This is one of the best war movies I have ever seen. I won't laugh at ridiculously "low" grade it has got, because there are more important things to be said or underlined. First of all, it is stupid to compare such film with "Platoon" which is a common pattern of the comments on this site. Even though Platoon is a good war movie, it is still an obvious Hollywood product which is not the case with 9th Company. Platoon brought some important issues for the time it was made except very good filming, but it still serves American perception of the world - divided to good and bad guys: one group of the soldiers are following bad lieutenant (played by Tom Beringer),the others are followers of deceased model of "human" killer (played by William Dafoe). There are no such illusions in this film. Like no other Hollywood film, this one shows that good in the war is something we who live in piece can't comprehend. 9ya Rota shows that every person has good and bad in themselves (which is much closer to true) but the form of good in the war is not what we would expect. What is so well done are thorough and catchy analysis of social and psychological features of the soldiers from the time they entered the barracks as civilians to the time of their final battles as soldiers. We can easily follow their transformation through these times and the way they change. That is done childishly simply and beautifully as in no film before that. 9ya Rota keeps you nailed to the screen for whole 139 minutes. And it stays for good. Brilliant acting of fantastic crew and no amateurs even among the minor roles brings you very close to the drama. And drama is stunning and emotional. And whatta directing!!!? Regarding the site criteria, this film deserves at least 10 out of 10, if you ask me.

A Russian war film that follows the exploits of a band of green soldiers as they undergo basic training before flying to Afghanistan, where they will take part in Russia's ill-attempted war in that country in the late 1980s.

Having never watched a Russian war film before, I was excited about this one. Unfortunately, where 9TH COMPANY falls down is in its slavish adherence to war movie clichés and plot themes familiar from dozens of Hollywood movies that have come before. FULL METAL JACKET s a particular reference point as it follows that film's structure down to the smallest detail.

Recent Russian cinema has a tendency to be bombastic and over-the-top, as was the case with recent vampire hit NIGHT WATCH. Here we get lots of overblown slow motion, drawn out scenes of the utmost emotion and some ridiculously over the top moments of melodrama.

Sadly, it's also a film roughly twice as long as it needs to be, with long scenes of male bonding and dialogue that really drained my energy. The characters are bland and as a whole the cast has few standouts, although the deranged drill sergeant is a highlight. The climax is a bit silly but generally exciting and well-staged, a shot of adrenaline at the end of an otherwise sometimes sleep-inducing experience.

This isn't a bad film by any means, but Kubrick did it first.

In 1998, a group of youngsters enlist in Siberia to fight in Afghanistan against the mujahidin. They are sent to a boot camp in Fergana, Uzbekistan, where they are submitted to the brutality and abuses of the disturbed Sergeant Dygalo (Mikhail Porechenkov) during the training period, increasing their camaraderie. Then they are airborne to Bagram Base in Afghanistan; join the 9th Company; and move to the Khowst Province, 3234 m height, to defend the mountain and protect the convoys with supplies. When the soviets retreat from Afghanistan, they are forgotten and slaughtered in the mountains.

The screenplay of "9 Rota" follows the structure of "Full Metal Jacket", focusing a group of rookie recruits trained by a sadistic sergeant in a training camp in the first half, and their battles in Afghanistan in the second half along 1988 and 1989 when the war ended with the withdraw of the Soviet forces from the Afghanistan. The plot alternates between tense and violent scenes, but also relieves with sequences of comradeship, sex with Snow White and jokes during the training period. Further than that, it is a great anti-war feature based on a true event, and the plot shows how pointless and senseless the war is supported by magnificent cinematography and battle scenes. The lead characters are very well developed, creating a great empathy between the viewer and them. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "9o Pelotão" ("9th Platoon")