Bigga Than Ben (2008)

Spiker & Cobakka are two self-confessed 'pieces of Moscow scum' who come to London to rip it off. This is their guide.

Director:

S.A. Halewood (as Suzie Halewood)

Writer:

S.A. Halewood (as Suzie Halewood)

Stars:

Ben Barnes, Andrey Chadov, Ovidiu Matesan

1 win & 1 nomination.

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

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

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | 

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Taglines:

Beat the system, before it beats you

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Больше Бена

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$508,673

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bigga than Ben, Gas Station 8

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Day in a Life 2016 LP Low Res (2016)

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Soundtracks

Kontrabandy
Written and performed by Ilya Lagutenko

User Reviews

Great original genre mix

Perfect mixture of speed, fun, drama, crime, heart - it reminded me a lot of Trainspotting ( and a bit Lock Stock and two smoking barrels) but in an own, unique way. I had great fun watching it. Very original and yet very appealing/well-done. This was the movie I saw Ben Barnes for the first time and I was happy he had success and got bigger roles later (even if he was not soo convincing as Prince Kaspian/unfortunately his biggest role/the role most people know him from), he truly has potential!! The film may not be completely politically correct and may dwell on (or play with) some clichés, but it does it in such a funny, witty way that you do not mind. If you are open to something that is not the usual (boring) mainstream, give this a chance.