The Age of Commercialism

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I was disappointed with this story. This must have been written for young girls looking at the world through rose coloured glasses, or at least for a very small audience range. The movie portrays the Russian soldiers, and the lonely local Russian women, as a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, all but throwing themselves at their Nazi captives who invaded their homeland, raped and murdered their friends and family members, destroyed their homes, and brought war upon them. An implausible love story supposedly based on a true story. From the beginning I was hoping John Malkovich might salvage some small part of this movie by putting a bullet through the head of the traitorous and deceptive Dr. Natalia, and executing all the prisoners, but alas no liberation from a painfully romanticized story ever arrived. This story is ridiculous and portrays many of the female Russian soldiers as weak, incompetent, and downright traitorous.

This is supposedly based upon a true story. maybe the part that is true is that the Russians didn't have enough space for all their prisoners, and just dumped four dozen in a lightly staffed women's prison.Starring Thomas Kretschmann, who managed six roles in 2008 including Wanted and Valkyrie in addition to this one. Also featuring Vera Farmiga (The Departed), who only had four roles in 2008, including The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. She has a deal with the prison Commandant, played by John Malkovich, to protect her lover from being sent to the front. Also along is Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds, The Bourne Ultimatum, 2 Days in Paris, Joyeux Noël), always a welcome addition.It was definitely a dark and depressing film, made the more so by the constant snow. There are some SS Officers in the mix and Pavlov (Malkovich) is determined to root them out and hang them. He enlists Natalia (Farmiga) for this task. Malkovich was born for roles like this.It is strange the the women who hated the prisoners in the beginning for killing their families manage to find forgiveness at the end so they can have sex.It was the acting, not the script that made this worthwhile.

Excellent movie. Amazing performance by Thomas Kretschmann (as always). It's hard to see this gorgeous man dressed in drags and looks like hell half of the movie. The love scene of him with the nurse is so touching. The whole movie is a chilling and depressing experience until towards the last 30 minutes of the film. The only part that puzzles me is that after the "party" organized by the kind-hearted Jew, why were those Russian women so enthralled with the German POW's? Just after one or two dances? The pain and suffering of the war all thrown out of the window? Or, it's because so many Russian men had been killed that these women were simply man-hungry? It's a great movie in the same class of "the Pianist", go watch it!

In Tranzit is a very well acted movie with a story built on character and emotion surrounding the aftermath of World War 2, rather tha just the cataclysmic large scale political effects of it. Vera Farmiga is fantastic as the Chief Medical Doctor of a post war POW camp run by women, who are supervised by the mean, sleazy, sadistic General Pavlov (John Malkovich, at his venomous best!). The man who played Farmiga's mute, shell shocked husband was also excellent. The best performance in the film however is Thomas Kretschmann, a severely underrated actor who is subtle and riveting as a German POW who falls in love with the Doctor.Overall a great movie. 8/10