Tycoon: A New Russian (2002) Oligarkh (original title)

Director:

Pavel Lungin

Writers:

Yuliy Dubov (novel)
Aleksandr Borodyanskiy (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 October 2002 (Israel)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

During the Gorbachev years, Platon Makovski and his four buddies are university students who jump on the private capitalism movement...

Plot Keywords:

Russia | Russian Mafia | Politician | Murder | Nonlinear Timeline

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Vladimir Mashkov	...	Platon Makovskiy
Mariya Mironova	...	Mariya
Andrey Krasko	...	Shmakov
Levan Uchaneishvili	...	Larri
Mikhail Vasserbaum	...	Mark
Sergey Yushkevich	...	Viktor
Aleksandr Samoylenko	...	Musa
Natalya Kolyakanova	...	Nina
Aleksandr Baluev	...	Koretskiy
Vladimir Gusev	...	Lomov
Vladimir Steklov	...	Belenkiy
Marat Basharov	...	Koshkin
Vladimir Salnikov	...	Papa Grisha
Vladimir Golovin	...	Akhmed
Vladimir Kashpur	...	Kapitan korablya
Anna Churina	...	Zhurnalistka
Konstantin Berdikov	...	Glavnyy
Vladimir Semago	...	Rogov
Yuriy Vaksman	...	Bentsion Lazarevich
Vladimir Frolov	...	Rudenko
Vladimir Shulga	...	Chelovek v serom
Andrey Tikhomirnov	...	Sportsmen
Valeriy Malikov	...	Khippi
Mariya Kuznetsova	...	Provodnitsa
Pierre-Christian Brochet	...	Khubert (as Per Broshe)
Leonid Timtsunik	...	Barmen
Stéphane Albinet	...	Zherar (as Stefan Albine)
Andrey Bronnikov	...	Militsioner v poezde
Denis Kirillov	...	Brityy
Sergey Frolov	...	Pionervozhatyy
Valeriy Syomin	...	Pevets
Elena Verkhovskaya	...	Pevitsa
Vita Lim	...	Model
Boris Kamorzin	...	Prokuror
Vladimir Zolotnitskiy	...	Korrespondent ITV
Boris Chunaev	...	Sovet bezopasnosti
Stanislav Zhitaryov	...	Sovet bezopasnosti
Aleksandr Vorobyov	...	Sovet bezopasnosti
Valentin Varetskiy	...	Sovet bezopasnosti
Alina Afanaseva	...	Nevesta na vokzale
Dmitriy Suponin	...	Zhenikh na vokzale
Nikolay Kochura	...	Morskoy ofitser
Aleksandr Andreev	...	Drug zhenikha
Vladimir Koshevoy	...	Drug zhenikha
Aleksandr Karnaushkin	...	Sosed Viktora
Aleksandr Karamnov	...	Militsioner na kladbishche
Mikhail Solodko	...	Militsioner na kladbishche
Nataliya Maslova	...	Medsestra (as Natalya Maslova)
Firuza Mirzoalieva	...	Medsestra
Nikolay Smorchkov	...	Muzhikh na dache Belenkogo
Dmitriy Kulakov	...	Muzhikh na dache Belenkogo
Nikolay Shusharin	...	Okhrannik Marka
Tatyana Kuznetsova	...	Diktor ITV
Konstantin Skokov	...	Okhrannik Platona
Sergey Konovalenko	...	Okhrannik Platona
Maksim Meshcherin	...	Okhrannik Platona
Eduard Masaltsev	...	Voditel taksi
Tamara Abutova	...	Korrespondentka v tundre
Aleksandr Volkovskiy	...	Malenkiy Platon (as Sasha Volkovskiy)
Roma Agronovskiy	...	Malenkiy Musa
Igor Vinogradov	...	Syn Platona
Egor Timtsunik	...	Syn Platona 14 let
Galina Trunina	...	Militsionersha
Nataliya Mokrova	...	Doch Viktora (as Natasha Mokrova)
Anastasiya Mokrova	...	Doch Viktora (as Nastya Mokrova)
Aleksandr Borovikov	...	Okhrana Akhmeta
Evgeniy Shchetinin	...	Okhrana Akhmeta
Evgeniy Popov	...	Okhrana Akhmeta
Viktor Tereshchenkov	...	Vrach skoroy pomoshchi
Vitaliy Rodin	...	Ofitsiant v ofise
Konstantin Belov	...	Ofitsiant v ofise
Nikolay Zhadov	...	Ofitsiant v ofise
Igor Gaevskiy	...	Ofitsiant v ofise
Sergey Skripka	...	Dirizher
Villi Tokarev	...	Himself - Spetsialnyy gost filma
Lion Izmaylov	...	Himself - Spetsialnyy gost filma
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vladimir Laptev	...	Serov - biznesmen (uncredited)

Directed by
Pavel Lungin

Writing credits
Yuliy Dubov		(novel "Bolshaya payka")
Aleksandr Borodyanskiy		(screenplay) &
Pavel Lungin		(screenplay) &
Yuliy Dubov		(screenplay)

Produced by
Catherine Dussart	....	producer
Vladimir Grigoriev	....	producer
Sergei Selyanov	....	producer
Galina Sementsova	....	producer
Erik Waisberg	....	line producer

Original Music by
Leonid Desyatnikov

Cinematography by
Oleg Dobronravov
Aleksei Fyodorov

Film Editing by
Sophie Brunet

Casting by
Tatyana Lelik

Production Design by
Igor Frolov

Costume Design by
Alina Budnikova

Makeup Department
Yelena Bogatyryova	....	makeup artist
Svetlana Lobanova	....	makeup artist
Yekaterina Shepeleva	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Oleg Pozdneyev	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marta Alvarado-Chervinskaya	....	assistant director
Yekaterina Berezovskaya	....	assistant director
Igor Ivanov	....	second unit director
Tamara Vladimirtseva	....	second unit director
Yekaterina Zhemerova	....	assistant director

Art Department
Zoya Buzinova	....	property master
Olga Plyukhina	....	props
Nikolai Romanyuk	....	props
Yevgeni Romanyuk	....	property master

Sound Department
Stéphane Albinet	....	sound assistant
Cécile Chagnaud	....	sound editor
Alain Curvelier	....	sound
Rym Debbarh-Mounir	....	dialogue editor
Aliakper Gasan-zade	....	foley editor
Williams Schmit	....	sound mixing assistant
Eric Tisserand	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Valeri Derkach	....	stunt coordinator
Oleg Durygin	....	stunts
Valeri Koudriachov	....	stunts
Alexandre Ouchanov	....	stunts
Vlacheslav Ouchanov	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mikhail Blinov	....	camera operator
Yevgeni Lebedev	....	camera operator
Vladimir Miliotti	....	camera operator
Valeri Mitin	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Rym Debbarh-Mounir	....	assistant editor
Julie Decondé	....	assistant editor
Ivan Lungin	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Sergey Skripka	....	conductor

Other crew
Béatrice Hannequin	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Arte
• Catherine Dussart Productions (CDP)
• France 2 Cinéma
• Gimages
• Kinokompaniya CTB
• Kominter
• Magnat
• Network Movie Film-und Fernsehproduktion
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
• arte France Cinéma

Distributors

• Istituto Luce
• Kinokompaniya CTB (Russia) (video)
• New Yorker Films (2003) (USA) (subtitled)
• Pyramide Distribution

Also Known As:

"Oligarkh" - Russia (original title)
"Tycoon" - International (English title)

Runtime:

Switzerland:128 min (Locarno Film Festival) | USA:123 min

Country:

Russia | France | Germany

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Hong Kong:III | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-18

Company:

Arte

Quantity, Not Quality, Yet Still Sketchy in the Details

Russian mobsters (oligarchs) scheme and maneuver to make elicit millions from the days of Gorbachev till recent times. Basically an ordinary "Godfather"-like gangster film, except for its Russian setting. Based loosely on the rise and fall of rogue capitalist Boris Berezovsky, the film fudges sketchy historic details with abundant melodramatic posturing and substitutes quantity for quality. Never-ending plot complications can't make up for the essential emptiness. No character or relationship is depicted in depth or intimacy. Over and over we hear how brilliant the gang leader, Plato Makovski (Vladimir Mashkov), is, but never really see him being brilliant, never really glimpse the sausage-making behind his fabulous success.

The sympathetic depiction of the gang of oligarchs is suspiciously skewed. They are shown as a jolly crew of good guys trying to make the most of a corrupt system and have a good time along the way. One suspects the real oligarchs were/are much more sinister and violent.

For all its flaws, "Tycoon" has an uninterrupted manic drive that at least holds one's attention. At times, for example the boat outing and Plato's 44th birthday party, it almost, but not quite, takes off into a mad absurd Fellini-esque circus. The film is at its best satirizing Russian politics and power struggles, at its worst when Plato leadenly mopes like the morose and isolated Al Pacino of "Godfather III."

Of note is the beautiful Mariya Mironova as Maria ("Masha"), Plato's lover, a restless soulful self-possessed spirit who is never on screen long enough to be quite fully fleshed in. 6/10