videoflk

The charming and flamboyant reporter of a famous moscow based music magazine, named Guriev, enjoys the fast life. Married unhappily to a mobsters daughter, he takes way to many chances, by not letting opportunities (women) pass by. Now an old friend of Guriev is stepping into this scene, with some "new" ideas. This young and charismatic friend, a new breed of russian businessman, that no longer needs the mob to be successful. A man that actually believes in civil conduct, not only for his own profit, but also in establishing honest dealings. He wants to change the dreadfull reality with a burning passion. So Guriev is drawn right into the middle of an unfolding conflict. Torn by loyalties, he's desperatly trying to stay out of the firing line. Some dear friends of him getting killed, forcing him to make the right choice. (I do not speak or understand russian, but I found this movie refreshingly different from any movie that hollywood produces. I second the first comment made on this film. I run a Videostore in canada, with an increasing russian title collection. For the last 2 years I bypass our main distributers, who are very reluctant to carry (even the best) russian movies.

Yes, there are canadian fans of russian movies. Only a few of my customers are of russian origns. I'm slowly turning a profit on those russian movies (No other Video Store, except maybe some russian ones in the city of Toronto, carries them.). I hoped to see more of Oksana Akinshina in this movie, but She only played a minor part in it. I'm a big fan of Her. Anyway I still rate this movie 7/10 !

A miniseries I watched on eastgerman TV, just before I moved to canada. This movie does not deserve to be forgotten ! It has so much to say about human preserverance under the most adverse conditions. The messages of the movie are universal, if you can look beyond some of the old GDR propaganda scenes, that seem to be inserted by the wish of some upper echolon party officials. Other than that, this movie was a very entertaining thrillride. The producers painstakingly reconstructed the period, and some of the old german language being used (latin expressions of the upper classes). It felt like reading a historybook, where the reader is taken to the live events.

I watched this movie in west germany, where I was able to get east german TV. I was not only impressed about the accurate details of this film noir, but also about the very suspensefull story.

This movie accomplished a high degree of realism, in sometimes gritty fashion. There is no sugar coating, like in most hollywood productions about this topic, nor any gross overdramatisations. A movie that has to be seen , to be believed.

I hope there will be a time, where the viewers will get fed up with the constant "fantasy - run of the mill" material, and view movies that portrait more historic realism. Like this movie truly does. This movie proofs, that they can be also highly entertaining: Great battle scenes with awesome fotography.