Rating: 
Summary: An excellent post-Soviet film about post-Soviet Russia
Review: 'Brother' isn't the best film about the Chechen war, but it is a good reflection of post-Soviet Russia. Danila, young, geeky-looking but street-smart military clerk is sent home after getting into trouble. He hears from his mother that his elder brother, Viktor in St. Petersburg, is doing well in business. Danila joins him and finds out that Viktor is in fact, a contract-killer. Soon Danila joins him in the trade and is drawn to the underworld... soon killing becomes natural to him... it's a simple plot, but shows the sad reality of post-Soviet Russia...Sergei Bodrov, the beloved young Russian actor (who sadly passed away in an accident) carries Danila's role out well. The music, mostly by Nautilus Pompilius, brings out the mood in the film. The sequel, Brother-2, is more entertaining, but much less realistic. There is plenty of nationalism and anti-Americanism there, but still worth to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Brat
Review: Brat (Brother) is a fast-paced and emotionally charged window into the angst of Post-Soviet Russia in general and that of young veterans of the Chechen war in particular. Brat is a film about hope ... hope that some day shared Russian identity will matter more to Russians than personal gain. It's also, in a sense, a Post-Soviet cowboy movie. And for that reason I highly reccomend it to all fans of the best of that western genre. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Balabanov's "Brother" released by RUSCICO
Review: BROTHER: Drama. Starring Sergei Bodrov Jr. Directed by Alexei Balabanov. (Not rated. 96 minutes. In Russian with English subtitles.)
The new Russian film ``Brother'' is about a ``demobbed'' soldier who becomes a gangland hit- man in post-Soviet St. Petersburg, which is starting to look a lot like America.
We aren't talking about McDonald's here. When push comes to shove, what counts is guns and dollars.
Director Alexei Balabanov makes the point subtly in this low-key, naturalistic film, which will be of interest to anyone who wonders what certain aspects of daily life must be like in Russia now. It opens today at the Roxie.
Sergei Bodrov Jr. (``Prisoner of the Mountains'') plays the demobilized soldier, Danila, and his boyish appearance is deceptive. Despite his baby-faced but soon beat-up mug, he is one tough customer and very cool. He lets go with a sudden kara te blow against one unsuspecting victim on the street, disarms him and calmly walks off with his revolver.
He is something of a vigilante, who pulls his gun and makes a disa bled man pay a fine on a bus. So many Russians pull out their weapons that it begins to seem like the Wild West. An old man who takes in a lodger has a shotgun. Danila's shaved-head brother, Viktor, is a hit man on the fringes of the mob.
``Brother'' is built around a series of anticlimactic blackouts. The effect is to give the film an offhand, this-is-no-big-deal quality punctuated by sudden acts of violence.
Danila's brother draws him into a world of contract killings and revenge hits, including a comic but nonetheless bloody scene when the wrong man walks into a stakeout.
The subtitles are haphazardly translated, but when gangsters propose that they go into ``business'' together, they say the word in English. When serious money is involved, it is paid in dollars.
At one point, Danila heads for Moscow, where it appears he will fit right in. P.S. To watch the movie preview video clip you can on russianDVD.com website for free.
Rating: 
Summary: Stone cold killers
Review: Dark, brooding but ultimately not very satisfying movie, showing the underbelly of post-Soviet Russia. Brodov became the bad boy of Russian cinema for his stone-faced portrayal of Danila, a young hood, schooled by his older brother, Viktor. Balabonov revels in the violence of mob-ruled St. Petersburg, with plenty of footage of decayed city streets and the ruthless criminal world that had formed in the once great capital on the West Bank. But, don't expect very much irony here. The movie is underscored by an unremitting techno-music soundtrack that became painfully unbearable by movie's end. Although, the movie was heralded as one of the first "realistic" portrayals of post-Soviet Russia, it seems to owe more to "gangsta rap" than it does the mean streets of Russia.
Rating:
Summary: Stone cold killers
Review: Dark, brooding but ultimately not very satisfying movie, showing the underbelly of post-Soviet Russia. Brodov became the bad boy of Russian cinema for his stone-faced portrayal of Danila, a young hood, schooled by his older brother, Viktor. Balabonov revels in the violence of mob-ruled St. Petersburg, with plenty of footage of decayed city streets and the ruthless criminal world that had formed in the once great capital on the West Bank. But, don't expect very much irony here. The movie is underscored by an unremitting techno-music soundtrack that became painfully unbearable by movie's end. Although, the movie was heralded as one of the first "realistic" portrayals of post-Soviet Russia, it seems to owe more to "gangsta rap" than it does the mean streets of Russia.
Rating:
Summary: Truth
Review: I gave it 5 stars...
This movie's low budget means that the reality is not shaded by sfx. And the soundtrack (probably set them back more than the movie itself) is very nice indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film
Review: I think that the previous reviews have all missed an important point. Danilla does not posses an "instinctive skill" for violence he is a highly trained professional despite his youth. He is an ex-member of "spetznaz" which is the equiavalent of Russian special forces. This is made clear in the very beginning so I am not spoiling the plot for anyone. But I do have to agree that this is not just an action movie and should not be perceived as such. It's purpose is to also deal with the social issues of a crime ridden society. Which is perhaps the reason why he is young, has a noble sense of justice, and skills of a special service agent so that he can take on the world.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film
Review: I think that the previous reviews have all missed an important point. Danilla does not posses an "instinctive skill" for violence he is a highly trained professional despite his youth. He is an ex-member of "spetznaz" which is the equiavalent of Russian special forces. This is made clear in the very beginning so I am not spoiling the plot for anyone. But I do have to agree that this is not just an action movie and should not be perceived as such. It's purpose is to also deal with the social issues of a crime ridden society. Which is perhaps the reason why he is young, has a noble sense of justice, and skills of a special service agent so that he can take on the world.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional and different movie
Review: If you own any two russian movies, they need to be Brother and The Thief. Brother brings a unique feel that you cannot get from an American film. Even if you don't speak russian, you should more than enjoy the movie through subtitles. I highly reccommend it for all peoples of all countries.
Rating:
Summary: A Excellent Movie everyone must see
Review: In Brother (Brat) Sergei Bodrov jr. portrays with great skill a young Russian returning from the war and attempting to re-enter Russian Society. In the end, Danila (Bodrov) ends up as a hitman with an almost noble sense of justice. With the "bad guys" wasted, and the situation under control Danila's next stop is "Maskva" (Moscow). An oustanding movie, we can but wait for the sequal that has just come out in Russian theaters.
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