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Poster for Brother

Brother

Seen it?

1997 | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Action

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for crime-drama fans and action fans. If you loved Menace II Society or Heat, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Dark and gritty.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 36 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

Danila goes to his successful brother, Victor, in Petersburg to start a new life. Unknown to Danila, Victor is a contract killer, but is in hiding after asking for too much money to assassinate a Chechen mob boss. To avoid exposure, Victor convinces Danila to kill the boss instead.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.5 out of 10

  • AwardsBelow par

    3 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $1 million worldwide on a $10K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 77K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Aleksei Balabanov

  • Sergei Bodrov Jr.Danila Bagrov
  • Viktor SukhorukovViktor Bagrov
  • Yuriy Kuznetsov"German" Hoffman
  • Svetlana PismichenkoSveta
  • Mariya ZhukovaKat
  • Sergey Murzin"Krugli"
  • Irina RakshinaZinka
  • Igor ShibanovPoliceman
  • Andrey FedortsovStepan
  • Vladimir ErmilovPavel Evgrafovich