This film is excellent, surpassing my expectations in terms of the quality of the film-making and in terms of the depth of the story. Not to ruin the suspense, but the aviation difficulties of the film are more of a resolution than a starting point of the plot. The special effects could have been better, the women could have been less hysterically cruel, the ending could have had less Russian sentimental comic relief; but the movie is successful in telling a story about human beings. I would rate it even higher if the women weren't so shrewish, but that's because I like a bit of fantasy in the films I watch.

I pretty like this movie not because of my special favor to aircraft disasters (although I like films like Turbulence or Airport) but because of outstanding bunch of actors starring here and because of our common knowledge that there were NO $ billions spent for effects. This film shows HOW you may do your job if you are a true PROFESSIONAL of cinema (and not just a guy who was chosen to spend much money for visual effects made by computer). If you may show great results without money, you are great. And this film is great. To Arik from Washington: I'm pretty sure you were a Soviet citizen :) People who came from USSR are often very hostile to anything produced there despite its real quality.

It is a brilliant movie indeed, and I would strongly advise American audience NOT to see it, since the well-known action movie standards do not apply here. Dear American friends who left some comments here: European cinema, including Soviet and Russian of course, is a special case, the major focus is NOT on the quality of special effects. It has never been like that and never will be. In this movie good drama, showing complicated lives of each character, is perfectly combined with action. And there is definetely no need to compare it with american-style productions! Embarrassing comments I saw here indeed -- well, what else one could expect here from that part of the world !

Well, a lot of people in Europe and USA think that 99% percent of Russian films is dull boring stuff. Actually, it's right for many of them. However, 'The Crew' seems to be an exception. It tells us the story of three aircraft pilots; everyone of them with his own problems: a pregnant daughter (Timchenko), a lost child (Nenarokov), problems with woman (Skvortsov). But all of this is forgotten, when they need to make an awful race : from the burning city in the Middle East to Moscow. The burning airplane in the end of the film, and other technical tricks are really amazing. The common spirit of the film is not like that of western films-catastrophies, but it's more epic. Worth seeing, if you are interested in quiet films.