Prisoner of the Mountains is a Russian film directed by Sergei Bodrov that was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's "Prisoner of the Caucasus." It was selected by Russia as its official entry for the 1996 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

After their unit is ambushed in a remote province, Sacha (Oleg Menshikov), a veteran of many military campaigns, and Vania (Sergei Bodrov, Jr.), a raw recruit, are taken to a Muslim village as hostages. Abdoul-Mourat (Jemal Sikharulidze), the town's elder, wants to exchange them for his son who is being held by the Russians.

The film vividly depicts the brutality and insanity of war, especially the eye-for-an-eye ethic of Sacha and the townsfolk who want to execute the Russian prisoners. Vania prefers peace, and he reaches out to Abdoul-Mourat's 12-year-old daughter (Susanna Mekhralieva) who takes a fancy to him. He also fixes watches for several locals. The bittersweet ending conveys the best and the worst in human nature. For a brief moment, compassion is celebrated as a healing and liberating balm in the midst of ethnic hatred.