This movie is a whole phenomenon in Russia, it hits the first places of the local lists of "must-see-movies". Many persons aged from 14 to 80 don't stop enjoying it after watching it like 5 or 10 times. I tried to analyze what made this film so popular in this country and had a couple of ideas:
First of all, this movie was shown in 1999 (or something) by a nationwide TV channel in prime time (and with a good translation!). This was a really respectful move from our TV makers which provided a solid audience for the film.
The second (and the most important) factor is that the plot is a total fiction (bullets don't hurt, mafia can be nice, etc...) but still extremely sincere. This is what appeals to the Russian spectator. If becoming wiser will deprive me of believing in fairy tales - then down with the wisdom!
First of all, this movie was shown in 1999 (or something) by a nationwide TV channel in prime time (and with a good translation!). This was a really respectful move from our TV makers which provided a solid audience for the film.
The second (and the most important) factor is that the plot is a total fiction (bullets don't hurt, mafia can be nice, etc...) but still extremely sincere. This is what appeals to the Russian spectator. If becoming wiser will deprive me of believing in fairy tales - then down with the wisdom!