It's really a shame that it wasn't possible to see this on the big screen. I think it could have helped this come alive a bit more when it comes to the visuals, which are clearly meant to be the driving force of the film. It wants you to feel and sense the coldness and the death, and there is a lot of both.

I confess, it was really, really difficult not to find my mind wandering to the far superior war film Come and See, which shares some of this films sensibilities. And in all honesty there were more than a few moments where I wished I was watching that one instead. Something about the story here that made the dreariness feel somewhat exploitative. I feel like it might be the fact that the story stays fairly on the surface. The lack of a memorable score doesn't help either.

Still worth checking out if you enjoy war films. I haven't seen the original so nothing to compare it to, but despite it being underwhelming it does do a decent job when it comes to the pacing and the realism.