A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

That is - in my never so humble opinion - hands down - THE BEST gangster comedy-drama I've ever seen in my life. It is mission-impossible to translate it properly into any other language. So I don't think that will ever be done. Not successfully at least. The humor, the charismatic characters, the soundtrack....... And MAN! The treasure of a script. It is totally and completely the work of art. It's genius! It defines the word - TALENT. Russian language is worth learning - just to watch that movie alone... The script deserves to be memorized. It helps in everyday life. Basically some of the Russian followers of that movie have done just that. The movie itself - feels like a tasteful cross between Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. It shows qualities of both with amazingly inspiring Russian twist. While watching that - I felt it! Every moment of it. I was entertained. Sad. Happy. Aroused (just watching Olesya Sudzilovskaya flick her hair would do that to a man). Laughing. Crying. Cheering. All that and more in under 90 minutes. If that is not 10 out of 10 movie experience - I don't know what is.