Charming and brutal

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

This film - a lie from the first to the last frame. This book - a lie from the first page to the last. Bender - a city in Ukraine. A citizen of Ukraine can not fight in Chechnya. This film - a lie from the first to the last frame. This book - a lie from the first page to the last. Bender - a city in Ukraine. A citizen of Ukraine can not fight in Chechnya. This film - a lie from the first to the last frame. This book - a lie from the first page to the last. Bender - a city in Ukraine. A citizen of Ukraine can not fight in Chechnya. This film - a lie from the first to the last frame. This book - a lie from the first page to the last. Bender - a city in Ukraine. A citizen of Ukraine can not fight in Chechnya.

Well, that's definitely a fantasy movie. As a native Siberian, I agree with previous reviews:1) There are no nationality "urka" in Siberia. Siberia was populated in a similar way as the U.S. Caucasian people came from the European part of Russian and dominated ethnic groups. In particular, there were several waves of prisoners in 18th, 19th, and 20th century. The Siberian criminals in 1930+ were called urkas, in particular, in Kolyma, a north Siberian region with rich deposits of gold. Most of urkas had tattoos that told their stories, in particular, what kind of crime they committed. 2) Urkas were not mobile once they were released from the prison in Siberia. Permanent and temporary registration is still a big deal in Russia. It would have been very unlikely for an urka to cross the country and settle down in the Western part of Russia, unless they had close relatives there who could register them at their own houses or apartments. 3) I was very upset with the looks and outfits. Honestly, I did not get why people were dressed like there were in 1930-40ties, while it was 1980-1990ties. Also, "Gagarin" and his father wore long hair. If they came from urka's family, the most appropriate hairstyle would be really short hair or being bold. Besides that long hair is usually considered homosexual in Russia, except some alternative fashion. Probably I should not write here how homophobic Russian people are...4) What's up with the accent? I could hardly understand what actors said. It did not sound Russian to me. I hope it worked for non-Russian people to create the right setting. To sum up, with 30MM Euro budget it is really such a shame that the crew did not do their homework. It was worth spending $1-2K to fly to a Siberian city and talking to people there, or hiring a Russian historian focusing on Siberia and/or criminal history to identify those basic things above. P.S. Though I should admit that I enjoyed watching Malkovich in his role.

Actually, 6.4. I should round down, but I'll be nice (and hopeful). Negatives: 1. A slow narrative similar to what you might find telling a story by a campfire. You are either captivated or put to sleep. Works either way. 2. Translating from book to script there are some lost periods of time and some flashbacks that can be disruptive. Positives: 1. Great cinematography showing a place and lifestyle most of us have little knowledge of. Filmed in Lithuania and Italy to represent nearby southwestern USSR as one of the locations in that country where large populations were transplanted for political or cultural reasons. 2. A code of conduct where your status in society justified some criminal acts, but only by the rules. The film captures the indoctrination of those rules from an early age to adulthood as we follow two, best friends, boys who grow into pursued and pursuer. 3. Actors, incidentally from many nations, conveyed their characters in a naturalistic way so you never feel as if you're watching people recite lines of script.

Lots of thing will seem familiar in this one, including the sympathetic criminals with a strict moral code, the conflict between the brothers. There isn't much depth in the characters, the flashback scenes are just there for the sake of telling the story.But there's one thing why should see this movie: everything is just so elaborately made in it. The sets, the cinematography, the dialogues show a huge amount of works. And Salvatore's directing can make even the most pretentious scenes effective. Among the actors, there's no difference between the young Litvanian ones and stars like Malkovich, they're all great. (The only thing that bothered me was the forced and unrealistic Russian accent.)It's less about its characters and more about guilt and morals, but it's atmosphere makes you forget about all of the weaknesses. It's not really original, but the atmosphere makes it a unique film.