Brother

‘Brother’ is a Russian crime film, made in a post-Soviet Russia in 1997, directed by Aleksie Balabanov and stars Sergie Bodrov Jr. as Danila Bagrov. The film also features Viktor Sukhorukov, Mariya Zhukova, Yuri Kuznetsov, and Svetlana Pismichenko. The story revolves around the lives of two brothers and their adventures in the world of assassins, and the friends the younger brother meets along the way. Get a usb memory stick to save your favourite films on, in any style you want.

The film starts when Danila Bagrov, a former military draftee after demobilisation, goes to St. Petersburg to find his older brother with whom their mother is confident he can make a living. His older brother is an accomplished hit man and carries the nickname Tatarin (Viktor Sukhorukov). Tatarin enjoys his total independence, but gets irritated with his mob boss, Kruglyj (Segei Murzin); so when the latter assigns him to assassinate a Chenchen mafia leader, he opts to offer the job to Danila. Danila professionally carries out the job. However, upon completion of the job he is hurt by Krugly’s men who are suppose to follow and execute Tatarin, as ordered by Krugly. Danila manages to escape through a cargo tram driven by Sveta (Svetlana Pismichenko), a woman married to an abusive husband. Eventually, Danila starts an affair with Sveta. He also meets and befriends several people from the wide urban spectrum including an energetic drug-user, Kat (Mariya Zhukova), and a homeless man, Nemets (Yuri Kuznetsov). Danila saves Nemets from a crook, assists him to find a home and treats Nemets injuries. After the first job, Tatarin gives Danila another task, which he must accomplish with two of Krugly’s hit men. In the second job, Danila’s favourite rock star, Vyacheslav Butusov, gets involved, as the singer’s friend becomes Danila's hostage. He decides to save Butusov’s friend instead and kills his two partners. Once again Nemets helps him out. Krugly becomes very frustrated from all the jobs with Tatarin that end up with his men being killed. Instead, he raids Tatarin’s home, who gives information about his brother's whereabouts, but the ambush fails. Krugly’s men opt to assault Sveta’s home and rape the woman. Upon returning and learning that Sveta was raped by his assassins, Danila becomes enraged. Just then, Danila receives a call from Tatarin asking him to come immediately. At this point Krugly has beaten Tatarin and is ready to kill the two, but Danila proves his strength and overpowers Krugly and his men. Danila realises that he was betrayed by his own brother, yet he finds the heart to forgive him and asks him to return to their hometown. Afterwards, Danila tries to save Sveta and shoots her husband, but Sveta still loves her husband and she refuses to go with Danila. In the end, Danila bids farewell to his friends Kat and Nemets, and hitches a ride to Moscow.

The film depicts the problems and attitudes around Russia in the 1990s, such as crime, poverty, the disaffection of Russian youth and failing families, which are all the effects of the Soviet collapse. However, the film imparts that there is still good and courage, as well as a clear sense of right and wrong. ‘Brother’ carries a strong message to the audience that even in such gloomy and difficult times there is still hope. This very touching film is highly recommended.