A review of Brother (1997)

            Brother (1997) is a Russian crime thriller that depicts a country at a crossroads after the fall of the Soviet Union. The film is set in early ninties St. Petersburg, a young man named Danila Bagrov played by the late Sergei Bodrov Jr. has recently been released from military service and returns to his mother’s home. Danila is from an area with little prospects so his mother sends him to St. Petersburg to stay with his older brother. Once Danila reaches St. Petersburg the film truly begins. It turns out Danila’s brother is a hit man for the thriving Russian mafia and he can put Danila’s military skills to good use. Brother (1997) combines western Hollywood crime, thriller, and noir tropes with themes that are specific to the post Soviet Russian experience.

            An important contextual historic fact is the Soviet film system heavily censored depictions of criminal acts in films produced in the Soviet Union. A film that depicts violent criminal acts was a novelty when Brother (1997) was produced.  The theme of western 
influence is portrayed several times in Brother (1997) two striking examples of the filmmaker commenting on western influences are instances of product placement. One of the films last scenes is an interior shot inside a McDonalds. Inside the McDonalds Danila has a final meeting with Kat. Normally in Russian literature in cinema the character of Kat would fulfill the archetype of the hooker with a heart of gold. Kat instead is tainted by western culture and is indifferent to Danila’s imminent departure from St. Petersburg. The other scene I found very striking in regards to the theme of western influence is the opening scene where Danila comes across a film production and is captivated.  In this scene we already have our first taste of western product placement where a bottle of 7up is depicted prominently in frame. Western values have already tainted Russian art. This idea is particularly interesting in s film that borrows so heavily from the west where the crime/thriller is a long established genre and the archetype of the anti-hero is long established.

            Some very Russian tropes are used in Brother (1997). The character of Kat would traditionally be the “hooker with the heart of gold” only she has been tainted by western values. During Danila’s final meeting with her she is indifferent to his leaving St. Petersburg more enthralled with her McDonalds cherry pie. Kat is not without manners and is truly grateful when he gifts her with a handful of cash as he leaves the McDonalds. Another trope found in the film that is seen in many soviet era films is the strong man or hero rising from the common folk to help his fellow man. We see this trope in early Russian films like Battleship Potempkin (1925) or Destiny of a Man (1959).

            Two films that share genre and thematic similarities with Brother (1997) are Death Wish (1974) and The Godfather (1972).  Thematically the idea of a weak and impotent society needing someone with the strength and will to take matters in his own hands are not only in Death Wish (1974) but many of the same story telling devices are used in both films to convey this theme. In both films the protagonist must protect the weak like the elderly and woman from the street crime that terrorizes them. The Godfather (1972) is an immigrant tale about family. At first blush Brother (1997) may not appear to deal with immigration but I believe the transition from the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation to be a type of immigration story. The citizens of Russia are changing regimes and shifting countries without taking a step or packing their bags. Much like Vito Corleone Danila must take the law into his own hands and commit crimes to make a livelihood for his family in an unfamiliar land and then later on much like Michael Corleone he must take the law into his own hands and commit crimes to protect his family.

            Two unfortunate specters attached to this film are the premature deaths of the star and director.  Sergei Bodrov Jr. who eventually began directing and producing in addition to his acting was killed in 2002 at the tragically young age of 30. While shooting his second film an ice block from the Djimara Mountain caused a rock/mud slide killing Sergei. The director of Brother (1997) Aleksei Oktyabrinovich died at the age of 54 in 2013 of a heart attack. During his career Oktyabrinovich directed sixteen films including the sequel to Brother (1997).  

            Russian cinema does not have a long tradition of the crime/thriller like Italian, American, or Japanese cinema. Brother (1997) is one of the most interesting things in cinema, a well established genre reinterpreted through the lens of a different culture. Aleksei Oktyabrinovich takes an established genre and elevates it much like Sergio Leone reinterpreted and elevated the western when it was considered a dead genre. Aleksei Oktyabrinovich combines western tropes and genres with Russian themes and issues like nationalism and national identity. Oktyabrinovich uses the crime thriller genre much like many film makers use science fiction. The action and tension of the film allows the filmmaker to couch heady topics like national identity in post Soviet Russia in a very accessible and palatable form.