baerschneider1 it's the story of two Russian gangsters in the 90s who have to do what is said to them. it is very similar to Tarantino's "pulp fiction". it nearly the same story, but in a Russian version. this is the only positive thing in this movie. the playing isn't really good. the boss of the two guys (mihalkov), isn't good in this role. maybe it isn't his genre, because in other movies his roles/his playing are perfect. because of the bad photograph work, the movie looks very cheap and unprofessional. the good thing in this movie is (like in "pulp fiction") the philosophy about life of the two gangsters, who discuss by doing their work about the sense of doing all this work. in the end, i think that it is one of balabanov's worst movies.

burakovchik The movie shows how modern authority figures gained their power and capital. A lot of them came from not so clean jobs and the movies shows details of that.Two guys - Simon (Duzhev) and Sergey (Aleksey Panin) - are working for a local mobster (Mikhalkov) as negotiators (extortion specialists actually) and killers. They are not brain surgeons and are quick to pull out a gun, which always puts them in different awkward situations. Considering there are competitors such as crooked cop, local dumb criminals and other low-life element, Simon and Sergey are in for a fun ride... Expect lot of gunshots and a sea of blood.The movie has gathered a great number of Russian cinema stars even in episodic roles (Andrey Panin is an architect, Andrey Krasko is an unlucky neighbor, Dmitriy Pevtzov is a drug-dealing lawyer, etc.), which makes the movie so much fun to watch. Under a virtuoso management of the director Aleksey Balaganov all characters are simply dumb and extremely standardized, which makes it look like a joke.Just like Guy Ritchie's movies this one can not really be taken too seriously. On the other hand it's too much dark humor and too much blood to be considered a comedy.Just keep in mind that it is a true biography of some today's Russian politicians. Perhaps, that will leave you thinking.p.s. "The Russian Ethiopian" is absolutely hilarious!

Ladeque It was a great time of true freedom. The only freedom portrayed in this movie is the freedom to kill. As if mafia style killings are non-existent now... Why do they try to make the 90s look awful? Because as usually in Russia the production is financed by the government which is "bringing back law and order after dark years of Yeltsin era"?Performance is poor. Actors do successfully portray imbecility and nothing else. I guess this was their task but otherwise there is no directing. The plot is weak. Some scenes and characters make no sense. This is the usual feature of a modern Russian movie. Star cast. Every character is played by some sort of star and it does not matter that this particular star does not fit or appears only for several seconds. Do they respect themselves? Do they think a movie would fall apart without their blessed appearances? Disappointing 3/10. Should be less, but I am sentimental about the time.

Morfeus Ivanovich This is truly the best Russuian movie since Brat 2. It is very realistic, bloody, and it precisely depicts one of the most dramatical episodes of the history of the modern Russia. Directing is flawless, the usual Balabanov style rocks. Acting is just superb, especially part by Dmirty Dyzhev, who played psycho hit-man - the new version of fairy-tale folk hero Ivan. All other parts, even the smallest ones, are played by the top Russian actors - Nikita Mihalkov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Andrej Merzlikin, Sergei Makovetskij, you name them. The movie has tons of black humor, but the best episode is the one, in which gangsters with "strategic vision" become member of the Russian Parliament, and those without it lose everything. The soundtrack, consisting of Russian gangster-era pop and alternative, is just as good as OST from "Brat 2". So, to sum up - a true modern masterpiece!