It's based on true events, but it shows a completely different characters. The movie depicts those people as victims, who just wanted freedom. In reality, they were spoiled brats of quite rich powerful people, with all the money and means to immigrate (as they wished so much) peacefully. Instead they chose to hijack the plane and become anti-soviet heroes in the western world, asking for a political asylum. (Because there is a difference between an unknown immigrant and a high profile political victim, sponsored and promoted by the other government PR agents) According to the real documents and witnesses they didn't act as scared good guys on the plane, they didn't help wounded - they inflicted those wounds! They acted as all classic terrorist act - killed people who showed any threat, tried to keep the crowd scared and under control by abuse and humiliation (e.g. didn't allow them visit the toilet, keep beating flight attendants when they felt like it).

Same story about the special forces, authorities, the trial and the person who inspired the group - it was all shown a little bit opposite of what it was. Authorities were shown as eager-to-assault people, aborting the negotiations. In real life "hostages" refused to talk to their parents themselves. Nobody mentioned that they threatened to bomb the plane with all the passengers on board (because they had grenades). Nobody showed how special forces managed to bloodlessly secure the plane in 8 minutes (I would be keen to watch this part instead). Court speeches included more "political" parts from the real trial than the parts about murders and violence. The initial mastermind of the whole attack (the priest) was shown as a completely uninvolved innocent person, guilty of only gifting someone Beatles records (although Beatles were not banned in USSR in 80s, they were quite popular and were sold legally at the music stores). Of course as a result the final verdict seemed like a cruel over-reaction in the movie.

I think that if you wanted to film something about the dark sides of USSR regime, you should have picked something else. Anything but the bloody terrorist attack, organised by wealthy attention seekers, where real innocent hostages have died or became disabled for the rest of their lives.

Es una película que se mantiene muy alejada del espectador. No consigue engancharte nunca. No entiendes muy bien los motivos de nada, no sabes cómo se les pudo ir tanto de las manos y no entiendes como se confundieron tanto al hacer las cosas.

Los actores están bien, pero la mayoría son demasiado herméticos.

La iluminación que tendría que crear un clima muy especial, entre frio y tenso. Solo crea un ambiente seco. No llega a transmitir nada ni apoya la narración.

La dirección para mi gusto está un poco perdida. El ritmo se le va de las manos. Te llega a aburrir en algún momento. Parece que le gusta hacer los planos de una manera, pero luego rueda otros planos de otra manera totalmente distinta. No hay una unión de nada. Algunos planos son terriblemente feos y mal hechos.

He aprendido otro capítulo de la URSS pero más allá no va

It is a film that stays very far from the viewer. It never gets hooked. You do not understand very well the reasons for anything, you do not know how they could get so out of hand and you do not understand how they got so confused when doing things.

The actors are fine, but most are too hermetic.

The lighting that would have to create a very special climate, between cold and tense. It only creates a dry environment. He does not transmit anything or support the narrative.

The address for my taste is a little lost. The rhythm is getting out of hand. It gets boring at some point. It seems that he likes to do the plans in one way, but then he rolls other planes in a totally different way. There is not a union of anything. Some planes are terribly ugly and badly made.

I have learned another chapter of the USSR but beyond it it is not going

It may be a true story and may be technical it is good, but my opinion is that there is so much filling in the movie at the beginning and then the main event is very short and i didn't really enjoy watching this movie.