Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Inclubabu
Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
markgbullen
This is an excellent film and one that will stand the test of time. Brilliant acting, story and filming and one of my top 10 foreign language films without a doubt. A road movie from East to West with an unlikely hero you can root for, on a mission against the odds in a situation thats not been done before, with great action scenes, fantastic soundtrack and top acting. Best Russian language film of 2000's and one that anyone interested in Russian or European cinema must see.On a sad note I am very surprised at the criticism I've seen here. Some people have turned these reviews into Russian v American sub-cultures which is easy to do if you're that type of person as this film is unlike a lot of things people may be used to. It might seem strange for US audiences with the Russians being the good guys but very very flawed good guys,and the Americans being the baddies, but is this not allowed? Not all the Americans are portrayed as bad nor all the Russians as good, Ben the truck driver comes across as a lovely man! Do you think there's no Americans involved in organised crime? Or that all black ghettos welcome white strangers with open arms? I don't see the problem. It's this small minded, one dimensional thinking that makes the rest of the world dislike Americans, not just the Tea Party, moronic gun totting Americans, but the Liberal fascists (and Brits are not exempt from this either I should add) who bully and name call those with a different point of view and different cultural norms. This is a great film, made from a different country that holds different values and I personally can't fault it!
Dmitry
This movie was a real milestone, it marked the end of Yeltsin's era. Like the part one is a snap-shot of 90s, this one is the reflection of, on the one hand, started changes of RF internal and external policy. Of course, partly they were (as usual) just proclaimed changes, but it doesn't matter in this case because, on the other hand, Brat-2 showed nation's feelings and hopes of those days. As far as I remember Balabanov himself said something like "The movie was just the answer to the state of public opinion". Also keep in mind it was time just after aggression of US against Yugoslavia and time of victories of federal forces in the second Chechen war - everyone still remembered the humiliation of the first war as well as all previous decade . Now you can imagine the eye we watched Brother-2 with. And you can understand what we felt
The main message of the movie is Danila's words: "So I think that the truth is the power: the one who has truth he is stronger". This phrase has become a byword. In fact, all the movie is about that: neither ascendancy and criminal (personified as "New Russians" and Ukrainian bandits), nor money and hypocrisy (American smooth operators) can defeat the truth. The idea is shown with use of violence. This point was subject of much criticism, but it's certainly not the main thing in the film, at most the decoration for its message. If you saw Brat-2 you would understand me. Another idea is that you can find good and sincere people in any country, any nation and any order. It doesn't matter what all damned governments and bigwigs do: good hearts will always find each other in this cruel world. In addition, Brat-2 is full of sentences, including humorous, which became famous: the above-mentioned "truth", "Russians never desert their own in the war", "You bitches will answer to me for Sevastopol!" and many others.So. Despite some rude episodes I disliked, despite (I think) excessive violence shown, I give it 10 of 10. Brother-2 deserves.
imanz19905
I may be saying this with a bit of bias but this is my favorite movie of all time. Unlike a Hollywood movie it does not picture the world a perfect place but instead it pictures people and the world the way they are, racist, hateful, etc. Racism is present in any country you go to, and if you tell me different you are just to ignorate to realize it. This picture depicts the American and Russian sycie and how western and eastern thinking are different from one another. I have only watched this in the original Russian version and would recommend any Russian speaking person to see it, not sure how accurate the subtitles are and how much justice they give to the movie.
christopher-vivian
I feel that these films are great. Two brothers who make a living as Mafia hit men. I'm English so I don't fully understand the in-fighting between the Russian Mafia that goes on. The violence and shoot-outs are excessive but maybe that is the way it happens over there. The music is especially good even though I can't understand what the words are. Sergei Bodrov (The main character) who plays Danila Bogrov in both films is an excellent actor. It's a regret because there are probably loads of excellent foreign-speaking films out there that people could enjoy but can't be marketed.The problem with both films is the fact that there are elements of racism involved, plus the fact that World War II is often mentioned. I'm not sure, but the War must have affected them so completely that they still go on about so much, especially in Brother 2. A lot of the weapons that these guys use against each other are WWII orientated. Russian mind-set must be different to our own but these two films are must watch.Brother 1 concentrates purely on St. Petersburg, but Brother 2 involves Moscow & Chicago, especially concentrating on the differences between two of the major cities in the World. I don't want to spoil the film for you too much but Danila walks into a Black bar in downtown Chicago. Everyone stops talking & looks at him. Being new to America, he doesn't get that it's wrong. There's humour involved as well as violence.Both films are violent but I guess it's the way the Russian underworld works.