Joy Division

"Germany released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby DTS 5.1), German (Subtitles), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SYNOPSIS: A teenage orphan fights against the Red Army at the end of WWII and in the aftermath is 'adopted' by a Commissar. Years later he is sent to London during the Cold war to work for the KGB, where he questions his life. SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Deleted Scenes, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), " Product Description

Strives to be an "epic" but doesn't quite make it due to a low budget and amateurish directing and scripting

"Joy Division" follows the harrowing story of a German boy on the Eastern Front in WWII who eventually throws his lot in with the conquering Russians and grows up to be a Soviet spy.

The story moves in space and time through Germany, Russia, England, and Mexico, and certainly strives to be an "epic". Sadly the low budget works against this. So does the amateurish direction and screenwriting by Reg Traviss - there is far to much unnecessary use of voiceover narration. Not to mention that clash of accents among the European cast.

Despite all this the actors are game and it's never dull, but one can't help but think that in the hands of a better screenwriter and director and with a bigger budget this could have been much better. March 30, 2008

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