User reviews

If you were in S.Petersburgh in the early nineties, you feel this movie has been able to grab a cubic meter of air of the city at that time, pack it, and give it to its viewers to breathe. The effect is physical. I can feel the smell of the wet dusty roads, the moulded no man's land of stairways in post soviet blocks of flats and much more. Apart from this high accuracy in physical sensation, the movie is multi-layered (you can watch in it a "boevik" action movie, a social analysis of the period, even a Dostoevki-like study on the value of brotherhood and after all, a unique picture of what Russia is, was, and will be. Those who can enjoy it in original will find some tasty bits of Russian irony and humor.

You will be marinated in Russian-ness after watching this gritty crime drama shot in St. Petersburg. Set in the early 1990s after the fall of Soviet communism, it's a movie whose co-star is the place. The crime and gunplay in the foreground, which cropped up after the collapse of stern authority, seems to perfectly match what we see in the background -- trash-strewn streets, grimy flats, drug-fueled nightclubs. Everyone is poor or barely getting by. Even the gangsters, who you'd think would have some Scarface-type perks, seem to live in squalor.

One thing that will instantly strike you is how everyone in the movie looks like someone you know, not a Hollywood star. I want to call particular attention to Svetlana Pismichenko, the film's love interest, who plays the driver of a streetcar that hauls lumber (?). She's not pretty at all, but you see the love she is capable of and, all I can say is I wish she were my girlfriend. Her last scene is one of the most memorable portraits of heartbreak I have ever seen. She has incredible eyes.

Sergei Bodrov plays the lead, a soldier just back from Chechnya who is drawn into his brother's gangland activities. We never see a flashback of what happened over there and, when asked by others in the film what he did, grins and said he was a clerk in HQ. As we come to see the fearlessness and ruthlessness he is capable of, it is obvious he is lying. This man is steel tempered in a furnace. His gangster enemies are no match for a man with his willingness to prepare for and face death.

I've never been to Russia, but I lived in the Czech Republic for three years and I can testify to the authenticity of this movie's backdrop. When the Iron Curtain fell, it revealed decaying rust belt cities, but also a tough-minded population of attractive and spirited people who, somehow, found ways to be happy in tough times. I am American and half Polish, and this movie made me proud to be a Slav.

A scene in the movie is a homage to Russian good cheer. It is a party in a Russian flat where a few dozen people are chatting, eating, smoking pot, drinking vodka, singing along to a guitar, shooting pool and having fun. They're all young people in their 20's. You'll wish you were at that party.

I really liked this movie. It was a gangster crime movie, but in a totally different style than most American films. There was a good story and great visuals of Russia. I liked the fact that not everything had to be explained to the audience. The director assumed that we were able to think for ourselves, i.e.; the lead character's 'true' past in the army. I don't believe that he was "just a clerk at HQ". I saw the DVD version, and watched the interview with the director. The film is even more amazing considering the shoestring budget. He got his friends to perform some of the acting roles as well as write and play the music (which was quite good). This is a great gritty film. Its one of the more watchable movies from Russia that I have seen. I gave it a 7 out of 10. I plan to see 'Prisoner of the Mountain' next, can't wait.

This film was a blockbuster hit in Russia, for many reasons that international viewers might not understand. "Brother" is a film that speaks directly to Russians (especially the urban population) about the time period directly following the fall of the Soviet Union. This was a lawless time, full of uncertainty about everything including whether your life would be ended by a random criminal on the street. It also suggests the Russian disillusionment with the Chechen War (well, the first one of the 1990s).

Balabanov has created an intense crime drama that attempts to answer Dostoyevsky's "eternal question": what does one do in a lawless society? Danila, the hero, has lost his innocence during the war in Chechnya. In this way he really represents all of Russia in that he has lost his heritage and his identity, and now must make his way in the new Russia. Like many others at the time, Danila turns to crime in order to survive.

The most heart-wrenching thing about "Brother" is that it has an incredible likeness to the reality of life in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s. Though on the surface it seems to be full of senseless violence, Danila's search for identity (that mirrors Russia's) calls for an honest picture of the hard life of the period.

I haven't seen a crime movie with action more realistic than that in Brat. This movie emphasizes that when you get shot you can't run as fast as a cheetah unlike the Hollywood films even today. It was a breakthrough picture for Russia's film-making and, in my opinion, a picture that could take on most of American movies of the same or similar genre. You wanna see the way things were done in Russia five years ago? You wanna see cruel reality? You want to see the real criminal side of Russia? See Brat. It isn't only an amazing movie because it is so realistic, the acting is awesome and you won't get bored for sure. Brat 10/10

A fascinating look at the underworld of St. Petersburg, filled with excellent performances, especially by Sergei Bodrov III and Yuri Kutznetsov. I was swept away by the story and characters, thrown into their world. And there is no place else like St. Petersburg. I'd say it's a "must see."

We had a similar lawless period in Bulgaria (the closest satellite to ex-USSR), so I believe that the film is fully correct in this aspect. More important, however, is that of the thousands of films about crimes and criminals, only a few are more or less realistic; my work is closely related to the judicial system, so I know what I'm talking about. Even the real-crime TV shows lie somewhat, their cases carefully selected - always fully resolved, always black and white. For that, and for that alone, Brother deserves a 10/10.

Note that in Russia, "kavkazian" (caucasian) stands for immigrants from the southern ex-USSR republics, mostly muslims, a fair share of them involved in criminal activities.

Anything you wanted to know about that "strange russian soul" is in this movie but I doubt anybody will treat it like a piece of useful information. The West thinks Russians are more asians than europeans. The East thinks they are more europeans. Both agree they are a mix. But they are not )) They are in their own Universe and even Christianity brought to them 1000 years ago didn't change that. When you try to instill new rules in them they make you think they follow the script when they actually don't. It doesn't matter what type of government they have, communist or capitalist, they will first adapt to it and then transform it to something totaly different from its initial plot.

The main character in Brother is not a lost soul in historical turbulence as many here suggest. On the contrary, the no-law-zone is the only comfortable environment for him. It gives him a purpose and a mission. No salary or stable office job can substitute that for him. He is a hitman without benifits of being a hitman, without customers or bosses. He is getting his orders directly from the Universe and his potetntial death doesn't scary him at all. Not a bit.

I haven't seen a crime movie with action more realistic than is, and can guarantee you that neither have you.This movie emphasizes that when you get shot you can't run as fast as a cheetah unlike the Hollywood films portray every day. The movie is multi-layered (you can watch in as an action movie), a social analysis of the period, even a Dostoevsky-like study on the value of brotherhood and after all, a unique picture of what Russia is, was, and will be.

The story is told brilliantly the main character Danila, doesn't tell or brag about his past, he actually makes himself out to be a humble guy, instead of saying he served in the hot spot in the war and was given recognition and bravery award for saving his platoon members, he often reminds people that he was far from combat, he is passionate and caring and not aggressive at all.

If you were in S. Petersburgh in the early nineties, you feel this movie has been able to grab a cubic meter of air of the city at that time, pack it, and give it to its viewers to breathe.

filled with excellent performances, especially by Sergei Bodrov III and Yuri Kutznetsov. I was swept away by the story and characters, thrown into their world. I'd have to say it's a MUST SEE!!!

Brother or Brat is an interesting film played out during the post soviet era in Russia. The only knowledge about the movie I came in with was that the budget was 10k dollars. And to my surprise, it's incredible what the director managed to compile.

A story-driven movie about a lost Russian boy that manages to end up in crime ends up being great. With a quite boring beginning, it turns out better at the end.

Brat manages to create some stunning cinematography that is beautiful. With a few exceptions, there were a few poorly filmed scenes, especially on the tram.

I highly recommend you watch Brat you won't be disappointed. A true Russian cult classic that is different from the usual western movies.

This Russian film about a young hitman in St. Petersburg could just as easily have been set in London or New York; killing for profit's the same everywhere, isn't it, and yet Aleksey Balabanov's terrific thriller "Brother" seems peculiarly Russian. You wouldn't really find these characters in London or New York and what happens here wouldn't necessarily happen there, at least not in this fashion.

Danila, (Sergey Bodrov, excellent) is a young ex-soldier who gets into trouble at home so his mother packs him off to live with his older, well-off brother in St. Petersburg. The thing is, however, big brother is a hitman and very soon Danila is, too. The thrills Balabanov serves up aren't the ones you expect. This is a character study like Melville's "Le Samourai" but our young anti-hero is a rank amateur compared with Delon, although he does know his way around a gun. Danilo thinks he's a big shot but he's just another young boy with a passion for rock music, (the film has a terrific score). Even the ending isn't the conventional one. See this.

This movie a well as like almost any movie of this editor brings only negative messages to people. Nothing good in such kind of art, when you are watching just stupid film you didn't loose anything except your time and maybe small part or your taste(for most idiotic examples), but this one just cant keep any good person calm cause its full of evil and pure pointless inhumanity.

Its an anthem for worst part of 90s in Russia, but without any positive message, just like propaganda of moral degradation and violence as the way of life.

So i just cant recommend it for anyone except for professional critics and psychology fans.

One thing that some other reviewers failed to comment on is the way that you discover just who Danila is - he covers-up the fact that he saw action in Chechnya and always says he served far from combat. This story is really about the Russian crime situation LESS than about an entire generation of people who served in Afghanistan and Chechnya ('94-'96 and '99-present). This movie will be misunderstood by many Westerners (I am Russian myself) because it does not fit the traditional Hollywood screenplay style - and its characters do not behave themselves like most Hollywood characters would in a crime drama. There is a very Slavic quality in this film that I am VERY happy to see preserved and NOT Westernized. (You must see Brat2 to learn more about Brat.)

Brat(1997) and Brat 2 (2000) are two smoking hot Russian neo-noir crime film coming straight from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Unlike their American Counterparts with lot of glamour and spice, these two stay in the streets with the most realism you can find showing real street thugs and fights.

Calling it a mafia movie may not do these justice and shift the focus of the viewers completely from its realistic approach to show a normal person entering into the world of Crime.

The Search for 'Nautilus' s Wings' is strong and so is the blood for revenge. The movies don't show direct big action sequences or killings and cut right before them or change the camera angle, allowing for the viewer to interprete on their own, but not completely as it stratergically crafts the scene up to show most while showing minimum.

The Handling of Guns and their modification just before a hit are satisfying in a new scense, it is not like tuco making his custom revolver in 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", you get to see making of bullets, shotgun shells, bombs, sawed of rifles etc.

The second part like most other films is not an downgrade but in many sense an Upgrade, which gives you the feeling of' Coming to America' Russian Style.

The portrayal of Russians are also human, not like the americans showing a big man fighting bear while Drinking Vodka bare handed, Or an Mafia Manic with Ak-47 and shotgun, shooting everybody up in his path. Showing a Hitman movie like it should be Shown, with mlre tension and planning and not 'boom bam-over'. These along with Brothers(2000) by Takeshi Kitano, show us how an good crime movie set in America away from their Native land should be made while keeping their regional Essense.

Or LITTLE ODESSA meets PUSHER, if you mix up the topic and the style. That's the first time I watch a genuine Russian crime movie, film noir, and so well done. I won't add much to the other comments anyway better than mine. I like this film, so surprising too and with a terrific story telling.

Post-Soviet Russia's rough crime drama. I certainly don't know the St. Petersburg, it digs into a poor society's underbelly trying to find its feet. With a very black sense of humor, dark and grim. The late Sergei Bodrov Jr. with a strong support cast around him is great in the lead. You see, you know... Apart from Eisenstein and Tarkovsky, there is Russian cinema. One more thing... If it had been done in any other country, it would have been restored by the Americans as a dumb, violent man.

I got fooled by the extremely high rating this movie got on here. Well fooled is a big word because Brat (or Brother for the English title) isn't a bad movie but it's also not a gem. To me it's just overrated. Maybe if I was Russian I would think differently, but I'm not, I'm Belgian. The story isn't bad, but it's not incredible either. It's just entertaining enough to never get bored. The acting skills from Sergey Bodrov playing the main character are certainly not bad, it's one of the positive things about Brat. Would I watch it again in the future? Probably not as there are way too much better movies that I didn't watch yet, but for a Russian movie it's rather good.

This is a great Russian movie, made in a post-soviet Russia, which is looking for a new identity. It is new style Russian cinema, cheaply made due to lack of money, but therefore it has a very genuine feel of it. The story of Daniil that becomes more and more violent than his - already gruesome - brother, is very compelling and horrible at the same time. If you want to begin with a modern Russian movie, rent this one, it has that 'old ultra-violence' thing. It will definitely blow off your socks.

You come home from the chechen wars as a vet, the USSR fell apart, your family is dysfunctional to say the least.. what do?

Well, you just kill people. Bad people. On behalf of other bad people. Just normal hitman business.

The plot is simple and so is the script. But it flows well very well and engages you till the end credits. This movie takes place in the post USSR free for all everybody is a mobster trying to make money and get control environment. In typical russian fashion there is no over the top dialogue, soapy drama or needless effects. Things happen, they tell you why they happen and do so in realistic ways. No spinning flying kicks, 600 feet fly pack after a punch, jumping off a building blazing dual machine guns hitting everything on your way landing in a hoovering inverted helicopter. None of that. Just a young conscript back from chechnya getting money and women. Russian style.

So simple it is refreshing!

I have one gripe however. That one scene when that one person dies (not a spoiler, movie tells you they will die).... HOW? I wanted to know so bad how he pulled that off! They never showed it and it is because it could not have happened the way they wanted you to think it did. Yes we get it, the dude is good at killing people... but no that scene, no. Not possible. It ruined the authenticity a bit to me.

Dunno about great, but it's definitely a DIFFERENT Russian movie. A demobilized conscript turned hitman on the backdrop of new capitalist Russia and the music "progressive-rock" group Nautilus Pompilius. Product of the war in Chechnya Danila Bogrov is a young man who knows how to kill and practically nothing else, his relations with people he does not have to kill are the most difficult ones for him. There is a lot of violence but it happens either outside the screen or almost outside, here Brat reminds me of Fireworks by Takeshi Kitano. Good Stanislavsky school of acting so visible in old Soveit movies in this one does not exist (save maybe Kuznetsov) but camerawork is rather impressive. I'm not sure I like this movie but definitely it does not suck.

Anyone who has seen Balabanov's eerie OF FREAKS AND MEN may be shocked by this very straightforward thriller about a young army deserter who becomes an efficient killer. Its tale of betrayal is reminiscent of ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, and Danila is also very much like The Man With No Name, a motiveless stranger pitting two enemies against each other until they are wiped out. The opening sequence (sparse forest, castle, robed woman, intimations of S&M) suggest Gothic,as does a certain burial sequence, but, try as we might, we cannot get away from the sheer amoral banality: a gloriously unneurotic hero, a sweet boy who does everything people of his age should (loitering, discman, drugs, concerts, parties etc.) and just happens to be handy with a gun (he is also the only worker in this former worker's paradise).

I just watched this movie and it left me speechless.......How in the world this move ever got made? If you know ANYTHING about movie making you'll be stunned....It breaks every single rule there is, and not in the good "Pulp Fiction" way , mind you. I don't get all peeps from Russia who says something about mysterious Russian soul, that only Russian will understand....well, this is nothing more than a BS. I'm Russian myself, well I was born there at least, and let me tell you that there are nothing mysterious about this.....Well, let me get to the point: First of all, the Idiotic Alternative Rock Band Motive p***ed me off....The film opens with a shot of music video for IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE BAND, fast forward, in the first 30 min. the main hero goes to pawn shop looking for IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE Band's CD three times, fast forward, the main hero gets shot, scores with butt-ugly girl, gets a phone call from his brother pleading for help, turns him down and instead goes to see IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE BAND, fast forward, the main hero is on the killing spree, but!!!! all of the sudden, he feels the urge to leave everything behind and just wander upstairs to see......gasp.....the lead singer of IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE BAND....., fast forward, the main hero is heart broken, he comes to see butt-ugly girl, she turns him down, he leaves....but, not until he gives her a go away present, a CD of IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE BAND. Do you think this is all...oh, I wish...Every five minutes you're treated to one of the moronic songs from IDEOTIC ALTERNATIVE BAND. I'm not even talking about plot, sub plot, plot points..etc..... This is a MESS!!!! new characters introduced, only never to be heard of again, who is the good guy? who is the bad guy? what is this 'mess' is all about? .......Believe me, the only people who will enjoy it is Émigré with nostalgia for the old land and poor, naive Russians, who doesn't know better. If you expect to get a glimpse of much feared and tallked about Russian mob....well, it's not here . We don't call every gang banger from South Site a mobster, don't we? The real Russian Mob is much more sinister, ruthless and uncompromised....Trust me, I know from personal experience.....Watch this movie, but keep in mind that this is as real as the world in 'The Matrix'. I gave it 5 out of 10, but only for the photography of beautiful Saint Petersburg.