Spiker & Cobakka are two self-confessed 'pieces of Moscow scum' who come to London to rip it off. This is their guide.
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Title: Bigga Than Ben (2008)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Ben Barnes | ... | Cobakka | |
 |
Andrey Chadov | ... | Spiker |
| Ovidiu Matesan | ... | Artash | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Terence Anderson | ... | Sad Jamaican | |
| Andrew Byron | ... | Sergei | |
|
|
Mary-Ann Cafferkey | ... | Cashback Tesco Girl |
|
|
Cecilia Colby | ... | Beautiful Aussie Girl |
| Naomi Cooper-Davis | ... | Aussie Girl | |
| Amy De Bhrún | ... | Bookshop Girl | |
|
|
Mervyn Etienne | ... | Tube worker |
|
|
Oliver Houston | ... | Russian Gangster |
|
|
Dado Jehan | ... | Dodgy phone dealer |
|
|
Alex Lawler | ... | Phone salesman |
|
|
Rad Lazar | ... | Raoul the bookseller |
|
|
Tunde Makinde | ... | Nigerian Bank Clerk |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Bigga Than Ben is a crime-fuelled tale of two likeable but wayward Russian "pieces of Moscow scum" who arrive in London intent on bettering themselves and amassing an easy fortune. But it's not long before Spiker (Andrei Chadov) and Cobakka (Ben Barnes) realise that, legally, they aren't going to get very far. So, aided by the dodgy Artash (Ovidiu Matesan) and sidekick Spartak (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin), they learn to shoplift from supermarkets, rip off banks, joyride on the tube and turn mobile phones into crack. . Finding themselves drawn into a shadowy underworld of backstreet drug deals, chav nightclubs, refugees and nymphomaniacs, life begins to turn sour. The highs begin to fade. Spiker badly misses his girlfriend back in Moscow, and seeks consolation in drugs. When he slips into serious addiction and Artash double-crosses them, Cobakka finds himself forced into making some life-changing decisions Written by sh/gd
Taglines:
Beat the system, before it beats youGenres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 October 2008 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Bigga Than Ben See more »Filming Locations:
London, England, UKEdit
Box Office
Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$508,673Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Frequently Asked Questions
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I first heard about "Bigga than Ben: A Russian's Guide to Ripping off London" in the The St. Petersburg Times while living in Russia two years ago. The movie is based on a book of the same title (now out of print and impossible to find) by Sergei Sakin and Pavel Tetesky. The book was somewhat of a cult hit, and was criticized in England for encouraging people to defraud the system and telling them exactly how to do it. Sakin and Tetesky fell apart after the book was published and seem to disagree over who even wrote some of it, but it was definitely co-authored.
Leaving Russia, Cobaka and Spikker are amazed by the material wealth of England, but also daunted by the task of establishing themselves in London. We follow them through their various misadventures, some of which are hilarious. The story never builds to a big climax, but I think that would have been unrealistic. The film stays true to its roots and its gritty low-budget look fits the story well. The only thing I found wanting was information about their scams and how they pulled them off - for instance the book supposedly contains a lot of calling card scams that weren't really in the movie.
This movie is cheap, short, funny, and good. Its a great film for any English-speakers who also speak Russian or are interested in Russia. And above all, Andrei Chadov (if you haven't see ZHIVOY, run, don't walk, to your video store and get it) and Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian), both put in awesome performances. They have a great chemistry and I can't imagine better casting for these roles - they also look a lot like the real-life duo, who are shown in a photo during the end credits. I'm hoping for Bigga than Ben 2!