Slovo patsana. Krov na asfalte

If you are a fan of Breaking Bad, this series might be a must-watch for you. A young boy from a low-income family, being bullied in school, decides to join a neighborhood gang, looking for protection and to assert himself on the streets. From a homeboy, Andrey transforms into a gang fighter who goes head to head with anyone standing in the way. Through surprising small and bigs wins, Andrey evolves as a person, somewhat resembling Walter White's path. A string of violent events between competing gangs results in senseless deaths and makes the violence spiral. Tragedies unfolding in each episode change the main characters radically. Despite the dark and sometimes distressing outcomes, the authors managed to maintain a perspective similar to West Side Story, making the price of the right and wrong choices clear.

A realistic depiction of what was happening in Russia in the 80s and 90s. If you know people who lived there during that time, they will basically tell you the same thing. Good actors must also be familiar with the street life to better understand the series. Characters of interest essentially show how everyone looks out for their own interests within every part of society and how everyone reveals their true selves in difficult situations they face. The same music repeats at various points throughout the episodes. At first, it seems tedious, but watching the series as a whole, it feels fitting. I could say it's akin to the lives of the heroes, where every day repeats like a cycle that keeps narrowing until each hero's catharsis arrives.

The series covers the so called "The Kazan phenomenon" of the teenager gangs of Tatarstan of 1970s-2020s. I moved to Kazan in the 90s when the "Asphalt wars" period had already been over, but I know many things about it anyway as I still live here and I can confirm the screenplay is very accurate in details. It's also incredibly well shot and played. I would only add that among the characters pictured there are too many ethnic Russians. The real gangs were of mixed ethnic origin of course, but the majority of members, especially the leaders, were Tatars. I highly recommend watching it for everyone and not just for those who want to learn more about the late Soviet Union and why it broke up.

This series is great in everything, entertaining and all but i need for them to add subtitles in english atleast because its hard for me to understand, im from Czechia and im learning russian but it would help me improve if they would add the subtitles and for lot of people too because theres a lot of people from other countried that want to watch it and understand it, all my friends that dont speak it tried to undestand it but they cant because its too hard for them, i understand that and all. (i know its hard to translate russian to english because of the slang but its should be done somehow)

"Patsan's Word" is the best Russian TV series of recent years, maybe even decades. Since Brigada, there has been nothing like it, which would have fascinated all people, of all ages and all social groups. It's a big mass flashback that the whole country is immersed in. A massive sense of deja vu.

Ripped dynamic editing, talented actors, lovingly reproduced entourage and atmosphere of those years. The soundtrack that creates a sense of existential and magical atmosphere of what is happening on the background of realistic and truthful cruelty.

The Kazan phenomenon was not in Kazan alone, it was on different scales all over the country. It was a difficult time, a time of broken eras and systems. The Soviet Union was rotting and coming to an end, no one believed in the official ideology anymore, and no one could offer anything new. The guys lived as best they could, and in the absence of structures and hierarchies they created their own. These structures became groups.

Well done, Zhora Kryzhovnikov. A round of applause. This is his magnum opus.

You want to understand something about current Russia? Watch this show. It's the origins, it's part of history, you can't erase it, you can only accept it.