Though it's not mentioned in the credits, Sergei Bodrov's ``Prisoner of the Mountains'' is loosely based on a children's story by Leo Tolstoy, ``Prisoner of the Caucasus.''
But that drastic oversight is forgivable, given the amount of wit and charm this Oscar-nominated (in the Best Foreign Feature category) film displays, as well as the fine balance it strikes between its comic and dramatic sides.
Also, ``Prisoner of the Mountains'' is also notable for its charismatic performances - not only from its star, Oleg Menshikov (``Burnt By the Sun''), one of Russia's leading stars, but from two acting newcomers, including the director's son.
Bodrov updated the story and changed its focus for this movie adaptation - making it less pro-Russian than the source material (since Tolstoy had been a Russian soldier) and certainly less political.
In fact, it actually works better because the the movie's focus is instead on the relationships between characters, like between the Russian soldiers, Sacha (Menshikov) and Vania (Sergei Bodrov Jr.) and Abdoul-Mourat (Jemal Sikharulidze), the Chechen villager who has captured them.
Sacha, a veteran soldier, and Vania, a reluctant young recruit, aren't exactly hitting it off in their cell - a not-completely-converted barn - while Abdoul-Mourat has nothing but contempt for the bickering duo.
Nonetheless, he hopes to exchange the soldiers for his son, a schoolteacher accused of sabotage and who is being held by Russian forces. But a planned prisoner exchange goes awry when Abdoul-Mourat finds out the Russian captain is planning a double-cross.
In the meantime, Vania has struck up a friendship with Abdoul-Mourat's young daughter, Dina (Susanna Mekhralieva), who is shunned by the other villagers who believe her father is endangering them by holding the hostages.
Still believing their lives to be in danger, the two soldiers escape, but Sacha kills two villagers in the process. Other angry villagers demand reprisal and kill Sacha, leaving Abdoul-Mourat with Vania, a much-less-valuable hostage.
Despite the subject matter, there's a lot of surprising humor, such as the scene in which Sacha and Vania find a hidden stash of vodka, and get one of their captors drunk. There's also quite a few subtler humorous touches as well.
Credit Bodrov, who with co-writers Arif Aliev and Boris Giller, play things much more lightly than you'd expect.
As mentioned, Bodrov and Mekhralieva both make lasting impressions in their acting debuts, Bodrov conveying the right amount of uncertainty and Mekhralieva showing an extremely vulnerable side. And Menshikov is nothing short of wonderful.
``Prisoner of the Mountains'' is rated R for violence, including gunfire, profanity, a couple of vulgar gags and references and brief nudity at the start of the film.