'Masterpiece' war film hailed 'the best to watch' by Amazon Prime viewers
Amazon Prime subscribers have been heaping accolades on what they're calling "one of the best" war movies that has ever graced their screens. The 2022 film, Sniper: The White Raven, tracks the transformation of Mykola, a humble high school teacher whose life is upended by the 2014 Russian invasion of Donbas.
Torn from his peaceful existence, Mykola enrolls in a volunteer battalion, vowing to extract vengeance on the Russians. Deemed unfit for combat and tagged 'Civvie' by Ukrainian forces, there's little faith he'll manage more than a week at war. Yet, fuelled by a fiery quest for retribution, Mykola morphs into a fierce fighter and skilled marksman, eventually earning the moniker Raven. Based on real events, the plot draws inspiration from the true backdrop of scriptwriter Mykola Voronin's journey from educator to soldier.
Aldoshyn Pavlo heads up the cast in this poignant Ukrainian offering, under the direction of Maryan Bushan who shares writing credit with Voronin.
An official synopsis sets the scene: "After his pregnant wife is killed by militants, an eccentric pacifist enlists to fight as a sniper in Donbass, Ukraine, vowing vengeance for both his wife and his comrades," reports the Express.
Sniper: The White Raven not only claimed victory in the 11th contest of the Ukrainian State Film Agency but has also clinched the title of the top movie about Ukraine as voted by fans on Ranker.
Critical aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has dished out a respectable 72% score to the film, and audiences have labeled it one of the standout non-English cinematic experiences to date.
Fans took to social media to lavish praise on the film, with one writing: "Sniper the white Raven This masterpiece was insane," while another raved: "Sniper: The White Raven will be one of the best non English movies I've seen. A well made Ukrainian war sniper movie. Recommended, absolutely."
A third fan chimed in, saying: "Sniper The White Raven is the best military movie to me," while a fourth critic wrote: "Sniper: The White Raven - quite possibly one of the best directed, acted and constructed sniper films of recent years, featuring superb, tense showdowns amongst interesting environments and scenarios."
The film received more glowing endorsements, with another fan commenting: "Excellent movie, one of the best non English movies I have ever seen! ! ! Very good story with a lot of action! ! ! I really enjoyed this movie."
Meanwhile, another enthusiastic fan exclaimed: "This is the best movie I have ever watched."
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