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TV series “The Brigade“was released on Russian screens in 2002. The film was a great success with viewers and received a lot of both positive and negative reviews. The events in the series take place in 1989-2000. The main characters are four friends who have known each other since childhood.
The fight of the guys with the local crime boss leads to tragic events, as a result of which not only their freedom, but also their lives are in jeopardy. All this only unites friends, who gradually plunge into the world of crime themselves, having founded one of the most influential gangs.
The article will describe the 10 best Russian and foreign films and TV shows that are similar in plot and atmosphere to the “Brigade”.
10 Hide and Seek (2005)
Crime comedy “Dwarfs” by the famous Russian director Alexei Balabanov was released in 2005. The title of the film refers to the old game of the same name, the essence of which is that a blindfolded person must catch other players. In Russia in the 90s, the old game began to be interpreted differently: the winner is the one who makes his opponents “smart eyes” while himself remaining alive.
The film tells the story of Sergei and Simon, two small-time bandits from a provincial town who work for the serious crime boss Sergei Mikhailovich. Having failed the next task, the guys receive a serious warning from the boss. Sergei Mikhailovich gives them the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves and gives them a new assignment. However, the unlucky bandits again get into big trouble.
9. The Sopranos (1999)
«Klan Soprano“is a cult series that has not lost its popularity for many years.
The film tells about the life of crime boss Tony Soprano. The man is the head of the New Jersey mafia and successfully copes with his “professional” duties.
However, in Tony’s family life, not everything is so smooth: the children do not want to obey anyone, and the relationship with his wife leaves much to be desired and is on the verge of collapse. Mafiosi cannot cope on their own with the difficulties that have piled up and relies only on the help of a psychotherapist.
8. Oligarch (2002)
Dramatic film “Oligarch” is based on the book “Big Soldering”. Events unfold in the USSR in the 1980s. This is a story about the financial success of a simple researcher Platon Mayakovsky.
The film tells about the life, love, relationships with friends and enemies of the Russian oligarch, as well as the ups and downs and the struggle for a place in the sun.
7. Undercover (2011)
Bulgarian TV seriesUnder coveraired on local television in 2011. In the center of the plot of the crime drama is a police officer who works undercover. The servant of the law takes root in the Bulgarian criminal gang.
The film highlights contemporary problems associated with the criminal world in Bulgaria. The series is characterized by subtle psychologism and realism, which perfectly reflects the life of the criminal world and law enforcement officers.
6. Alien (2010)
Russian-made crime drama “Alien“was released in 2010. The film is based on the work of the same name by the writer Vladimir Nesterenko.
The events in the film take place in 1993 in Kyiv. A bandit named Babai is behind bars. Crime boss Rasp, for whom he worked, is afraid that he will leak important information about him.
To protect himself, the Rasp gives the task to his subordinates: to deliver the prisoner’s sister, nicknamed Alien, to him. In this way, he wants to achieve Babai’s silence and ensure his own safety. However, the girl’s plans do not include her own kidnapping, and she starts her own game with the people of the Rasp.
5. Brother (1997)
Action drama “Brother“The famous director Alexei Balabanov is one of the cult Russian films. The main role in the film was played by such an eminent actor as Sergei Bodrov. The film is included in the list of 100 major Russian films (according to the Afisha magazine).
Danila Bagrov in the mid-90s returns to his home from the army. Life in a provincial town is not going well with the guy, and he goes to his older brother Victor, in St. Petersburg. According to his mother, Victor achieved great success and became an authoritative person.
When Danila arrives in Leningrad and finds his brother there, he learns that he is not a big businessman, he is just a local killer named Tatarin.
4. Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Multi-part American TV series “Boardwalk Empiretells the story of the development of a large illegal business. The action takes place in the 1920s, in the city of Atlantic City (during the Prohibition).
The protagonist of the film – Enoch Thompson – in ordinary life works as an ordinary treasurer, and at night he is engaged in the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages.
Illegal activity is complicated by the fact that a man has quite a few competitors who also want to quickly “rise” in illegal business. Enoch will have to fight not only with the servants of the law, but also with representatives of the criminal world.
3. Peaky Blinders (2013)
Multi-part British dramaSharp peaks”was released in 2013. The series was filmed for BBC Two and has earned wide acclaim from viewers. The film tells about the criminal world and its inhabitants in Birmingham in the 1920s. The central figures of the series are representatives of the Shelby family group.
The family was one of the toughest criminal gangs of its time. The Shelby clan traded in robberies and robbery, and the trademark of the criminals were blades sewn into the visors of hats. In addition to illegal activities, the family clan tried to organize a legal gambling business.
2. Yellow Eye of the Tiger (2017)
Multi-part action movie “yellow eye tiger” tells about the formation of the amber business in the vastness of Russia. The series is also known by such a name as “Amber».
The events of the film take place in 1988, in Kaliningrad. Four good friends who are in the same class are graduating from high school.
The guys are making plans for the future and want to continue earning on the extraction of amber, as there are quite a lot of precious stones in their area. Over time, fishing made evil and prudent businessmen out of good and kind young people who are capable of anything for their own benefit.
1. Boomer (2003)
Crime Drama “Boomer”is the debut feature film directed by Pavel Buslov. The film tells about four gangsters who get into trouble and are forced to hide in their black BMW car. Friends leave Moscow, but a chain of random unfortunate events only aggravates the situation.
Finding themselves without money in a strange city, representatives of a criminal group are forced to look for new ways out of this situation. There is no way back, so Dimon, Lekha, Kostya and Petya, by all means, need to go to the end.
The film fell in love with many Russian viewers. Critics compared the picture with the series “Brigade”, but as a lighter version of the crime story.