Should you actually sit through this?

If you have a thing for dusty silent films that try to hit you over the head with a hammer, then yes. Most people will probably find it too intense or just plain confusing because of how fast it moves.

I watched this late at night and honestly? It felt like a fever dream about factory workers and mean guys in suits.

The story follows an American engineer played by Boris Azarov. He looks like he has had way too much coffee in every single scene.

He goes to this made-up country to sell some tech, but everything goes wrong because of a strike. It is basically a 1920s version of a political thriller, but without any talking.

There is this one scene where a character is just staring at a machine. The camera stays on his face for so long that I started checking my phone to see if the video froze.

It didn't freeze. The actor was just really committed to looking worried.

The way they show the 'capitalist' villains is pretty funny. They all wear these huge hats and look like they are constantly smelling something bad.

It reminded me a bit of the vibe in Überfall, but with a lot more political shouting. Even though it is silent, you can basically hear the shouting through the title cards.

The editing is super choppy. Not in a bad way, just in that old-school way where they cut to a gear turning every five seconds to show that Industry is Happening.

I noticed a weird detail—one of the extras in the background of the strike scene is smiling. Like, he’s supposed to be an angry worker, but he looks like he’s just happy to be on camera.

Nina Shaternikova shows up and she’s fine, I guess. She has those very 1920s eyes that look like they were drawn on with charcoal.

The movie doesn't really care about being subtle. It wants you to know exactly who the good guys are from the first minute.

It is definitely more interesting than something like Under Two Flags if you want to see how different countries were making movies back then.

By the end, I wasn't really sure if the engineer actually fixed anything. But there were a lot of flags waving, so I guess that counts as a win for the director.

The music (in the version I saw) was thumping and made the whole thing feel much more stressful than it probably was. My ears kind of hurt afterwards.

Don't expect a deep character study here. Everyone is just a symbol for something else.

It’s a short watch, which is the best thing I can say about the pacing. It gets in, shows you some angry faces, and gets out.

If you're into the history of how movies were used to make people think a certain way, it's a gold mine. If you just want a story? Eh, maybe skip it.

Random stuff I noticed:

The font on the title cards is actually pretty cool.
There is a lot of smoke in the factory scenes. Like, a concerning amount of smoke.
Boris Azarov has very expressive eyebrows.
The way they frame the crowds makes it look like there are thousands of people, but it's probably just the same fifty guys running in a circle.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely something. 🚩

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Verdict & Recommendation