Blind Man's Bluff (2005)

This movie is about the stern gangster customs of one of the Russian provincial cities in the mid-90s . And you could expect either a stupid game of blind man's buffets or a truly bloody showdown with the stacks of "bluffers".

Director:

Aleksey Balabanov

Writers:

Stas Mokhnachev, Aleksey Balabanov

Stars:

Aleksey Panin, Dmitriy Dyuzhev, Nikita Mikhalkov

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aleksey Panin	...	Sergey
Dmitriy Dyuzhev	...	Simon
Nikita Mikhalkov	...	Sergey Mikhaylovich
Sergey Makovetskiy	...	Koron
Anatoliy Zhuravlyov	...	Bala
Grigoriy Siyatvinda	...	Eggplant
Viktor Sukhorukov	...	Stepan
Aleksey Serebryakov	...	Doctor
Garik Sukachyov	...	Brain
Andrey Panin	...	Architect
Kirill Pirogov	...	Executioner
Yuriy Stepanov	...	Boar
Renata Litvinova	...	Waitress, Secretary
Zhanna Bolotova	...	Teacher
Tatyana Dogileva	...	Secretary

Storyline

Blindfolds - an old Russian game: leading, blindfolded, catches the rest of the players. Nizhny Novgorod. Two small bandits Serega and Simon worked for a big criminal Sergei Mikhailovich. But this time they failed the mission: he ordered to bring a chemist who claimed that he made a new portion of white powder, and Serega and Simon staged a real carnage in the laboratory, leaving there dead bodies - a chemist and a couple of his guards. Sergei Mikhailovich was very angry, but limited himself to oral suggestion, after which he gave the guys another assignment: to go to the law firm and exchange a suitcase with money for a suitcase with heroin. But even here Serega and Simon were unlucky: the exchange took place, only at the exit from the office they were met by Koron, Bala and Eggplant - three bandits hired by the senior police lieutenant Stepan, a "werewolf in uniform", dreaming to throw Sergei Mikhailovich on big dough.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | gunfight | russian roulette | black comedy | russian mafia | 

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Taglines:

For those who survived the 90s

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Early version of the script contains 18 dead bodies.

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Goofs

The many continuity lapses and other apparent technical errors are a matter of deliberate stylistic choice in this pastiche of 1990s Russian-Mafia movies.

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Quotes

[music is playing too loud, so the Neighbour starts banging on the door. Simon opens the door]
Neighbour: Listen to me, you asshole, if you don't turn off you damn music, I'll kill you myself!
[Simon pulls out a gun]
Neighbour: Hey, look, man, chill! Don't do it!
[Simon pushes the Neighbour into a small store-room and shoots him four times. A moment later Sergei watches him returning]
Sergei: Who was that at the door?
Simon: Ah, nobody.

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Connections

Spoofs Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Reviews

"Blind Man's Bluff" is not an appropriate title

This movie is not a fictitious brainwash like "Reservoir Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction" (personally got nothing against both these entertaining titles but they are made for fun) - it's more like a history lesson, more like "Tora! Tora! Tora!". It would be so funny, if it were not so tragic. It is one of a very few modern Russian films, which deserve respect and consideration. Don't let the bloody scenes distract your attention from the essential ideas. "Nightmare, bloody festival, ridiculous mess-up..."? No way. It's our reality. Get a load, if you can carry.

A little boy's visit to the morgue and his father's words at the very beginning of the movie are priceless.

9 out of 10 easily (minus 1 point, because it's a very "national" experience, which, foreigners will not be able to grasp and evaluate properly). Thank you for attention.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Russia]

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian English

Release Date:

2 June 2005 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Blind Man's Bluff

Filming Locations:

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,180,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTB Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1