Blind Man's Bluff 2005

(Original title: Zhmurki) ENG Subs

Director: Aleksey Balabanov (1959-2013)

Aleksey Balabanov was born on February 25, 1959 in Sverdlovsk, Sverdlovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Ekaterinburg, Russia]. He was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer, a member of European Film Academy. He died on May 18, 2013 in Solnechnoye, Leningradskaya oblast, Russia.

This movie is about the stern gangster customs of one of the Russian provincial cities in the mid-90s . And you could expect either a stupid game of blind man's buffets or a truly bloody showdown with the stacks of "bluffers.”
"Zhmurki" is definitely one of the best movies made by Russian film industry in modern time. No doubt about it. All actors are picked up perfectly, many famous and good people amongst them who do their work outstanding. The director's work is very good in my opinion. Music is fitting the setting. The plot is simple and funny, which makes it even better. There are really few movies out there of the same genre and with the same kind of quality. This movie really shows how Russian society developed through 90s. This is reality. This is how many politicians, oil barons, big mob people grew in Russia. I'm very certain that 90% of all rich/significant people in todays Russia developed their power/fame/money gained it by similar methods as those guys. And by the way, this movie is about REAL gangsters! It doesn't show actually any deep meaning or point or message, but it shows criminal world in a way better style than most western movies do. Besides many western movies about so called crime are made by and are about "wannabes” not real gangsters. Only a certain circle of people in western part of the world can even know what "real" criminal world is, its not like that in Russia. Many people face serious crime in Russia every day. And lots of Russians will understand me. Anyway, I strongly recommend this movie for both Russian and international audience, very decent and solid movie.

This film is both very different and very superior to American or British type Guy Ritchie criminal gangster movies. This film, by contrast, is infused with an industrial-strength dose of Russian cynicism.

t.me/RussianBaZa