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TYCOON Send This Review to a Friend
If you think the Communists were bad for the Russians, get a load of what's going on under runaway capitalism as depicted in "Tycoon," the Russian import directed by Pavel Lounguine. The film, marked by violence, dramatizes greed, thievery, wheeling and dealing, political corruption, assassination and just about every kind of duplicity you can imagine. This is the new Russia?
The inspiration for this fictional story is based on the real saga of Boris Berezovsky, one of the businessman operators unleashed by the opportunity to make financial killings as the Communist regime collapsed and survival of the fittest become the order of the day. With grabs for resources and manufacturing on the table, a new class of Russians started their upward mobility into the world of riches and power.
The central figure Lounguine's drama is Plato Makovski, played by Vladimir Mashkov, who with four pals from school days opts for the world of business and becomes the wealthiest man in the country. Naturally, that marks him as an enemy of others, and we are taken through the mire of crime and bureaucracy, plots and counter plots. The film starts with Makovski's murder and flashes back to development of the story.
The tone is jangling and tense, with the feeling of a mystery and crime drama, laced with political intrigue. It's an absorbing if nerve-wracking movie that is packed with staccato action. The tour through this world is upsetting, for if such chaos is what the downfall of the old regime has led to, is the country really better off? A New Yorker Films release.
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