disappoint me, and quickly sent a wave of Amway——
"Hunting T-34"
The story begins in the winter of 1941, when the rumble of cannons from afar reverberated in a land that the God of War had just stepped on.
Only the unextinguished flames and the black smoke from the wreckage of the tanks still speak of the cruelty here.
Russian second lieutenant Nikolai Ivushtin (Alexander Petrov), who followed the material transport truck to the front line, passed by here, and at the risk of being discovered by the enemy, he chopped down the street sign on the side with an axe.
Although the film never shows a macro perspective of war, but through many detailed settings that conform to historical facts, it not only shapes the characters' characters but also points out the war situation at that time.
The cut down street signs were written in German, pointing to Berlin and Moscow respectively, only 35KM away from Moscow. This is what the mighty German armored troops left behind. The battle to defend Moscow has begun, and the German troops that have driven straight in have pushed the Soviet Union to the end. dangerous situation.
Nikolay, who rushed to the town to support, also encountered an extremely bad start. There was only one T-34/76 left in the tank battalion stationed here.
Nikolai, the new commander, had to face a German company with only a few infantry support.
At this time, the German commander Jaeger (Vincenz Kefer) has already made up his mind, and is thinking of the first to lead the troops into the Red Square.
"Hunting T-34" did not give the audience time to slowly enter the state, and there seems to be no word "slow heat" in the dictionary of the main creator.
Within half an hour at the beginning, the film presented a series of thrilling escapes and tank melees, and even the preparation stage was exciting.
Director Alexei Sidonov used a lot of upgraded shots in the war scenes, and almost every cannonball had to stage a gorgeous "cannonball time".
Such a high frequency of use has eliminated the more powerful appeal of "cannonball time" to a certain extent, especially at some critical moments when the situation is more dangerous.
However, under the premise of universal use, the film also grasps the visual impact of each "cannonball time" as much as possible, and each violent tear between steel is endowed with a different kind of beauty.
Red-hot shards of steel flutter in the splattering sparks,
The deafening sound of the tank's armor being ripped faded away,
The debris and the cockpit collided with a crisp sound,
The impact of the explosion seemed to bring everything around him to a standstill.
Separated from the perspective of ordinary people's naked eyes, this absolute destructive power on the battlefield shows its original appearance in the upgraded lens.
In front of you is the picture of the shell being pushed into the barrel, continuously accelerating through the rifling, and finally tearing the enemy's picture.
The roar of the tank engine and the sound of the crawler rolling over the ground are intertwined with the whistling shells to form a symphony that is enough to make the adrenaline soar, and even bring a wonderful sense of ritual.
If you can describe the tank like this, I don't believe that the main creator has no feelings. This feeling is also reflected in the film's restoration of history and the attention to many details.
Although the T-34/76 in the film and the T-34/85 that appeared later showed a near-supernatural record, the main creators who are familiar with the performance of various tanks still tried their best to avoid putting "miracles" on the air, and did not make this film. Become an anti-German drama.
In 1941, the small victory in the town not only reflected the rich combat experience of Nikolai and the crew members, but also fully reflected the "T-34 crisis" faced by the German army at that time.
Although the Soviet Army lost a large number of tanks in the early days of the war, the T-34 equipped with a 76mm gun had a strong advantage in overall performance.
The German Panzer III under Jaeger was already a more advanced model in the German army at the beginning of the war, but its 50mm gun could only threaten the T-34 at close range,
At this time, the T-34/76 also had more defensive sloping armor, and a certain angle could indeed deflect German shells.
In the end, the decisive battle between T-34/85 and several Leopard tanks was placed in a small town with complex terrain. Nikolai and others rely on the cover of night, with sneak attacks and extremely accurate driving predictions to create a miracle. (Although it's still a bit like driving up to that)
The trainees who drive the Panther are basically training camp students and lack actual combat experience. This is also a common problem for the German army in the later period of the war. The difference in actual combat experience can be seen from the shooting positions of the two sides in the film.
The shortcomings of the T-34 itself have not been selectively ignored. In the first battle, Yeager seized the key design point of the opponent's poor observation field.
"Hunting T-34" refers to real battle cases, and there are inevitably exaggerated elements, but at least it can be seen that the main creator is actively creating various realistic conditions to achieve "impossible", which is quite intentional.
As a film that pays homage to the Soviet tank heroes in the Great Patriotic War, the film's portrayal of frontal characters in the limited time outside the tank battle is quite satisfactory, neither serious disconnection nor more surprises to speak of.
Alexander, who plays Nicholas, seems to be born with a stubborn stubbornness that is unconvincing, which is exactly in line with the fighting desire and adventurous spirit shown by Nicholas.
His rare depression was just another form of resistance, and the years spent in the camps did not change Nikolai, who remained a fearless fighter of the Soviet Union, brave and romantic.
On the contrary, Yeager, the villain, has been shaped at a more level in comparison. He naturally has a fierce and brutal side, but he has not been shaped into a complete demon.
Facing Hillem's racist questions, Yeager showed the qualities of a professional soldier. In the war, he didn't care about personal emotions, and everything was mission-oriented.
In the face of the enemy who had hit him hard, Yeager did not have the desire for revenge.
Whether it was forcing Nikolai to become a sparring partner or a duel later, all of Yeager's actions were based on the recognition and respect for Nikolai's ability.
He puts his life and death aside when he meets his opponent, and you can even see the excitement he occasionally exudes as a professional soldier.
One of Yeager's fatal mistakes, viewed from another angle, can also be understood as showing a small respect for a deceased opponent.
His actions and choices are even awe-inspiring until the very last moment, and like the tank duel in the film, the film also romanticizes the duo's relationship.
There is no deliberate ugliness and demonization. Although there are still some bugs in the film, the show of the German army, "Hunting T-34" as the main theme movie is quite surprising.
After all, this is not the kind of war movie that can make you fall into contemplation. The common reflections on war in the past have long been drowned in the high-spirited Ulla shouts, but just as a cool movie, "Hunting T- 34" is hard-core and exciting, full of entertainment, this is really a "fighting nation".
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