Oligarkh (2002)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Pavel Lungin

Writers:

Aleksandr Borodyansky (writer)
Yuli Dubov (novel)

Release Date:

24 October 2002 (Israel)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

During the Gorbachev years, Platon Makovski and his four buddies are university students who jump on the private capitalism movement...

Plot Keywords:

Russia | Funeral | Murder | Friendship | Political

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Vladimir Mashkov	...	Platon
Mariya Mironova	...	Masha
Andrei Krasko	...	Shmakov
Levan Uchaneishvili	...	Larry
Mikhail Vasserbaum	...	Mark
Sergei Yushkevich	...	Viktor
Aleksandr Samoylenko	...	Musa
Natalya Kolyakanova	...	Nina
Aleksandr Baluyev	...	Koretsky
Vladimir Gusev	...	Lomov
Vladimir Steklov	...	Belenky
Marat Basharov	...	Koshkin
Vladimir Salnikov	...	Daddy Gricha
Vladimir Golovin	...	Akhmet
Anna Churina	...	Journalist

Also Known As:

Олигарх (Russia)
Ein neuer Russe (Germany)
Tycoon (International: English title)
Tycoon: A New Russian (USA)
Un nouveau Russe (France)

Runtime:

Switzerland:128 min (Locarno Film Festival) | USA:123 min

Country:

Russia | France | Germany

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Hong Kong:III | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-18

Company:

Arte

Solid entertainment

"Tycoon" may not succeed as a political film or piece of social criticism, but I don't think it was meant be those things. "Tycoon" was obviously meant to be first and foremost an interesting, entertaining crime drama, and on this count I think it succeeds marvelously. It has timeless themes: loyalty, betrayal, greed, envy, power, love, lust. To me the fact that it is based on the 1990's Russian oligarchs is almost secondary. It's more like a good war movie - the time and place is really just a setting, a backdrop used to tell a good story.

The script is beautifully structured, the actors all give terrific performances, the direction is understated and confident. Unexpected things happen, scenes jump back and forth through time, and the pacing is excellent. Even though it's got the "a gangster's life" story arc (similar to The Godfather, Casino and the hugely overrated Scarface) in which the risks are taken, trusts made and broken, beautiful women seduced, liquor poured, bullets sprayed, etc., from scene to scene you aren't quite sure exactly who will do what. It holds your interest from beginning to end.

No doubt there is a great documentary to be made about the rise and fall of the actual oligarchs or "New Russians", one which could tie together with great detail the entire true story. But "Tycoon" isn't that film, and I think it's arguable that it's better because if it.