Brigada

This is truly the greatest modern film about mafia! It is so realistic! Anybody who lived in Russia in the 1990s will tell you that this movie brilliantly reflects the social reality of that time period. At the same time the movie has an exciting and gripping plot that literally glues you to the television in a way few movies ever do. You are literally sitting at the edge of of your seat throughout the entire film. Personally, I think this movie is even better than the Godfather series.

All the negative comments speak about how this movie is "immoral" and give that as THE reason for giving the movie a low score. But this is simply not true! Yes, the protagonists of the movie are mafiosos. But they are no more romanticized then the protagonists of Godfather were. No one gives the Godfather series a low rating just on those grounds? I think it's just that because this movie was so popular in Russia and a lot of kids/teenagers watched it and started fantasizing about becoming mafia gangsters. And some parents got very upset about it. That is the only reason for giving a lower rating to this movie! Those parents just needed to keep the children away from the TV. This movie is not for kids anyway.

The movie is extremely realistic of what happened in Russia in 1989 - 2000 - actually it just shows the top of the iceberg, but it shows enough to imagine what is beneath. "Brigada" is a great story about 4 friends that remains friends in spite of all that happened. May be you can named it the Russian 'Godfather' movie. It is exactly so great. Actors are great performers. Sounds are great. Surroundings and details till the time span shown - 11 years - are true and absolutely realistic. I couldn't find any weak point in all movie. There is a lot of persons in the movie with their own destiny shown but not in a helter-skelter way or heaviness - rather you can feel with all your being the atmosphere in Russia in these years of changes and the Russian's feelings and spirit.

And in the end - the movie is so well done that on many occasions you just wonder - to cry or to laugh. It is for sure one of the best movies I saw in the last years.

Although another member of IMDb commented on how the English subtitles in this movie were poorly done (which I agree with) the movie in its essence was brilliant. I was born in Russia and speak the language fluently which has to be the reason I understood and enjoyed the movie so much. Despite all that, I've had many non-Russian speaking friends who understood the concept and meaning of the movie fully. Sidorov captured the lifestyle of the Russian mafia very accurately. The movie spans the life of 4 friends over a period of 10 years, going from innocent young men who wanted to be tough guys to being big time crime leaders after being left with no choice of other lifestyles. The best part about everything was how Sidorov showed his audience the changing mentalities in the 4 characters before and after the Soviet Union broke up. He made it very clear that many crime bosses came into power and became politicians and people who influence Russia with an iron fist. The movie also shows a lot of dedication. After watching the special features DVD and looking at all the behind the scenes footage, I realized the actors poured their hearts and souls into portraying these 4 characters properly. For one, they spent 2 years of their lives (while production was running), having their friends and family call them by their character names. Some of the actors (like Sergei Bezrukov) had to adjust their acting style. He went from being Russia's Golden Boy who played innocent boyish roles to proving to the Russian community that he has a wide range in his acting skills. I give this movie my full 5 stars and recommend it to everyone.

Hi everyone, My brother has been telling me about Brigada movie for months. I was able to find it ate the library and I finally watched it. Let me tell you, I was so hooked, I hardly did anything around the house. What a fantastic work. ABSOLUTELY should be shown in America. I am surprised it didn't get any foreign film award.I agree, the subtitles weren't that great. Some expressions came out wrong based on cultural differences and word meanings and if they fix all that, they should show this on the American screens. The actors are fantastic. You can feel that they put their hearts and souls in the roles. I loved Sasha, especially I loved Phil. He is my favorite, oh... I don't know, I loved them all. Wonderful, wonderful!!!

How much do you know, have seen or have heard about life in Russia in the 90's? I guess if you aren't Russian, don't pretend to be a smartass... you know nothing.

Brigade describes the last decade of the 20th century Moscow with incredible exactness: difficult life of the "mortals", rise of the oligarchs, power of corruption and lack of moral principles. All political events are absolutely accurate and should be revealing to any person who didn't experience "perestroika".

But apart from that it is a story about endless friendship, about four simple boys building the most powerful organizations in the world's biggest country. This movie is filled with personalities, complicated relationships and describes perfectly the indirect meaning of the word "brat" (brother) in Russia.

Great action scenes and fantastic actors! One of the greatest movies ever!