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:

Alexei Panin, Dmitriy Dyuzhev, Nikita Mikhalkov

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alexei Panin	...	Sergey (as Aleksey Panin)
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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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

Opening Weekend:

$1,367,416 (Russia), 5 June 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTB Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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

References The Terminator (1984)

User Reviews

Very solid movie

"Zhmurki" is definitely one of the best movies made by Russian film industry in modern time. No doubt about it. All actors are picked up perfectly, many famous and good people amongst them who do their work outstanding. The director's work is very good in my opinion. Music is fitting the setting. The plot is simple and funny, which makes it even better. There are really few movies out there of the same genre and with the same kind of quality. This movie really shows how Russian society developed through 90s. This is reality. This is how many politicians, oil barons, big mob people grew in Russia. I'm very certain that 90% of all rich/significant people in todays Russia developed their power/fame/money gained it by similar methods as those guys. And by the way, this movie is about REAL gangsters! It doesn't show actually any deep meaning or point or message, but it shows criminal world in a way better style than most western movies do. Besides many western movies about so called crime are made by and are about "wannabies", not real gangsters. Only a certain circle of people in western part of the world can even know what "real" criminal world is, its not like that in Russia. Many people face serious crime in Russia every day. And lots of Russians will understand me. Anyway, I strongly recommend this movie for both Russian and international audience, very decent and solid movie.