I repeatedly return in my mind to the great Russian film of the action film genre – “Brother” (in the original:. “Брат“), directed by Alexei Balabanov. Admittedly, the film dates from 1997, but it still occupies for me a почетное место (“honourable place” in literal translation from Russian into Polish ).
What is this film’s success based on and how can it be explained?
In this film, unlike in real life, it is the younger brother Danilo Bograv (played by Sergei Bodrov the younger in this excellent role) who helps his older brother, who lives in St Petersburg. Danilo’s older brother (nicknamed Tatar) is a paid assassin in the service of the Russian mafia. He uses his younger brother to achieve his goals and even at one point, out of fear of the mafia, betrays Danila. Danilah performs his tasks perfectly. He also forgives his brother for his betrayal. However, at the end of the film, having settled all matters, Danilo leaves his brother and St Petersburg for Moscow.
The great strengths of this film are both the superbly played role of Danilo by Sergei Bodrov, as well as the interesting and fast-paced plot and the music of the wonderful group Nautilus Pompilius with its then leader Vyacheslav Butosov. Danilo himself may appeal to many people – honest, open to someone’s problems, standing up for the weak. A modest character with a sincere outlook, he roams the streets of St Petersburg listening to the music of his favourite band Nautilus Pompilius from a discman . The film gained enormous popularity and fans not only in Russia, but also in other post-Soviet and European countries. It also received a sequel in 2000, called ‘Brother 2’. The film is truly worth recommending and watching.
