Directed by Renny Harlin (“Cutthroat Island”) with planes, tanks and troops provided by the country of Georgia, this $12 million anti-Russian propaganda piece confusingly portrays a brief 2008 war between the two countries. This obscure offshoot of the better-known Chechen war was all but ignored by the rest of the world because it coincided with the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
It’s totally unclear from the movie why Russia joins with the separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in this murky armed conflict — but Georgia’s president, portrayed by a scenery-chewing Andy Garcia, repeatedly assures us that Russia is unilaterally to blame.
Harlin focuses on a cliché-riddled story about
an American journalist (a Brit, Rupert Friend, trying out his best Tom Cruise accent) and his British mate (Richard Coyle). They’re struggling to smuggle a video showing Russian atrocities past a ruthless Russki colonel (Rade Sherbedgia) and his barbaric mercenary (Mikko Nousiainen) with the help of a comely Georgian schoolteacher (Emmanuelle Chriqui).
“5 Days of War,” which features an extended cameo by Val Kilmer and a much briefer one by Heather Graham as other war correspondents, should appeal more to those who like to watch stuff blow up than understand exactly why the carnage is transpiring.