I really liked this movie. It was a gangster crime movie, but in a totally different style than most American films. There was a good story and great visuals of Russia. I liked the fact that not everything had to be explained to the audience. The director assumed that we were able to think for ourselves, i.e.; the lead character's 'true' past in the army. I don't believe that he was "just a clerk at HQ". I saw the DVD version, and watched the interview with the director. The film is even more amazing considering the shoestring budget. He got his friends to perform some of the acting roles as well as write and play the music (which was quite good). This is a great gritty film. Its one of the more watchable movies from Russia that I have seen. I gave it a 7 out of 10. I plan to see 'Prisoner of the Mountain' next, can't wait.

A fascinating look at the underworld of St. Petersburg, filled with excellent performances, especially by Sergei Bodrov III and Yuri Kutznetsov. I was swept away by the story and characters, thrown into their world. And there is no place else like St. Petersburg. I'd say it's a "must see."

I got fooled by the extremely high rating this movie got on here. Well fooled is a big word because Brat (or Brother for the English title) isn't a bad movie but it's also not a gem. To me it's just overrated. Maybe if I was Russian I would think differently, but I'm not, I'm Belgian. The story isn't bad, but it's not incredible either. It's just entertaining enough to never get bored. The acting skills from Sergey Bodrov playing the main character are certainly not bad, it's one of the positive things about Brat. Would I watch it again in the future? Probably not as there are way too much better movies that I didn't watch yet, but for a Russian movie it's rather good.