The movie opens and closes with an identical image: a stark, frigid snowscape dotted with telegraph poles in a desolate area that Soviet citizens were willing to sacrifice everything to defend against the Nazis. Two Red Army soldiers are doing what they can to hinder their enemies while also dealing with the harshness of the landscape and weather conditions. "Sotnikov" (played by Boris Plotnikov) and "Rybak" (Vladimir Gostyukhin) are searching for food when they come across some sheep, only to find themselves being pursued by a patrol that leads them to an isolated farmhouse and then to a prison. It's within these walls that the two men must confront the truly malevolent police investigator "Portnov" – portrayed with chilling effect by Anatoly Solonitsyn – who attempts to persuade each of them to reveal what they know about their comrades. Sotnikov, now wounded, possesses a dignified and resolute spirit that he’s ready to carry into death; his companion is somewhat more sensible than him, but both grapple with moral dilemmas concerning not only their own safety, but also the lives of others involved in their struggle for liberation. Plotnikov's performance is remarkable; it brought to mind Jeffrey Hunter in "King of Kings" (1961), with those intense eyes and an almost otherworldly presence as the camera focuses on a face that seems capable of projecting an image of something sacred, superior, and righteous. The final twenty minutes or so possess a certain quality that resonates deeply. The rest of the actors, including Gostyukhin’s compelling portrayal, contribute to the depth of a story that explores what people might be willing to do to safeguard their own lives, or those of others. Is it more courageous to die for an ideal or to negotiate, perhaps even cooperate, survive and continue the fight? It's a bleak film from beginning to end and definitely worth seeing.

Source on TMDB