Director Aleksei Balabanov's matter-of-fact depiction of his protagonist's exploits conveys the blunt harshness of post-Cold War Russia.

Set in St Petersburg and dizzy with an unhappy mood, the film is gripping.

If anything, this slickly done gangster thriller should be taken as a political warning by the West that Russia is a wounded animal and still dangerous...

Danila (protagonist) is like the Russian James Bond. This is a fun movie.