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The first and maybe best film from Buslov caught a zeitgeist, became a mega-hit and birthed one of the most popular ringtones in Russia.

This is a classic fatalistic gangster movie about small-time Russian criminals from the nineties who accidentally kill an undercover cop and go into hiding on a stolen black BMW.

This film caught the dusk of the nineties, of the gangster anarchy.

The film's protagonists live by the rules of the nineties, but the rules, the world around them begin to change (part of the change is police and intelligence becoming the dominant "gangs"). The heroes are dinosaurs of the era that is ending but they are not conscious of it.

The whole film can be viewed as a story of new world and new rules marginalizing and destroying the protagonists.

The first half of the film is stronger then the second in my opinion, but all in all this film was made exceptional by unusually natural performances and authentic dialogue compared to other Russian crime movies.

The Bummer (also known as Bimmer), is an early 2000s Russian take on the venerable "Reservoir Dogs" movie genre of the early 90s. However, the Bummer is very distinct and very original. I'd say that there is a lot more soul in this movie than in Tarantino's gangster flick. In fact, this movie probably had matched, if not surpassed, the Dogs in several respects and it had probably set a new benchmark for those who are aware of the existence of the modern Russian cinema. Both movies depicted stylized violence simply for the sake of violence. However, in the Russian case, it's not all made up. It's their everyday life. The acting of the Bummer gang was terrific. This movie depicts very realistically Russia's Putin-era criminal nihilism, which is less glorious than in the Yeltsin era but still very interesting for an outside eye, the corrupt cops, and the decaying provincial infrastructure. Unfortunately, I doubt that the English language subtitles can do justice to the slang terms used in this movie (I watched the Russian language version without subtitles).

It's just a classical story from Russia, with love!

Among the host of modern time Russian-made "gangster" movies (think Brat/Brother, Brigada, Antikiller, Zhmurki, etc.) this is by far the most realistic one.

Brigada was very much a fiction movie, and so were both parts of Brother. Antikiller was middle of the road, and Zhmurki was just a parody on them all.

One of the previous reviewers wrote that Bumer shows the life in today's Russia. This is not true. Bumer shows life as it was in the early to mid- 1990's (and that was, in fact, the film makers' stated intent).

The "bratki" (gangsters), the "razborki" (inter-gang negotiations), the language, the extortions, the crooked cops, the truck drivers, the roads, the godforsaken village, the robbery - all are very realistic.

The only downside of the film, to my taste, was a bit too many moralizing scenes. But I still rate it as 10 out of 10.

Bimmer's the Russian term for the BMW, and with such a title, the vehicle has to be a plot device in the movie.

The film begins with the stealing of a BMW 7-series by a gang of four petty thieves. Given that it's such a wonderful car, they decide to keep it for themselves instead of selling it off. But before the film reaches cruising speed, a confrontation with another gang goes wrong, and our quartet is on the run from both the cops and from the mob.

So they're off on a road trip in their ill gotten BMW, and scene after scene, we're treated to set pieces, like encounters with a gang of truckers, corrupt cops and a doctor in a small town. Some of these scenes are hilarious, watching our quartet outsmarting and wriggling their way out of situations, while others are sometimes plain boring. So it's rather uneven.

Despite the title being a car model, there is absolutely no car chases in this film, which is a pity, otherwise we could have seen the 7-series being put to good use. However, what's refreshing is the scenery. I haven't seen much of Moscow or Russia, and this film offered an opportunity to do so.

It also attempts to explore the relationships between the friends, to see if there is indeed honour amongst thieves at a time when it really would have counted. The ending is kinda unexpected, but all the more makes you wonder about the this theme.

With an excellent soundtrack each time the Bimmer is driven, you'll forgive this show for some of its shortfalls.

This film is part of the new generation of Eastern European gangster films. In the vein of "Pusher", and "Brother", the director leads you through the gritty and chaotic world of the Russian mafia. The characters are original and memorable, and the cast does an excellent job.

The story revolves around four close-knit gang members and their stolen Beemer (the title of the film is the Russian-language equivalent of the word "Beemer", or BMW). The four have to leave Moscow for a while and lay low, and so ride the beemer out of town. These black-leather wearing slick New Russian boys contrast heavily with the provincial Russians whom they encounter along the way. The polarization of Russian society is clearly visible, and the film I think makes this one of its central themes.

Overall, I rate this film highly.

Very great movie which in my opinion showed really good Russian life of Russian bandits/mafia and the life outside Moscow and ST.Peterspurg. {i am azerbaijani lived in russia for 11 years btw}. Its one of the few movies which are been made in this days, where u actually start understand every character and their friendship and how their relationship are important to each other. For example: how everyone became supportive towards injured Dimon and how same Dimon felt sorry when everyone was killed. Kostya aka "Kot" was a leader and it was obvious towards us without even making it clear to us because it was real obvious how in one way everyone was reliable towards him. The only question which probably left after movie is what were bandits were doing really, in other words what kind of bandits their were. But on other way it wasnt really important what their were doing as lifetime in movie as it was really necessary in storyline. Overall Rank: 8/10

This film is quite good and more similar to European action movies amongst other Russian movies. But it still has all these elements I dislike in Russian movies: always they are drinking vodka; a lot of swearing and screaming; women are not treated like human beings, but more like just sex objects. But story is quite good, it isn't predictable as Hollywood movies are, there were no heroes, no presidents shaking hands and no other Hollywood patriotic stuff and happy endings. It all makes this film kinda special and enjoyable. It's a bit silly that this 7. series BMW has such a vital part( we can see that car in a movie almost as much as KITT in Knight Rider series) in movie scenes, but maybe that's so that BMW has such a reputation in Russia that it's a mobsters car. But after all, quite good movie.

I grew up in a different time and films were different too,more of traditional CCCR staff with occasional masterpiece by Tarkovskij)This film I've watched already living in Canada and it have resonated deeply in me,as I was still in Russia in the crazy 90-s...and i've seen in real life,what most people see only in movies)That's why Bumer is so amazing:it shows life exactly how it was there and then...Actors doesn't feel like actors,more like some of my then dead now friends...so many emotions...so long ago...so sad...

Bumer is frequently hailed as perhaps one of the best Russian movies in decades. This might be a capsule evaluation of dubious tendencies in the entire Russian cinema. Once this is the best ever, then which could have been the worst?

Four young culprits of distinctively felonious appearance expropriate a luxury BMW car (of the title that stands for the slangy reference to this Bavarian vehicle, Russian version of Bimmer) and flee to nowhere with no particular aim in view.

Sometimes it looks like Russia splits into two different never overlapping worlds. A regular person, not necessarily representing upper strata of society, from one ("normal") world may, luckily, never stumble across the harsh realities constantly experienced by the persons from the other ("warped") world.

And somehow cinema (most of the contemporary Russian movies in particular) may reflect such explicit division.

It might be either a glossy showcase of heroic typecast of characters or, otherwise a depiction of stereotypic brutal crooks (or minor variations) stewing in their own juice. The golden mean is regretfully rarely seen in our cinema nowadays.

Some may say Bumer is unbelievably sincere and truthful, to the bones, in portrayal of horrors of our everyday life (or the wrong side of life).

Violent robberies and rampant extortion elsewhere on the roads, corrupt law enforcement system, brutal shootouts and bloodshed between the gangs, lost generation - is this all real and does this exist? Undeniably - yes.

Oh, did I forget terrible motorways impassable to that overpraised miracle of German engineering?

But if the sole target of the producers of the film is the desire to persuade us that such horrible world with not a single positive hero in the vicinity really exists and, moreover, THIS IS OUR REALITY - well this isn't something that needs any more proofs. We've seen this all before and we are all well aware that life is full of crap.

The direction is unexceptional and uneven at times. So is the yarn - an overlong and a kind of leisurely road trip with incidental clashes of our intrepid quartet against their colleagues in the other side of the law, or with angry truck drivers, or with militia. It has an overdose of flashbacks and ridiculous sprinkles of casual romantic liaisons.

The dialog is mostly unconvincing and preposterous blend of rather tame foul language and pseudo-criminal folklore.

Acting of the leads is decent at best, but I wonder who might be caring about the motives of the four half-witted laddies desperately floundering atop of the big bunch of muck they have devised for their own amusement: - just to keep themselves absorbed in shoveling their way through this mess to find the fate they actually deserve.

And if anyone may, however, feel attracted to the trivial speculations on the issues of loyalty and betrayal (among that specific layer of the society) allegedly offered by the film - my humble opinion might easily be disregarded.

First of all, I hate Brigada, in my opinion it's cheap and very false, it rather glorifies Russian gangs than does something else. Despite many somehow say Brigada and this film are similar, they are not. I love Bumer, and I hate Brigada or Brat.

Bumer is apolitical, very sincere and honest movie about people. It doesn't try to dully moralize or glorify or rise patriotism, and instead honestly shows flaws hinting there is something very wrong with society (which is a VERY rare thing in modern Russian movie-land). The film does teach, it shows inevitability of bad effects of bad actions but with style and subtlety. Actors play is another area where this movie shines, it just couldn't be better. Bumer is masterfully shot, the camera work is fantastic, beautiful panoramas and scenes, it looks stylish and not arty-crafty at the same time.

The work of art.

Well, let me be clear. Boring. Unfortunately, it didn't grab me. I don't know. I love crime fiction and I thought the Russian setting would give it a really good atmosphere and it did, but I was bored at times and I'm not really into the finale. It had its good moments, but like I said, unfortunately I was bored and somehow it didn't grab me. Maybe it would do me good to watch it again years from now and maybe I would change my mind. At the moment, I saw it for the first time and didn't really appreciate it. Super atmospheric Russia. Cool village setting. Good vibe. The storyline didn't really grab me though. The fighters run away from the problems and that's kind of the main thrust I guess. When they're not driving and there's some conversations or something, I wasn't really into it unfortunately. For me an average crime movie.

I have seen this movie few years ago and i'm still impressed with it.It has everything:action,drama,reality and etc.The main idea of the film isn't outstanding."Bumer" is about wars between Russian gangsters.But the idea is not the wars.It's the ability to remain alive in such cruel reality.Such things like friendship,respect remain in the "gang".I could say that this movie is better than a lot of "hollywood made films " in this category. In conclusion i suggest to watch this movie.It's very revealing.As i know there is the second part of "Bumer" released.Some say it's better than the first one.I think that the sequel can't be better than the original.

Set on the outsets of the Russian financial crisis, the movie follows 4 friends trying to navigate and survive the Russian lawlessness of the early 2000s. The characters' personalities, intonations, the Russian rawness and the general atmosphere of despair and hopelessness is well executed. The acting is good and the story has many twists and turns with the narrative generally told in a linear fashion. If you want to understand what had to be done in that country at that time to not be marginalized, then check out this movie.

This gangster road-movie perfectly reflects post-Soviet Russian society in different levels. Good cast and cool soundtrack exactly fits in atmosphere of criminal and "wild" nineties portrayed in movie.

an empty movie with neither a good plot, nor action. haven't heard much good music either. a few minutes with fancy cars, but no impressive driving. a film about four russian 'mafia' guys without beginning and ending and it is impossible to write comments on literally nothing.

2/10 for some nice shots of winter. not worth watching

(Review from 2003 reposted to lost login details)

don't even bother, it's a waste of time. an empty movie with neither a good plot, nor action. haven't heard much good music either. a few minutes with fancy cars, but no impressive driving. a film about four Russian 'mafia' guys without beginning and the end, and it is impossible to write comments on literally nothing.

2/10 for some nice shots of winter. not worth watching. If you want to indulge into Russian cinematography better spend some time watching series like "Master and Margarita", "Liquidation", "Zhurov", "Kameskaya" or plethora of perfect movies.

Debut movie from Piotr Buslov, yesterday's student and now acclaimed as "Russian Tarantino". The film is mystic criminal drama but also totally awesome portrait of modern Russia. Heroes is four men, a bunch of outlaws, try to escape from Moscow to a little out-of-the-way place. They kill one rude boy from another gang (actually he is an under cover cop) and want to hide from manhunt. They car, BMW 750 that they stole from foreign businessman have a bad karma and problems get started. This is the story of retribution and men's friendship with outstanding actor's plaing, great casting and original gangsters slang. Many Russian people does not understand some phrases of heroes at all. The director's cameo in the middle of the film is true genius: he is very decisive as racketeer's boss in scene on a gas station. Forget all another post-soviet Russian gangster-flicks, this is the one that you waiting for. As a parallel just imagine "Reservoir Dogs" meets "Easy Rider".

Not a lot happening plot-wise. There's obviously a historical vibe from the post-USSR setting; not much else here.

It is unusual that a first time director knocks it out of the park for their first feature film, especially below the age of 30 and fresh out of film school, but Buslov did it with "Boomer" (that is the correct way to pronounce it, not Bummer or Bimmer).

The story is pretty strong, it has substance and body unlike many other crime films. There is no attempt at comedy here, no desire to laugh at the expense of victims or the bad guys, nor is there action just for the sake of action. Boomer reaches into the criminal dilemma, as said by one of the criminals in rebuke to a woman who accuses him of being a bad person: It's life that's this way. The characters are real and their journeys are credible. Their environment is also effectively put across: Russia's confused 90's landscape with the criminal world on the one side, and the "suckers", the populace on the other which is suffering from poverty and alcoholism.

The cinematography by Daniel Gurevich is excellent: sadly he was to die before the film was released, together with talented Russian actor Sergei Bodrov (Brother, Brother 2) who had also seen rough cuts of Boomer and had been supportive. The music is likewise effective, blending Russian folk themes with pop music. The cell phone ringtone ended up being such a hit that composer Sergei Shnurov ended up netting $1MM in royalties from it alone (comparable to the film's initial box office performance).

To me, this is how crime films should be done - more focus on the human condition, with action as an accompaniment, not the goal.

This is a brilliant Russian movie. Great and very realistic plot (lots of cursing, deaths), awesome music (both Ruissan hip-hop and Mahler), good actors(including the star from "Brigada". But the best thing is that this movie realistically displays modern Russia - crooked cops, gangs on every corner, a step to anarchy...

While watching the picture, nostalgia visited me, because I remember this time very well. Everything is very similar to the truth. I like the dynamics in the film. There are so many events that probably now it would be possible to shoot a whole series, but the authors managed to show everything in one picture. Now, of course, I have not experienced such strong emotions and experiences. After all, everything has its time. But I can't help but admit that everything looks plausible. Stalls, concepts, arrows, show-offs... Everything had to be answered for... Now almost no one lives according to the concepts. But, in general, the film is good and it can be recommended for viewing.

What is this movie about? Four young guys, four friends... walking away from the chase in a black BMW. The time is scary and turbulent. They didn't want to kill anyone and they weren't going to die either. But everything turned out the way it turned out ... and what did happen, see for yourself.

I wish you all good mood and happiness! Thank you for your attention))

It seems to be about the bandits, but still somewhere in the soul it aches from the memory of those years when even the "bad guys" had the concept of decency

Four friends get in huge trouble with the law and have to leave the city. Endless roads of hostile Russia in late autumn and luxurous reliable black BMW, that became home to the friends for so many days, will keep everyone safe from all dangers, through rain and snow.

Three rules for traveling in Russia: 1) Never travel in expensive cars 2) Never travel without a gun 3) NEVER STOP

Plot is shallow and without any serious twists but the soundtrack and actors make up for everything. Vdovichenkov (Kostyan "Kot") is amazing.

9/10