Resurrected review. Originally posted 12 Feb 2017, reposted 22 Apr 2023. A truly underrated hidden gem. Having been made in the 90's Russia, the film isn't restrained by strict censorship of the Soviet cinema or the nepotist corrupted nature of the modern-day Russian cinema. Yet I was surprised they were able to make such a film in the era of high crime and a very bad economic situation, where people could barely get food. The only way I can explain this is that people were so fueled with the feeling of upcoming freedom that they were able to overcome all the difficulties for the sake of art. While watching the film I was getting vibes of both Western and Wuxia (excluding the wire-fu action) in some ways. The film takes place in the Russian Civil War period, when Russian Empire had lost control of the Caucasus, and communists haven't taken it back yet. Naturally, there was a struggle for power and no order in those lands. One of the characters is a revolver-wielding rascal in the good tradition of American Westerns. Another character is almost basically a knight: a hero, who follows the code of honour, dressed in white, riding a white horse, which is very similar to the Wuxia traditions. I was actually quite amazed at the complexity of the characters and the intricacy of the plot. In that it reminded me of Tsui Hark's The Blade (1995). Don't get me wrong though, the film is very light on action, but it excels in another field, which not many people will get, depending on their ethnic background. Essentially it's a commentary on the fate of Dagestan, the past and the future of it, the realities of the 90s, the hypocrisies of those in power hiding under the banners of patriotism and religion, the clash of new vs. old cultural values, etc. Yet all of this is portrayed in a very simple way so that anybody can watch this film and enjoy it. Not that it's a masterpiece, but for what it is, it's amazing that this film exists. P. S. Oh, and the soundtrack in the later parts of the film feels a lot like Ennio Morricone's themes for Westerns.