Brigada
Encyclopedia
Brigada also known as Law of the Lawless, is a Russia
n 15-episode crime
miniseries
that debuted in 2002. It became very popular, but received mixed reviews due to accusations in aestheticization of violence
. The miniseries follows the story of four best friends from 1989 to 2000, mainly concentrating on the leader of the group, Sasha Belov, played by Sergei Bezrukov
. The fifteen part miniseries were written by Igor Porublyov and Aleksei Sidorov and were directed by Aleksei Sidorov.
in the Soviet Border Troops, and returns to his home Bedroom District
in Moscow
. He is greeted there by his three childhood friends, Kosmos Kholmogorov (or Kosmos (Kos)/Space), Viktor Pchyolkin (Pchyola/Bee), and Valery Filatov (Fil/Phil). His return, however, shows that perestroika
has deeply transformed the Soviet Union
life and both Kosmos and Pchyola have turned to criminal racket
on Moscow's markets. They try to lure Sasha to join them, but Belov abruptly refuses and instead has ambitions to attain higher education in vulcanology.
Belov also learns that his former girlfriend
, Yelena Yeliseyeva (Lena, Lenka) has become a prostitute. Enraged, Sasha ventures to the disco, and finds her there, but an attempted conversation is interrupted by Yelena's pimp
, Mukha (Fly). Having earlier prepared for a likely fight, Belov strikes Mukha in the face with a brass knuckle
resulting in fracture. Before Mukha's fellow gangsters have time to beat up Sasha, Kosmos, Fil and Pchyola arrive and rescue their friend.
What Bely did not know was that Mukha has strong ties in the Militsiya
— his cousin
Lieutenant Vladimir Kaverin (Volodya). After Mukha's recovery, Kaverin agrees to cover the revenge against Belov, which is likely to result in death. Belov instead comes to the gang's gathering and challenges Mukha to a 1-on-1 fight, which the latter loses. The fight also ends Belov's relationship with Lenka.
Unlike Pchyola and Kosmos, Fil instead is keen on pursuing a sporting career in boxing
. His ambitions are lost when a doctor diagnoses him with early symptoms of Parkinson's disease
and does not allow him to continue boxing, yet at the same time offers him to compete in an underground Mixed martial arts
club. Fil makes his fighting début there and is supported by his three friends, but the audience includes Mukha, who decides to take his chance to avenge Belov by stabbing him, when a brawl breaks out among the supporters. The brawl is broken up by a man, who fires several shots in the air, causing the crowd to run off.
The next morning Mukha's body is found in the hangar where the fight took place and Kaverin bribes the investigator to consider Belov the prime suspect. Soon, the militsiya arrive at his apartment with a search warrant and plant a pistol in his clothes. Kosmos, who accidentally passes by, is asked to witness the discovery of the pistol. When requested to sign papers as a witness, Kosmos spots Sasha on the street approaching his apartment. Kosmos leaves hastily and throws him in a car and explains what has happened. Afterwards Kosmos hides Sasha in a dacha
(vacation house) outside Moscow
, and his friends make separate statements to the investigator. Simultaneously, Sasha's mother tries to recruit a lawyer
and also seeks help from Kosmos's father, Yuri Rostislavovich, who is a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and thus has numerous contacts among the Soviet elite.
At the dacha, Sasha notices a stunning neighbour, Olga Surikova, with whom he immediately falls in love. He follows her to her violin recital
in Moscow and begins a courtship. The date ends abruptly when Olga, waiting for Sasha to return from repairing a broken heel on her shoe, notices a wanted poster
on the train platform with his face and name.
Sasha's friends decide to lift his spirits, and with Fil's sport contacts "recruit" a group of four female swimmers, whom they drive to the Dacha for a party that ends with couples pairing off for sex. The music volume is so high that Olga's grandmother calls the local militsiya sheriff. Having arrived too late to break up the party, he, however, discerns Belov's face, and upon returning to his station recognizes him on the wanted poster and immediately calls the OMON
(armed police squad) for an arrest. They arrive just after Fil and Kosmos drive off for more alcohol
, and Pchyola and Sasha barely escape the gunfire-rattled dacha into the woods, where Sasha takes a bullet.
Realising that he is out of money, Kosmos arrives home and drunkenly confronts his father and Sasha's mother, promising that everything is alright with Sasha. Returning to the country, they find the sheriff taken hostage by Pchyola and Sasha and, warning him not to report the incident, drive off without killing him. In the meantime, Kosmos' father spends a whole night on the phone and finally announces that he has cleared Sasha's name. Unfortunately, it might be a year before he can return to Moscow. The 1989 story ends on top of Sparrow Hills
as dawn breaks, with the four friends overlooking the panorama of Moscow. The blood-soaked Sasha swears to his friends that he will always remain loyal to them and to the Brigada.
and the Brigada controls several auto-services and markets. Because, their income is insignificant and their prominence is low, Pchyola suggests to Sasha that they make their first big move by racketing the chairmen (and Pchyola's former neighbour) of the large trading company Kurs-Invest. The company owner, Artur, despite the obvious fear stricken into him by Belov's somewhat-humorous methods, abruptly refuses to accept his "offer", and leaves Belov's lawyer badly injured.
In revenge, Belov hijacks Artur's large shipping of several train cars full of Aluminium
from Tajikistan
. After an unsuccessful attempt by Artur's own semi-criminal bodyguards to deal with Belov, the profile of the dispute catches the KGB
's attention and agent Igor Vvedenskiy announces Belov's talent to his superiors and seeks permission to let the group develop further, under their control. At the same time, Artur contacts the militsiya and his case is taken up by, the now Captain, Kaverin who sees this as a perfect chance to settle the 1989 incident with Belov.
In the meantime, Sasha marries Olga and, after a lavish reception, their first wedding night is to follow in their new apartment in the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
building (a wedding gift by Pchyola, Fil and Kosmos). However, this almost ends in disaster when the hem
of Olga's wedding gown gets tangled in a wire
attached to the pin
of a hand grenade
, neatly set up right across the front door of their apartment. Sasha manages to grab the armed grenade and throw it into the stairwell after a neighbour's dog
rushed to rip the wire and release the pin.
Afterwards, in Kosmos's father's apartment, Olga confesses to Sasha despite her knowing who he is and what he does, she still loves him. Knowing that such action could have been carried out only by a mole
, Sasha stages his imminent departure to Yalta
, which causes the mole to reveal himself. Afterwards he is driven out into the woods and killed. Belov openly states to his Brigada that anyone who tries something like that will share his fate.
Kaverin shows Artur the picture of the dead mole, and much to irritation of Artur for the failed attempt to remove Belov, Kaverin tries to convince him that this is a perfect evidence to legally crush the Brigada. Artur refuses, but at that instant the Brigada burst into the office. Artur and Kaverin just manage to hide in the toilet, and Kosmos and Bee nearly assault Artur's secretary Lyuda. After they leave, Kaverin takes drunk Artur's signature to write a statement by himself. Yet at this point Vvedensky's KGB move in, and Kaverin is promptly discharged from service.
Simultaneously the original Aluminium producer from Tajikistan calls for the Tajik mafia to move in against Belov for hijacking their deal, as Artur paid only half the fee. In an imminent gang duel Bely recognises the leader as his old army friend Farkhad Dzhurayev (Farik). The two instead choose to turn to Drug trade
, where Belov's Aluminium trains would be used to smuggle heroin from Tajikistan
. To celebrate the deal, both Belov's Brigada and Farik's godfathers go to a lavish restaurant
, where they witness Olga performing. Vvedensky makes contact with Belov and under threat of prison
announces that narcotics are to be only transited via Russia
. In return for Belov's agreement, Artur is forced to give up his position and emigrate, and Belov fully takes over Kurs-Invest including its office and even Artur's secretary, Lyuda.
Olga, after graduation from the Philharmonia fails to begin her music career, and instead turns to her former course-mate Vitalik, and joins his band. Vitalik, not hiding his attraction to Olga, tries to blackmail her into leaving her husband, who openly disapproves of both Vilalik and her being part of the band, which he further makes visible by having the whole party leave the restaurant. Eventually Sasha witnesses how Vitalik verbally offends Olga and makes him suffer in a short fight, after which Olga happily walks off with Sasha. The 1991 part of the film finishes when Olga and Sasha pause their love-making
when they become aware that the television is broadcasting the same Swan Lake
on all channels, which a Russian viewer will know is the beginning of the 1991 August Coup which brought the end of the Soviet Union
.
raid the premises, and all the Brigada are arrested and taken to the Butyrka isolator.
The large cell is filled with people swept up in raids, including Kaverin and two colleagues. Although the two parties do not approach each other, they describe what they know of their friends, and that Kaverin, after leaving the MVD, now works for a private security firm with criminal activities, headed by Bek.
Vvedenskiy, realising what has become of Belov, arranges for his release. As soon as Sasha walks out he learns that Olga has given birth. As the Brigada drive off to the hospital they see army trucks removing the dead from the White House.
Seeing his newborn son, the Brigada come back to the office, where Farik tells the problems he has to Beliy. Kosmos and Pchyola agree that selling drugs in Moscow would bring more revenue, but Sasha refuses. The discussion ends, and Farik walks out saying that he felt betrayed. Kosmos convinces Beliy to change his mind, but stating that he will not play any direct role in the deal.
What they do not know, is that the whole conversation is recorded by Kaverin via remote surveillance equipment. Immediately Kaverin forwards the tapes to Bek, who agrees to hijack the deal. Sasha fearing that the clients might trap Farik, offers Fil to come along to oversee the exchange. Farik, however, refuses, and Sasha's worst fear comes true. The deal is carried out with Farik handing over the narcotics on the Ferris Wheel of the VDNKh
and his two Tajik friends receiving the money outside Moscow. After the exchange, both Tajik parties are murdered.
Sasha learns what has happened and personally takes the bodies to Farik's elders in Tajikistan. Belov explains, to his father that they have every right to consider him responsible, but he is here alone, and that their partnership is more important. After showing Farik's father the photo of the newborn Ivan, the former allows him to return to Moscow and find those responsible.
Kaverin, now sceptical of Bek approaches the Brigada. After playing them the tapes, he convinces them that he was gathering intelligence for Bek, and knew he would hijack the exchange. The action on New Year's Eve alternates between Sasha and Olga at a performance of Tchaikovsky's Waltz from Swan Lake
and various locations in Moscow where Bek himself and his group are killed in retaliation for Farik's death. Belov, bored at the concert, receives news of the successful operation amid the final applause. This causes him stand up with the audience and applaud a Bravo
.
The 1993 part of the film ends with Vvedenskiy reporting to the KGB
on Kaverin. Seeing how the subject has successfully played out a double agent between Bek and Belov and that his personal score with the latter, Vvedenskiy proposes to support Kaverin as a counterbalance Belov's growing brigade.
. Luka offers to use Belov's drug channels to transfer arms to Chechnya
for Kosmos. Belov, however, is not interested in the Arms Trade, and instead wants to legalise his activities, for which he befriends a Russian politician, Viktor Petrovich and passes on a set of papers for a "restoration fund" which grants him tax-free trade of alcohol and tobacco.
However, the KGB (now FSK) want the arms deal to progress, and have Luka's men attack Sasha when he is visiting with Olga and Ivan to his mother's flat. Belov's bodyguard Max is able to kill two and pursues the remaining assassin away. Max hurries Olga and Ivan to a safe-house outside Moscow, while Belov and Fil hide in an undisclosed flat in Moscow.
The shoot-out gains wide coverage on television, which Vvedenskiy watches from home. He instructs Kaverin to bring Kosmos to Luka, who tells Kosmos that in case of Belov's refusal, Luka will remove Belov altogether and Kosmos will take over. Despite this offer, Kosmos breaks the situation to Belov. Olga discovers that Ivan has a throat infection that needs an urgent operation. Driving to a local hospital, their escort gets caught at a GAI
checkpoint and is apprehended. During Ivan's operation, Luka's men surround the small provincial hospital, with only Max to defend it.
While Fil unsuccessfully tries to gain aid from Viktor Petrovich, Luka phones Belov and states his ultimatum
. Belov throws the phone down, and Luka tells Kaverin to finish him off. Kaverin hires a professional sniper
and a gang duel is called on the Tushino airfield with the sniper on top of a building several kilometres away. However, Luka gets killed instead of Sasha, and Pchyola and Fil finish off his bodyguards. Luka's men leave the hospital and Ivan's operation is completed.
Afterwards, Beliy meets with Vvedensky and Kaverin. Vvedenskiy tells him that Kaverin is taking over Luka's activities and Beliy must sell weapons to Chechnya
if he does not want a repeat of what has happened. The 1994 story ends when Belov visits his mother's flat. Witnessing the earlier assassination attempt, she collapsed with a heart attack, and died. Belov talks to her spirit, asking her to forgive him.
has broken out, and there are daily radio reports of Russian casualties from guerrilla attacks. Kosmos feels very personal about this, as it was initially his idea, but now the weapons they are selling are being used against the Russians. Pchyola takes over the financial side of the distribution. This causes an open conflict between them, causing Sasha to intervene. Having already been an addict of cocaine
, Kosmos overdoses, and is injured in a car accident
. Sasha visits him at his father's house, and Kosmos confesses that back in 1989, upon seeing Mukha creep up behind Bely with a knife, it was he who shot him. Sasha forgives him and decides to end the Chechen problem.
Belov continues his attempts in legalising the Brigada's activities and secures a deal with Viktor Petrovich for a set of alcohol and tobacco licenses. Breaking the news to Fil, they go to a casino
to celebrate, where Sasha becomes very drunk, and they bump into famous film producer
Gordon and his wife, actress Anyuta, whom Fil knows from his work as a stuntman.
Kaverin finalises a new shipment of arms to Chechnya and after agreeing on the route, goes to the same casino, where he crosses paths with Belov. They begin to argue on their mutual dislike of each other, and Kaverin confesses it was his influence that the search of his house in 1989 included a false extraction of a pistol. Bely breaks a bottle of champagne on Volodya's head. Upon leaving the casino, Bely sees Anyuta's look and comes back to her place beginning an affair. The next morning he discovers that Gordon is homosexual and their marriage is merely a convenience.
Kaverin heads off to Chechnya, and meets the insurgent militants. The delivery of arms is intercepted by Army spetsnaz
commandos, who kill the militants and destroy the trucks. Back in Moscow the frantic Pchyola, waiting for the call to confirm the deal, is told that everything is destroyed. Sasha reaffirms him that despite the 11 million USD they lost, it will be good for them nonetheless. Viktor Petrovich thanks Sasha for the information he has given him and reassures him that he has nothing to fear from the Vvedensky's side. Belov meets Vvedensky in front of his own home, and realizing that Vvedensky is shocked that Belov knows where he lives, Sasha tells him that they both have children and that all he wants is for them to co-exist. Vvedensky acknowledges that even he can be manipulated by Bely, and agrees with him that stopping the arms flow was the right thing to do.
The 1995 part of the film ends with a blood soaked Kaverin, who despite taking two sniper bullets, is limping next a burnt out village. A Russian Army BTR
patrol pulls up and the soldiers rescue him.
. Sasha maintains the affair with Gordon's wife, Anyuta, who has the main role in the film. After a particularly good stunt Fila borrows a camcorder from Anyuta to show Ivan, who returns with Olga from America. He also takes head of mannequin with him. Fil drives Olga and Ivan home and then catches the rest of the Brigada in a night club. There Pchyola negotiates a new money laundering
deal with the Caucasus mafia. Bely refuses to accept it, out of principle's of continuing the legal profile of the business. Pchyola, much to the dismay of Kosmos, decides to follow it through alone and travels to airport not with Brigada but with Caucasians.
Pchyola departs for the airport to catch his flight to Germany
. As Fil drives Kosmos and Sasha back to their office, all three notice how their wristwatch arms accelerate and the radio begins to glitch. In a split second decision Sasha yells for everyone to jump out, and with Kosmos they roll out onto the snow-covered street. Fil however hesitates, and jumps only seconds before the large Mercedes
explodes. This is the scene that was shown before the opening credits of the first episode.
Unconscious, he is rushed off to the hospital where he spends several hours under surgery with serious head injuries. Kosmos convinces Sasha that Pchyola is the only one who could have carried this out, as after their death he'll have everything and he didn't sit into their car. They send their head of security, Shmit, and his men (all former thugs) to find him. Pchyola himself, as soon as he learns of the attack, just as he arrives to the airport, catches the first taxi back to Moscow.
Night falls, and Fil is still under surgery, Olga meanwhile is learning to drive with Maks (now her and Ivan's personal bodyguard), on the Kutuzovsky Prospekt
, where Pchyola catches up with her. He tells her on the phone not to tell Max about him and asks her to stop at the pharmacy and come in alone. There he tells her that the camcorder which Fil borrowed remained turned on, and that right now it is at Anyuta's house (Fil returned it to her after realizing that it was Gordon's camera). Max upon seeing Pchyola immediately calls Shmit, who arrives and brings him to the hospital.
Olga meanwhile comes to Anyuta's home and confronts her, forcing to abandon the affair with Sasha, and to return the camera. At the hospital Pchyola is met with Bely and Kosmos holding pistols, kneeing before them, they are interrupted by a nurse asking for anyone with Type B
negative blood for Fil. Sasha points to Pchyola who makes a transfusion
to the still unconscious Fila, after the operation was finally completed.
Kosmos then tells Bely that he will not have the courage to kill Pchyola, to which Sasha replies that neither will he. Kos advices Sasha to have Shmit do it. To calm his nerves, Sasha asks Kosmos for cocaine, stating that, he spent many years selling it but never tried it, though after a second attempt he feels nothing. At this moment Olga and Maks burst in with the camcorder. Sasha shouts at Olga, but Maks intervenes and plays the tape, which shows how Gordon plants the bomb inside the head of mannequin that Fil brought with him. Kosmos remembers that Gordon was borrowed half a million from Fil, but lacked the means to pay it off. Realizing what has happened, Kosmos pleads to Pchyola for his mistake. The 1997 part of the film ends when Olga walks in on the drunken Kosmos, Sasha and Pchyola and tells then that Fil is in a coma
.
, as there is little chance of recovery. Learning of this, Belov, though agreeing to transferring him to a private clinic, decides to avenge his friend. Gordon makes a successful and popular premiere
of his new picture, and to celebrate he meets his homosexual date where they drive off to a gay club. Before they leave the car, the young lad passes his regards from Sasha Bely and strangles Gordon to death.
The murder of a famous film producer
generates a massive media outrage on the mafia
, and Olga takes Ivan and leaves Sasha. Belov comes to the same dacha where her grandmother still lives and almost forcefully assaults Olga. The militsiya
arrive, where Sasha recognises the same militsiya sheriff from 1989. He turns himself in and back at the station they drink and dance, telling their life stories. The militsiya officer then demonstrates the old wanted poster of Belov, and sets out making him some photocopies. As he awaits, Belov's eyes grow in shock when he sees a election poster with Kaverin's face. Kaverin has survived Chechnya
, and is running for the State Duma
in the upcoming majoritarian election.
Shmit, Pchyola and Kosmos pay Gordon's assassin
, but after he leaves the cafe
, a SOBR
unit arrests them, drives into the woods, where the three are forced to dig a grave for themselves under gunpoint. The SOBR gunmen open fire at the empty trees right above their heads, and walk off, leaving the three to find a way out. When the three dirty men arrive back at the office, Belov enquires into the event. Viktor Petrovich tells him that it was carried out by a militsiya commander, who after Gordon's death sends a warning that there were still law and order who could crush Bely and his Brigada should this happen again. Bely confronts the Commander, telling he did what was necessary for his friend. He gets a phone call from the hospital that there has been further complications with Fil. Before leaving the Commander, he takes a Russian Orthodox cross that the SOBR took from his friends.
The 1998 part ends when Sasha visits Fil and finds him surrounded by doctors. He kneels over Fil, and seeing that his eyes are open whispers: "brother". A tear flows out of Fil's eyes. After that Belov makes up his mind to run against Kaverin.
is found in Belov's office, but most of all, at a press conference Kaverin demonstrates Artur to the public, who tells of how Belov's criminal gang forced him out of Russia
and took over his business in 1991. Kaverin's public biography is based on a real officer who died in Chechnya
and was given him by Vvedensky. Vvedensky warns Volodya that if the public finds out what he did there, this would be used against him.
Bely's campaign focuses more on the social problems. He has his men deliver presents to the poor
, and sponsors construction of Orthodox Churches to win support. He tries to re-unite with Olga, and after a dinner together, breaks with her into the same dacha where he hid in 1989. There he tells her of his thoughts, before the discussion turns to love-making.
As the elections near, the two candidates engage in a television debate
, both ask piercing questions into their cloudy past. Kaverin decides to play a trump card
, a cassette with more early 1990s recordings. However instead a scene from The Godfather
is played, much to the amusement of the viewers. Belov then takes the initiative and states that the reel that was to be played was one of thousands there could be and admits to his past. He then states that this mess, in which he was forced to take the actions he did, was caused at the very top in the government and he was just a pawn that was swept into the new world. Furthermore he appeals that what is important is that, at present, everybody wants to live in a better country, where the necessary actions of the past would remain there.
Soon the elections come, and despite Kaverin's early lead, Belov clips a narrow margin at the last moment and wins the vote. A celebration follows at Belov's office, Kosmos proposes to Lyuda, Artur's original secretary who has worked with them since 1991. Then a phone call follows that Sasha and Olga are on their way. Pchyola and Kosmos come out into the snow-covered courtyard
to greet them, and see Sasha's red armoured SUV driven alone by Maks, who climbs out and stabs the two.
Bely who arrives later, is shocked at what happened. At dawn Belov also learns that Fil, who was still recovering in the hospital and his wife Tamara were also killed in the clinic. On the wall a sign "GORGE IT BEAST" (in Russian "ЖРИ ТВАРЬ") is written with blood. Maks is nowhere to be found. Meeting up with Vvedensky Sasha learns that Maksim Karelskiy, despite working for eight years for Belov, and several times rescuing both him, his family and Pchyola from Bely himself, was nonetheless a mole for Kaverin since 1991. Originally he crossed paths with the Chechen mafia and Kaverin paid his ransom, after which he used him to infiltrate the Brigada.
Vvedensky along with Viktor Petrovich, the whole underground criminal world, and even Yuri Rostislavovich (Kosmos's father), all ask that Belov should not seek revenge. Sasha says that he can't accept that, and first rattles Kaverin's apartment with an PKM
as a message he will avenge. In the final stunt, he contacts his old friend who the viewer saw throughout the film, karate
trainer and stuntman Alexander Inshakov. Originally they meet up back in 1989 when Sasha bought a mastiff
, then again in 1991 they offered him to train his men, and he refused, Inshakov was Fil's close friend during their stunt work for Gordon, and shortly before Gordon's death asked him to have all of the film reels to make a tribute to stuntman Filatov.
Sasha then visits the morgue
where already the four coffin
s are prepared for the funeral
, and symbolically adds three pistol
s into the hands of his friends. The next day, Kosmos's original Lincoln Town Car
is shown to Sasha. Bely sends Shmit to the cemetery
and says he follow onwards and introduces his new head of security and saying he explain everything to him later. When Shmit arrives, the funeral service is about to begin. As Belov, Olga and Ivan drive onto a causeway
, the car is hit by an RPG and falls into the river. The funeral mass is announced that Belov is killed.
The film ends in spring when snow melted, Sasha once again visits Sparrow Hills
, this time alone, and remembers how nine years ago he swore to always stand for his brothers. Repeating the words his same words, he adds that he swears he will never forget those who he called brothers, and with that cracks his watch on the railing. At the airport, Olga and Ivan, await Sasha to board the plane and leave Russia. While the final boarding is called, Olga gets a call from Sasha, who says he will not be joining them right now, because its too dangerous for them, but will come in a couple of months. The tearful Olga walks into the airplane with Ivan. Sasha, standing on a causeway, watches the airplane depart. As he catches a taxi, the screen turns black and a gunshot is heard as the final credits begin to roll.
ist and her rehearsing on a violin
impresses Sasha to court her. Olga and Sasha attend a Bolshoi Theater performance of Swan Lake
Waltz
.
This is a non-exhaustive list of music identified in the series:
of the original book wrote a series of sequel novel
s which had Sasha start a new gang but it was met with lack luster reviews by critics who said there was no chemistry between Sasha and the new gang like there was between him, Pchela, Kosmos, and Fil. However the book is still considered an interesting read for whomever enjoyed the first part.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 15-episode crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that debuted in 2002. It became very popular, but received mixed reviews due to accusations in aestheticization of violence
Aestheticization of violence
The aestheticization of violence in high culture art or mass media is the depiction of or references to violence in what Indiana University film studies professor Margaret Bruder calls a "stylistically excessive," "significant and sustained way." When violence is depicted in this fashion in films,...
. The miniseries follows the story of four best friends from 1989 to 2000, mainly concentrating on the leader of the group, Sasha Belov, played by Sergei Bezrukov
Sergei Bezrukov
Sergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov is a Russian screen and stage actor, People's Artist of Russia, the laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. He currently works at Tabakov Studio ....
. The fifteen part miniseries were written by Igor Porublyov and Aleksei Sidorov and were directed by Aleksei Sidorov.
Plot
The film proceeds in chronological order, apart from the scene at the beginning of the first episode before the opening credits, which was taken from Winter 1997.Summer 1989
The film begins in 1989 when Sergeant Alexander (Sasha) Belov, (nicknamed Bely, or white) has finished his national serviceConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
in the Soviet Border Troops, and returns to his home Bedroom District
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He is greeted there by his three childhood friends, Kosmos Kholmogorov (or Kosmos (Kos)/Space), Viktor Pchyolkin (Pchyola/Bee), and Valery Filatov (Fil/Phil). His return, however, shows that perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
has deeply transformed the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
life and both Kosmos and Pchyola have turned to criminal racket
Racket (crime)
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes...
on Moscow's markets. They try to lure Sasha to join them, but Belov abruptly refuses and instead has ambitions to attain higher education in vulcanology.
Belov also learns that his former girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....
, Yelena Yeliseyeva (Lena, Lenka) has become a prostitute. Enraged, Sasha ventures to the disco, and finds her there, but an attempted conversation is interrupted by Yelena's pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, Mukha (Fly). Having earlier prepared for a likely fight, Belov strikes Mukha in the face with a brass knuckle
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
resulting in fracture. Before Mukha's fellow gangsters have time to beat up Sasha, Kosmos, Fil and Pchyola arrive and rescue their friend.
What Bely did not know was that Mukha has strong ties in the Militsiya
Militsiya
Militsiya or militia is used as an official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation...
— his cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
Lieutenant Vladimir Kaverin (Volodya). After Mukha's recovery, Kaverin agrees to cover the revenge against Belov, which is likely to result in death. Belov instead comes to the gang's gathering and challenges Mukha to a 1-on-1 fight, which the latter loses. The fight also ends Belov's relationship with Lenka.
Unlike Pchyola and Kosmos, Fil instead is keen on pursuing a sporting career in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. His ambitions are lost when a doctor diagnoses him with early symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and does not allow him to continue boxing, yet at the same time offers him to compete in an underground Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
club. Fil makes his fighting début there and is supported by his three friends, but the audience includes Mukha, who decides to take his chance to avenge Belov by stabbing him, when a brawl breaks out among the supporters. The brawl is broken up by a man, who fires several shots in the air, causing the crowd to run off.
The next morning Mukha's body is found in the hangar where the fight took place and Kaverin bribes the investigator to consider Belov the prime suspect. Soon, the militsiya arrive at his apartment with a search warrant and plant a pistol in his clothes. Kosmos, who accidentally passes by, is asked to witness the discovery of the pistol. When requested to sign papers as a witness, Kosmos spots Sasha on the street approaching his apartment. Kosmos leaves hastily and throws him in a car and explains what has happened. Afterwards Kosmos hides Sasha in a dacha
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
(vacation house) outside Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and his friends make separate statements to the investigator. Simultaneously, Sasha's mother tries to recruit a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and also seeks help from Kosmos's father, Yuri Rostislavovich, who is a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and thus has numerous contacts among the Soviet elite.
At the dacha, Sasha notices a stunning neighbour, Olga Surikova, with whom he immediately falls in love. He follows her to her violin recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
in Moscow and begins a courtship. The date ends abruptly when Olga, waiting for Sasha to return from repairing a broken heel on her shoe, notices a wanted poster
Wanted poster
A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...
on the train platform with his face and name.
Sasha's friends decide to lift his spirits, and with Fil's sport contacts "recruit" a group of four female swimmers, whom they drive to the Dacha for a party that ends with couples pairing off for sex. The music volume is so high that Olga's grandmother calls the local militsiya sheriff. Having arrived too late to break up the party, he, however, discerns Belov's face, and upon returning to his station recognizes him on the wanted poster and immediately calls the OMON
OMON
OMOH is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet MVD...
(armed police squad) for an arrest. They arrive just after Fil and Kosmos drive off for more alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, and Pchyola and Sasha barely escape the gunfire-rattled dacha into the woods, where Sasha takes a bullet.
Realising that he is out of money, Kosmos arrives home and drunkenly confronts his father and Sasha's mother, promising that everything is alright with Sasha. Returning to the country, they find the sheriff taken hostage by Pchyola and Sasha and, warning him not to report the incident, drive off without killing him. In the meantime, Kosmos' father spends a whole night on the phone and finally announces that he has cleared Sasha's name. Unfortunately, it might be a year before he can return to Moscow. The 1989 story ends on top of Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills, Vorobyovy Gory is a hill on the right bank of the Moskva River and one of highest points in Moscow with an altitude up to 220 m ....
as dawn breaks, with the four friends overlooking the panorama of Moscow. The blood-soaked Sasha swears to his friends that he will always remain loyal to them and to the Brigada.
Spring 1991
The film picks up in 1991 and the viewer learns that Sasha, after one and a half years of hiding in the Urals, decided that a criminal life would be natural after what has happened. Fil now works as a stuntmanStuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
and the Brigada controls several auto-services and markets. Because, their income is insignificant and their prominence is low, Pchyola suggests to Sasha that they make their first big move by racketing the chairmen (and Pchyola's former neighbour) of the large trading company Kurs-Invest. The company owner, Artur, despite the obvious fear stricken into him by Belov's somewhat-humorous methods, abruptly refuses to accept his "offer", and leaves Belov's lawyer badly injured.
In revenge, Belov hijacks Artur's large shipping of several train cars full of Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
from Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. After an unsuccessful attempt by Artur's own semi-criminal bodyguards to deal with Belov, the profile of the dispute catches the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
's attention and agent Igor Vvedenskiy announces Belov's talent to his superiors and seeks permission to let the group develop further, under their control. At the same time, Artur contacts the militsiya and his case is taken up by, the now Captain, Kaverin who sees this as a perfect chance to settle the 1989 incident with Belov.
In the meantime, Sasha marries Olga and, after a lavish reception, their first wedding night is to follow in their new apartment in the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment is a street on the northern bank of Moskva River in central Tagansky District of Moscow, Russia. It spans from the mouth of Yauza River to the point one block west from Bolshoy Krashokholmsky Bridge , where it changes name to Goncharnaya Embankment.-Kotelnicheskaya...
building (a wedding gift by Pchyola, Fil and Kosmos). However, this almost ends in disaster when the hem
Hem
To hem a piece of cloth is to sew a cut edge in such a way as to prevent unraveling of the fabric.There are many different styles of hems of varying complexities. The most common hem...
of Olga's wedding gown gets tangled in a wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
attached to the pin
Pin
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.Pin may also refer to:* Award pin, a small piece of metal or plastic with a pin attached given as an award for some achievement...
of a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
, neatly set up right across the front door of their apartment. Sasha manages to grab the armed grenade and throw it into the stairwell after a neighbour's dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
rushed to rip the wire and release the pin.
Afterwards, in Kosmos's father's apartment, Olga confesses to Sasha despite her knowing who he is and what he does, she still loves him. Knowing that such action could have been carried out only by a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
, Sasha stages his imminent departure to Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, which causes the mole to reveal himself. Afterwards he is driven out into the woods and killed. Belov openly states to his Brigada that anyone who tries something like that will share his fate.
Kaverin shows Artur the picture of the dead mole, and much to irritation of Artur for the failed attempt to remove Belov, Kaverin tries to convince him that this is a perfect evidence to legally crush the Brigada. Artur refuses, but at that instant the Brigada burst into the office. Artur and Kaverin just manage to hide in the toilet, and Kosmos and Bee nearly assault Artur's secretary Lyuda. After they leave, Kaverin takes drunk Artur's signature to write a statement by himself. Yet at this point Vvedensky's KGB move in, and Kaverin is promptly discharged from service.
Simultaneously the original Aluminium producer from Tajikistan calls for the Tajik mafia to move in against Belov for hijacking their deal, as Artur paid only half the fee. In an imminent gang duel Bely recognises the leader as his old army friend Farkhad Dzhurayev (Farik). The two instead choose to turn to Drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, where Belov's Aluminium trains would be used to smuggle heroin from Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. To celebrate the deal, both Belov's Brigada and Farik's godfathers go to a lavish restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, where they witness Olga performing. Vvedensky makes contact with Belov and under threat of prison
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
announces that narcotics are to be only transited via Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In return for Belov's agreement, Artur is forced to give up his position and emigrate, and Belov fully takes over Kurs-Invest including its office and even Artur's secretary, Lyuda.
Olga, after graduation from the Philharmonia fails to begin her music career, and instead turns to her former course-mate Vitalik, and joins his band. Vitalik, not hiding his attraction to Olga, tries to blackmail her into leaving her husband, who openly disapproves of both Vilalik and her being part of the band, which he further makes visible by having the whole party leave the restaurant. Eventually Sasha witnesses how Vitalik verbally offends Olga and makes him suffer in a short fight, after which Olga happily walks off with Sasha. The 1991 part of the film finishes when Olga and Sasha pause their love-making
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
when they become aware that the television is broadcasting the same Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
on all channels, which a Russian viewer will know is the beginning of the 1991 August Coup which brought the end of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Autumn 1993
The 1993 story picks with Sasha returning from the United States, just as Olga is about to give birth to their son, Ivan. He arrives during the Constitutional coup. Simultaneously, Farik also arrives in Moscow, who is sent by his family elders to negotiate a deal to sell narcotics in Moscow, rather than following Belov's less profitable suggestion of transporting them to the West. As the two parties reach Sasha's office, the Russian OMONOMON
OMOH is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet MVD...
raid the premises, and all the Brigada are arrested and taken to the Butyrka isolator.
The large cell is filled with people swept up in raids, including Kaverin and two colleagues. Although the two parties do not approach each other, they describe what they know of their friends, and that Kaverin, after leaving the MVD, now works for a private security firm with criminal activities, headed by Bek.
Vvedenskiy, realising what has become of Belov, arranges for his release. As soon as Sasha walks out he learns that Olga has given birth. As the Brigada drive off to the hospital they see army trucks removing the dead from the White House.
Seeing his newborn son, the Brigada come back to the office, where Farik tells the problems he has to Beliy. Kosmos and Pchyola agree that selling drugs in Moscow would bring more revenue, but Sasha refuses. The discussion ends, and Farik walks out saying that he felt betrayed. Kosmos convinces Beliy to change his mind, but stating that he will not play any direct role in the deal.
What they do not know, is that the whole conversation is recorded by Kaverin via remote surveillance equipment. Immediately Kaverin forwards the tapes to Bek, who agrees to hijack the deal. Sasha fearing that the clients might trap Farik, offers Fil to come along to oversee the exchange. Farik, however, refuses, and Sasha's worst fear comes true. The deal is carried out with Farik handing over the narcotics on the Ferris Wheel of the VDNKh
All-Russia Exhibition Centre
All-Russia Exhibition Centre is a permanent general-purpose trade show in Moscow, Russia....
and his two Tajik friends receiving the money outside Moscow. After the exchange, both Tajik parties are murdered.
Sasha learns what has happened and personally takes the bodies to Farik's elders in Tajikistan. Belov explains, to his father that they have every right to consider him responsible, but he is here alone, and that their partnership is more important. After showing Farik's father the photo of the newborn Ivan, the former allows him to return to Moscow and find those responsible.
Kaverin, now sceptical of Bek approaches the Brigada. After playing them the tapes, he convinces them that he was gathering intelligence for Bek, and knew he would hijack the exchange. The action on New Year's Eve alternates between Sasha and Olga at a performance of Tchaikovsky's Waltz from Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
and various locations in Moscow where Bek himself and his group are killed in retaliation for Farik's death. Belov, bored at the concert, receives news of the successful operation amid the final applause. This causes him stand up with the audience and applaud a Bravo
Applause
Applause is primarily the expression of approval by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences are usually expected to applaud after a performance, such as a musical concert, speech, or play...
.
The 1993 part of the film ends with Vvedenskiy reporting to the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
on Kaverin. Seeing how the subject has successfully played out a double agent between Bek and Belov and that his personal score with the latter, Vvedenskiy proposes to support Kaverin as a counterbalance Belov's growing brigade.
Autumn 1994
As Belov's group gains more and more prominence, bigger games become played. Their contacts go beyond narcotics, and Kaverin sets Kosmos up with Luka, a renowned Thief in lawThief in law
Thief in law is a criminal who is respected, has authority and a high ranking status within the...
. Luka offers to use Belov's drug channels to transfer arms to Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
for Kosmos. Belov, however, is not interested in the Arms Trade, and instead wants to legalise his activities, for which he befriends a Russian politician, Viktor Petrovich and passes on a set of papers for a "restoration fund" which grants him tax-free trade of alcohol and tobacco.
However, the KGB (now FSK) want the arms deal to progress, and have Luka's men attack Sasha when he is visiting with Olga and Ivan to his mother's flat. Belov's bodyguard Max is able to kill two and pursues the remaining assassin away. Max hurries Olga and Ivan to a safe-house outside Moscow, while Belov and Fil hide in an undisclosed flat in Moscow.
The shoot-out gains wide coverage on television, which Vvedenskiy watches from home. He instructs Kaverin to bring Kosmos to Luka, who tells Kosmos that in case of Belov's refusal, Luka will remove Belov altogether and Kosmos will take over. Despite this offer, Kosmos breaks the situation to Belov. Olga discovers that Ivan has a throat infection that needs an urgent operation. Driving to a local hospital, their escort gets caught at a GAI
GAI
GAI , short for State Automobile Inspectorate , are the Russian traffic police. They are responsible for the regulation of traffic, investigating traffic accidents, and manning the stop lights. GAI officers are called "GAI inspectors" in Russia...
checkpoint and is apprehended. During Ivan's operation, Luka's men surround the small provincial hospital, with only Max to defend it.
While Fil unsuccessfully tries to gain aid from Viktor Petrovich, Luka phones Belov and states his ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
. Belov throws the phone down, and Luka tells Kaverin to finish him off. Kaverin hires a professional sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
and a gang duel is called on the Tushino airfield with the sniper on top of a building several kilometres away. However, Luka gets killed instead of Sasha, and Pchyola and Fil finish off his bodyguards. Luka's men leave the hospital and Ivan's operation is completed.
Afterwards, Beliy meets with Vvedensky and Kaverin. Vvedenskiy tells him that Kaverin is taking over Luka's activities and Beliy must sell weapons to Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
if he does not want a repeat of what has happened. The 1994 story ends when Belov visits his mother's flat. Witnessing the earlier assassination attempt, she collapsed with a heart attack, and died. Belov talks to her spirit, asking her to forgive him.
Spring 1995
The First Chechen WarFirst Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
has broken out, and there are daily radio reports of Russian casualties from guerrilla attacks. Kosmos feels very personal about this, as it was initially his idea, but now the weapons they are selling are being used against the Russians. Pchyola takes over the financial side of the distribution. This causes an open conflict between them, causing Sasha to intervene. Having already been an addict of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, Kosmos overdoses, and is injured in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
. Sasha visits him at his father's house, and Kosmos confesses that back in 1989, upon seeing Mukha creep up behind Bely with a knife, it was he who shot him. Sasha forgives him and decides to end the Chechen problem.
Belov continues his attempts in legalising the Brigada's activities and secures a deal with Viktor Petrovich for a set of alcohol and tobacco licenses. Breaking the news to Fil, they go to a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
to celebrate, where Sasha becomes very drunk, and they bump into famous film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Gordon and his wife, actress Anyuta, whom Fil knows from his work as a stuntman.
Kaverin finalises a new shipment of arms to Chechnya and after agreeing on the route, goes to the same casino, where he crosses paths with Belov. They begin to argue on their mutual dislike of each other, and Kaverin confesses it was his influence that the search of his house in 1989 included a false extraction of a pistol. Bely breaks a bottle of champagne on Volodya's head. Upon leaving the casino, Bely sees Anyuta's look and comes back to her place beginning an affair. The next morning he discovers that Gordon is homosexual and their marriage is merely a convenience.
Kaverin heads off to Chechnya, and meets the insurgent militants. The delivery of arms is intercepted by Army spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
commandos, who kill the militants and destroy the trucks. Back in Moscow the frantic Pchyola, waiting for the call to confirm the deal, is told that everything is destroyed. Sasha reaffirms him that despite the 11 million USD they lost, it will be good for them nonetheless. Viktor Petrovich thanks Sasha for the information he has given him and reassures him that he has nothing to fear from the Vvedensky's side. Belov meets Vvedensky in front of his own home, and realizing that Vvedensky is shocked that Belov knows where he lives, Sasha tells him that they both have children and that all he wants is for them to co-exist. Vvedensky acknowledges that even he can be manipulated by Bely, and agrees with him that stopping the arms flow was the right thing to do.
The 1995 part of the film ends with a blood soaked Kaverin, who despite taking two sniper bullets, is limping next a burnt out village. A Russian Army BTR
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
patrol pulls up and the soldiers rescue him.
Winter 1997
After the previous events, the Brigada begins to cool down. Fil has a very successful part as a stuntman in a new production by Gordon about HighlanderNorth Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
. Sasha maintains the affair with Gordon's wife, Anyuta, who has the main role in the film. After a particularly good stunt Fila borrows a camcorder from Anyuta to show Ivan, who returns with Olga from America. He also takes head of mannequin with him. Fil drives Olga and Ivan home and then catches the rest of the Brigada in a night club. There Pchyola negotiates a new money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
deal with the Caucasus mafia. Bely refuses to accept it, out of principle's of continuing the legal profile of the business. Pchyola, much to the dismay of Kosmos, decides to follow it through alone and travels to airport not with Brigada but with Caucasians.
Pchyola departs for the airport to catch his flight to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As Fil drives Kosmos and Sasha back to their office, all three notice how their wristwatch arms accelerate and the radio begins to glitch. In a split second decision Sasha yells for everyone to jump out, and with Kosmos they roll out onto the snow-covered street. Fil however hesitates, and jumps only seconds before the large Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz W140
The Mercedes-Benz W140 was a series of flagship vehicles manufactured by the German automotive company Mercedes-Benz. The car premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991, with the first examples rolling off the production line on August 6, 1991. Short and long wheelbase sedans were offered...
explodes. This is the scene that was shown before the opening credits of the first episode.
Unconscious, he is rushed off to the hospital where he spends several hours under surgery with serious head injuries. Kosmos convinces Sasha that Pchyola is the only one who could have carried this out, as after their death he'll have everything and he didn't sit into their car. They send their head of security, Shmit, and his men (all former thugs) to find him. Pchyola himself, as soon as he learns of the attack, just as he arrives to the airport, catches the first taxi back to Moscow.
Night falls, and Fil is still under surgery, Olga meanwhile is learning to drive with Maks (now her and Ivan's personal bodyguard), on the Kutuzovsky Prospekt
Kutuzovsky Prospekt
Kutuzovsky Prospekt is a major radial avenue in Moscow, Russia, named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, leader of Russian field army during the French invasion of Russia...
, where Pchyola catches up with her. He tells her on the phone not to tell Max about him and asks her to stop at the pharmacy and come in alone. There he tells her that the camcorder which Fil borrowed remained turned on, and that right now it is at Anyuta's house (Fil returned it to her after realizing that it was Gordon's camera). Max upon seeing Pchyola immediately calls Shmit, who arrives and brings him to the hospital.
Olga meanwhile comes to Anyuta's home and confronts her, forcing to abandon the affair with Sasha, and to return the camera. At the hospital Pchyola is met with Bely and Kosmos holding pistols, kneeing before them, they are interrupted by a nurse asking for anyone with Type B
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
negative blood for Fil. Sasha points to Pchyola who makes a transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
to the still unconscious Fila, after the operation was finally completed.
Kosmos then tells Bely that he will not have the courage to kill Pchyola, to which Sasha replies that neither will he. Kos advices Sasha to have Shmit do it. To calm his nerves, Sasha asks Kosmos for cocaine, stating that, he spent many years selling it but never tried it, though after a second attempt he feels nothing. At this moment Olga and Maks burst in with the camcorder. Sasha shouts at Olga, but Maks intervenes and plays the tape, which shows how Gordon plants the bomb inside the head of mannequin that Fil brought with him. Kosmos remembers that Gordon was borrowed half a million from Fil, but lacked the means to pay it off. Realizing what has happened, Kosmos pleads to Pchyola for his mistake. The 1997 part of the film ends when Olga walks in on the drunken Kosmos, Sasha and Pchyola and tells then that Fil is in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
.
Winter 1998
A year has passed and Fil is still in a coma. The doctors try to persuade his wife, Tamara to turn off his feeding tubeFeeding tube
A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to patients who cannot obtain nutrition by swallowing. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral feeding or tube feeding...
, as there is little chance of recovery. Learning of this, Belov, though agreeing to transferring him to a private clinic, decides to avenge his friend. Gordon makes a successful and popular premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
of his new picture, and to celebrate he meets his homosexual date where they drive off to a gay club. Before they leave the car, the young lad passes his regards from Sasha Bely and strangles Gordon to death.
The murder of a famous film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
generates a massive media outrage on the mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, and Olga takes Ivan and leaves Sasha. Belov comes to the same dacha where her grandmother still lives and almost forcefully assaults Olga. The militsiya
Militsiya
Militsiya or militia is used as an official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation...
arrive, where Sasha recognises the same militsiya sheriff from 1989. He turns himself in and back at the station they drink and dance, telling their life stories. The militsiya officer then demonstrates the old wanted poster of Belov, and sets out making him some photocopies. As he awaits, Belov's eyes grow in shock when he sees a election poster with Kaverin's face. Kaverin has survived Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, and is running for the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
in the upcoming majoritarian election.
Shmit, Pchyola and Kosmos pay Gordon's assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, but after he leaves the cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, a SOBR
SOBR
The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR is an elite commando unit of the Russian Interior Ministry, involved in anti-criminal operations....
unit arrests them, drives into the woods, where the three are forced to dig a grave for themselves under gunpoint. The SOBR gunmen open fire at the empty trees right above their heads, and walk off, leaving the three to find a way out. When the three dirty men arrive back at the office, Belov enquires into the event. Viktor Petrovich tells him that it was carried out by a militsiya commander, who after Gordon's death sends a warning that there were still law and order who could crush Bely and his Brigada should this happen again. Bely confronts the Commander, telling he did what was necessary for his friend. He gets a phone call from the hospital that there has been further complications with Fil. Before leaving the Commander, he takes a Russian Orthodox cross that the SOBR took from his friends.
The 1998 part ends when Sasha visits Fil and finds him surrounded by doctors. He kneels over Fil, and seeing that his eyes are open whispers: "brother". A tear flows out of Fil's eyes. After that Belov makes up his mind to run against Kaverin.
Winter 1999
Its December 1999, and the elections are scheduled for early spring 2000, and Kaverin and Belov try to outdo each other. Vvedensky decides to act once again, and pushes the two to closer confrontation. Kaverin plays on discrediting his opponent, and to smear Belov's image, a provocative poster "Brotherhood is fighting to the Power" with Belov holding a pistol is issued, and then the typography which printed them is set on fire. One day Belov and his family arrive home to their television set that is playing police surviellence reels from the early 1990s showing how the Brigada are involved in racket, after which Kaverin rings to Belov. A bugCovert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
is found in Belov's office, but most of all, at a press conference Kaverin demonstrates Artur to the public, who tells of how Belov's criminal gang forced him out of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and took over his business in 1991. Kaverin's public biography is based on a real officer who died in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and was given him by Vvedensky. Vvedensky warns Volodya that if the public finds out what he did there, this would be used against him.
Bely's campaign focuses more on the social problems. He has his men deliver presents to the poor
Poor
Poor is an adjective related to a state of poverty, low quality or pity.People with the surname Poor:* Charles Henry Poor, a US Navy officer* Charles Lane Poor, an astronomer* Edward Erie Poor, a vice president of the National Park Bank...
, and sponsors construction of Orthodox Churches to win support. He tries to re-unite with Olga, and after a dinner together, breaks with her into the same dacha where he hid in 1989. There he tells her of his thoughts, before the discussion turns to love-making.
As the elections near, the two candidates engage in a television debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, both ask piercing questions into their cloudy past. Kaverin decides to play a trump card
Trump Card
Trump Card was an American syndicated game show that aired from September 10, 1990 to September 6, 1991 and was hosted by Jimmy Cefalo. Debi Massey served as hostess and Chuck Reilly was the announcer. The show was produced by Telepictures Productions, Createl, Ltd., & Fiedler-Berlin Productions...
, a cassette with more early 1990s recordings. However instead a scene from The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
is played, much to the amusement of the viewers. Belov then takes the initiative and states that the reel that was to be played was one of thousands there could be and admits to his past. He then states that this mess, in which he was forced to take the actions he did, was caused at the very top in the government and he was just a pawn that was swept into the new world. Furthermore he appeals that what is important is that, at present, everybody wants to live in a better country, where the necessary actions of the past would remain there.
Soon the elections come, and despite Kaverin's early lead, Belov clips a narrow margin at the last moment and wins the vote. A celebration follows at Belov's office, Kosmos proposes to Lyuda, Artur's original secretary who has worked with them since 1991. Then a phone call follows that Sasha and Olga are on their way. Pchyola and Kosmos come out into the snow-covered courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
to greet them, and see Sasha's red armoured SUV driven alone by Maks, who climbs out and stabs the two.
Bely who arrives later, is shocked at what happened. At dawn Belov also learns that Fil, who was still recovering in the hospital and his wife Tamara were also killed in the clinic. On the wall a sign "GORGE IT BEAST" (in Russian "ЖРИ ТВАРЬ") is written with blood. Maks is nowhere to be found. Meeting up with Vvedensky Sasha learns that Maksim Karelskiy, despite working for eight years for Belov, and several times rescuing both him, his family and Pchyola from Bely himself, was nonetheless a mole for Kaverin since 1991. Originally he crossed paths with the Chechen mafia and Kaverin paid his ransom, after which he used him to infiltrate the Brigada.
Vvedensky along with Viktor Petrovich, the whole underground criminal world, and even Yuri Rostislavovich (Kosmos's father), all ask that Belov should not seek revenge. Sasha says that he can't accept that, and first rattles Kaverin's apartment with an PKM
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
as a message he will avenge. In the final stunt, he contacts his old friend who the viewer saw throughout the film, karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
trainer and stuntman Alexander Inshakov. Originally they meet up back in 1989 when Sasha bought a mastiff
English Mastiff
The English Mastiff, referred to by virtually all Kennel Clubs simply as the Mastiff, is a breed of large dog perhaps descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces Britanniae. Distinguishable by enormous size, massive head, and a limited range of colors, but always displaying a black mask,...
, then again in 1991 they offered him to train his men, and he refused, Inshakov was Fil's close friend during their stunt work for Gordon, and shortly before Gordon's death asked him to have all of the film reels to make a tribute to stuntman Filatov.
Sasha then visits the morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
where already the four coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
s are prepared for the funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
, and symbolically adds three pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s into the hands of his friends. The next day, Kosmos's original Lincoln Town Car
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
is shown to Sasha. Bely sends Shmit to the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and says he follow onwards and introduces his new head of security and saying he explain everything to him later. When Shmit arrives, the funeral service is about to begin. As Belov, Olga and Ivan drive onto a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
, the car is hit by an RPG and falls into the river. The funeral mass is announced that Belov is killed.
Winter/Spring 2000
Although announced in the opening credits, this part of the film was never announced. Belov's death allowed Maks and Kaverin to come out of hiding. Seeing a final end to his life-long rival, he and Artur engage in a joint business venture, and are examining a construction site that is soon to open as a new shopping centre. Out of nowhere Bely appears and kills Maks, Artur, a few of their fellow thugs and finally Kaverin himself. Afterwards he explains to Inshakov how he staged his own death and how the car was empty when it exploded and went over into the river.The film ends in spring when snow melted, Sasha once again visits Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills, Vorobyovy Gory is a hill on the right bank of the Moskva River and one of highest points in Moscow with an altitude up to 220 m ....
, this time alone, and remembers how nine years ago he swore to always stand for his brothers. Repeating the words his same words, he adds that he swears he will never forget those who he called brothers, and with that cracks his watch on the railing. At the airport, Olga and Ivan, await Sasha to board the plane and leave Russia. While the final boarding is called, Olga gets a call from Sasha, who says he will not be joining them right now, because its too dangerous for them, but will come in a couple of months. The tearful Olga walks into the airplane with Ivan. Sasha, standing on a causeway, watches the airplane depart. As he catches a taxi, the screen turns black and a gunshot is heard as the final credits begin to roll.
Music
Reflective of Russians' affinity to music,- classical music and musical instruments are well represented in the series. Upright pianos are in the homes of Sasha's mother and Kosmos' father. Olga is a violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and her rehearsing on a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
impresses Sasha to court her. Olga and Sasha attend a Bolshoi Theater performance of Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
Waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
.
This is a non-exhaustive list of music identified in the series:
- Tchaikowski Swan LakeSwan LakeSwan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
WaltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
in Bolshoi Theater performance - Morning MoodMorning MoodMorning Mood is a composition belonging to Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46. This composition is often used in films, television commercials, and shows . The piece depicts the rising of the sun. Along with In the Hall of the Mountain King, Morning Mood is one of Grieg's best known works....
by Peer Gynt (Grieg) during film review awards - Rock Solid Blues return in a vegetable truck after a near death experienceNear death experienceA near-death experience refers to a broad range of personal experiences associated with impending death, encompassing multiple possible sensations including detachment from the body; feelings of levitation; extreme fear; total serenity, security, or warmth; the experience of absolute dissolution;...
- The Power (Snap! song)The Power (Snap! song)"The Power" is an electronic pop hit song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released as a single in 1990 and reached No. 1 in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts...
in a Doll's Bar accompaniment to exotic dancing - Anitra's Dance by Peer Gynt (Grieg) where Sasha snorting his first cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
with Kosmos
Cast
Although the actors were not fresh, for nearly all of them, it was this film that made their careers.- Sergei BezrukovSergei BezrukovSergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov is a Russian screen and stage actor, People's Artist of Russia, the laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. He currently works at Tabakov Studio ....
as Alexander Belov (Beliy) – The leader of the Brigada. He is smart and very business oriented but has numerous vices, such as infidelity. He cares deeply for his three friends and when one of them is considered to be a traitor, he refuses to believe it. - Vladimir VdovichenkovVladimir VdovichenkovVladimir Vdovichenkov is a Russian actor.-Early life and education:He was born Vladimir Vladimirovich Vdovichenkov in Gusev, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian RSFSR, Soviet Union....
as Valery Filatov (Fil) – After Sasha he seems to be the most level-headed member of the group. He is a boxer early on and then becomes a stunt man. After a failed assassination attempt, he goes into a long coma for a year. - Dmitri DyuzhevDmitri DyuzhevDmitri Petrovich Dyuzhev is a Russian film and stage actor, singer.- Early life :Dmitri was born in family of a famous actor Peter Dyuzhev and Ludmila Dyuzheva...
as Kosmos Kholmogorov (Kosmos) – The comic relief of the group. He's also the flashiest one. Later in the series Sasha finds it hard to trust Kosmos but ultimately they remain good friends. He develops a serious cocaine problem. - Pavel Maykov as Viktor Pchyolkin (Pchyola) - The quiet soft spoken member of the group. He is successful with women yet very confused sometimes. After what seemed like a treacherous act on his part, Sasha forgave him and ultimately discovered who the real perpetrator was.
- Yekaterina GusevaYekaterina GusevaYekaterina Konstantinovna Guseva is a Russian film, theater, TV actress and singer, Meritorious Artist of Russia. She became famous in 2002 television series Brigada.- Early life :...
as Olga Belova (née Surikova) – Sasha's wife and only love. Throughout the decade they have their share of domestic squabbles, some more serious than others, but by the end they solidify their love. She is a violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and was raised by her grandmother. - Andrei PaninAndrei PaninAndrei Vladimirovich Panin is an Nika Award-nominated Russian actor appearing in film and television, and a director.-Early life:Panin was born on May 28 1962 in Novosibirsk, Soviet Union; the son of Agnessa , and Dimitri Alexandrei Panin. Two years later the family moved to Chelyabinsk...
as the policeman Vladimir Kaverin – He is the perpetual villain throughout the series. He sort of comes and goes. In the beginning he is a corrupt cop who fails to nail Sasha. This drives him nearly mad and he decides to join up with Sasha's gang later on to wreak vengeance. He never got the chance as he was nearly killed in Chechnya and forced to stay with the military and lie low. He is a very slimy and snake-like character whose only drive is to kill Sasha Belov.
Minor roles
- Sergei Aprelsky — Mukha (ep. 1-2, 10)
- Mariya Aronova — Katya (ep. 5, 7-9, 15)
- Vitali BezrukovVitali BezrukovVitali Sergeyevich Bezrukov , is a Russian actor and theatre director.He has made appearances with his son, Sergei Bezrukov, in two TV miniseries, Brigada and Yesenin , as well as in the 2002 production of the play Aleksandr Pushkin, which Vitali directed, at the Yermolova Theatre.-External links:...
— The dog lover (ep. 2) - Aleksandr Belyavskiy — Viktor Petrovich (ep. 8-13, 11, 15)
- Aleksandra Budanova — Anyuta (ep. 8-11)
- Aleksandr Vysokovsky — Maks (ep. 6, 8-9, 11-15)
- Sergei GarmashSergei GarmashSergei Leonidovich Garmash is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor of Ukrainian origin. He is a People's Artist of Russia.-Filmography:* Stalingrad, 1989* 12, 2007* Katyń, 2007...
— SOBRSOBRThe Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR is an elite commando unit of the Russian Interior Ministry, involved in anti-criminal operations....
general (ep. 12) - Vyacheslav Grishechkin — A guy in Ryzhsky market (ep. 2-3)
- Dmitri Gumenetsky — Shmidt (ep. 7-15)
- Nikolai Yeryomenko Jr. — Yuriy Rostislavovich (Kosmos's father) (ep. 3-5, 10, 15)
- Mikhail Zhigalov — Luka (ep. 8-9)
- stuntmanStuntmanA stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
Alexander Inshakov — himself (ep. 2-3, 6, 11-12, 15) - Denis Kiris — District militsiya officer (ep. 2, 5)
- Aleksei KravchenkoAleksei KravchenkoAleksei Yevgenyevich Kravchenko is an actor perhaps best known for his role in the 1985 film Come and See as a young boy in the resistance army. He was 14 when filming started. He applied to the Shchukin Theatre School in 1991 and graduated in 1995...
— Vvedenskiy (ep. 4-9, 11, 13-14) - Leonid KuravlyovLeonid KuravlyovLeonid Vyacheslavovich Kuravlyov is a Soviet/Russian actor and People's Artist of the RSFSR .Leonid Kuravlyov was born in Moscow in 1936. He lost his father when he was still a little boy. In 1941, Kuravlyov's mother was falsely accused and exiled to the Russian North, where they would spend...
— MVD general (ep. 5-6) - Farhad Mahmudov — Farhad Juraev (ep. 1, 6-8)
- Pyotr Merkuryev — Professor (ep. 4)
- Alla Mescheryakova — Pchyolkin's mother (ep. 11, 15)
- Aleksandra Nazarova — Olga's grondmother (ep. 2-5, 7-8, 10, 13-15)
- Viktor PavlovViktor PavlovViktor Pavlovich Pavlov was a Russian film and television actor.Pavlov was born in Moscow. After graduating from the M. Schepkin Theatre School, he worked in the some of the most popular theatres of Moscow:* 1963-1965 - Sovremennik Theatre...
— Pchyolkin's father (ep. 5, 11) - Elena PanovaElena PanovaElena A Panova, often Elena Panova is a professional female bodybuilder from Voronezh, Russia..-Background:Elena graduated from the Voronezh State Technical University with a master degree in Public Relations. She began training to lose weight in 1998. Generally it was step aerobics at that time...
— Lena, Belov's (ex-)girlfriend (ep. 1) - Darya PoverennovaDarya PoverennovaDarya Vladimirovna Poverennova , is a Russian theatre and film actress, and the granddaughter of the great Soviet actor Sergey Lukyanov.-Biography:...
— Kosmos's stepmother (ep. 2-3) - Mariya Poroshina — Tamara, Filatov's wife (ep. 5, 8, 11-15)
- Daniil StrakhovDaniil StrakhovDaniil Alexandrovich Strakhov is a Russian actor. Internationally, he is the best known for his role of Vladimir Ivanovich Korf in television series Poor Nastya and Captain Lisnevsky in film Transit.- Filmography :- Awards and nominations :- External links :* +...
— Vitalik (ep. 6) - Valentina Telichkina — Belov's mother (ep. 1-3, 7-10)
- Yan Tsapnik — Artur (ep. 4-6, 14-15)
- Svetlana Chuikina — Lyuda, Artur's secretary (ep. 4-5, 8, 14-15)
- Yana Shivkova — Vvedenskiy's wife (ep. 5, 7)
Sequel
The authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of the original book wrote a series of sequel novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s which had Sasha start a new gang but it was met with lack luster reviews by critics who said there was no chemistry between Sasha and the new gang like there was between him, Pchela, Kosmos, and Fil. However the book is still considered an interesting read for whomever enjoyed the first part.