Yuri Bykov, Sleepers: movie reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In recent years, the following trend has emerged in society: the release of some films on the screens of the country causes a split in the audience and gives rise to violent disputes that are transferred from the sphere of cinematography to the sphere of socio-political. So it was with the paintings by A. Zvyagintsev "Leviathan" (2014), A. Shalyopa "28 Panfilov" (2016), A. Teacher "Matilda" (2017). The same thing happened with the film "Sleepers" (2017) directed by Yuri Bykov.

About the picture

Eight-episode film "Sleepers" directed by Yuri Bykov was released on October 9, 2017. The script was written by Sergey Minaev. The producers of the series are the famous director and film actor Fyodor Bondarchuk and the general director of the STS Media media holding Vyacheslav Murugov. The genre of the film, as Sergey Minaev defines it, is a socio-political thriller.

A little about the director

Yuri Bykov comes from a small town in the Ryazan region. After graduating from school, he goes to Moscow and enters VGIK at the acting department, afterafter which he works on the stages of the Theater of the Russian Army, Tetra Luna, Moscow Art Theater.

Bykov played his first film role in 2006 in the movie "Love is like love". Then there was a role in the TV series "Everything is mixed up in the house …" Then there were shootings in the films "Ranetki" (2008), "Keys to happiness", "Tanks are not afraid of dirt" (2008), "Major" (2013), "Lights of the big villages", "Heels" (2016).

Yuri Bykov's directorial debut took place in 2009 with the screening of the short film "Chief" at the Kinotavr festival. His work was awarded the "Short Film" prize. The next film "To Live", filmed in 2010, was already a full-length film. Then, with a gap of a year, the films "Major" (2013) and "Fool" (2014) appear, in which he is also the author of music. In 2015, the crime drama "Method" was released. Now the director is working on the film "The Plant", according to him, this film will be the last, as he decided to leave the profession.

Yuri Bykov and the series "Sleepers". Reviews

Let's try to figure it out. Judging by the number of reviews on "Sleepers" by Yuri Bykov, the film left no one indifferent. Undoubtedly, any person has the right to have his own opinion and express it without getting personal. Some of the reviews for the first season of Sleepers contain offensive remarks and even curses against the director and the film. By the way,many viewers watched the tape just because of the hype raised in print, on television and on the Internet, which was more like bullying. Reviews of the film by Yuri Bykov "Sleepers" can be conditionally divided into positive, constructive, containing valuable comments, and not petty nit-picking, and sharply negative. Moreover, there are much more positive and constructive ones. Some critics forget that the film "Sleepers" is a feature film, not a documentary, that the director shoots what is written by the screenwriter, that any author also has the right to his own point of view.

Controversy surrounding the film

A fierce controversy unfolded around Yuri Bykov's series. The director was accused of filming an order, selling himself to the authorities, that the film was more like a television political talk show, that, having shown weakness and began to repent, he lost the right to professional activity. However, the position of those people, known and unknown, who opposed the persecution of Yuri Bykov for the TV series "Sleepers" is respected.

Sergey Minaev said that it is necessary to discuss him first of all as the author of the script. Speaking on one of the talk shows, Minaev said that he was accused of showing an honest FSB officer, that some of the situations shown in the film are real, all the dialogues are taken from life, transferred to the cinema and filmed with talent.

Writer Marina Yudenich, after giving a positive review of "Sleeping" by Yuri Bykov, tried to understand why the film caused such rage among some viewers. From her point of view, there is a cold war in which people participate,different visions of the future of Russia.

The newspaper "Zavtra" wrote that for the first time in many years a film appeared on the main Russian channel, in which moral and ideological priorities are clearly indicated. In Yuri Bykov's series "Sleepers", according to the audience, some carriers of the so-called liberal idea recognized themselves, and this caused a flurry of negative criticism.

Series plot

At the beginning of the movie, there is a warning that all characters are fictitious and any matches are random.

Events begin in 2013 in Libya. During the storming of the Russian consulate in Tripoli, 21 people were killed, among them Fedorov, an employee of the Energia corporation. As it turned out later, the reason for the deaths was the leak of information about the timing of the evacuation at the level of the Foreign Ministry. Colonel Rodionov returns to Moscow, where he has not been for 15 years, and finds himself in the thick of things.

In order to prevent the launch of a gas pipeline from Russia to China and to undermine the political situation in Russia, the CIA sends its employee to Moscow, whose duty is to activate the network of sleeper agents. Sleepers are people recruited by the American intelligence services back in the 90s, many of them occupy high positions in ministries and departments. Each of them receives a message with the words: "It's time to wake up."

The political game begins around the human rights activist Osmolov, who accused the FSB of financial fraud related to the gas contract between Russia and China. Osmolov is kidnapped, but firstinformation appears that he died during the explosion, then a video appears with the moment of his abduction. The buildup of public opinion begins: through the Internet, interest in the case of a human rights activist is artificially heated. In order to reassure the Chinese side on the eve of the signing of the contract, Deputy Prime Minister Ignatiev demands that Nefedov hold a briefing and tell how the investigation into the case of Petr Osmolov is being conducted.

After a while, Rodionov's group manages to capture a group of Internet "trolls", leading various profiles in social networks on given topics and special instructions. When investigating documents found in the office of the agent Scarecrow, they find step-by-step instructions for searching for Osmolov's kidnappers. It becomes clear that a "mole" is working in the department, leaking information. Denis Boyarinov is accused of betrayal, but Rodionov does not believe this. Very soon, having learned about the "Sleepers" program, he logically goes to Urusov and receives confirmation that it was he who instructed Fedorov to stay in Libya for 2 days. In addition, it turns out that Urusov is an FSB colonel.

Escaped Osmolov, guarded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, arrives at a press conference. Refusing police escort, surrounded by a crowd of journalists, he receives an injection in the arm, from which he immediately dies.

Etan, aka Ivan Zhuravlev, agrees with Bradfield to evacuate with his family, regardless of the outcome of the operation.

Meanwhile, the bomber Slava, together with the killer girl, is preparing to carry out a major terrorist attack. But when Slava boughtmetal balls for a slingshot, he attracted the attention of one of the buyers, who, suspecting the preparation for a terrorist attack, turned to Ruben Ghazaryan. Ruben goes to the bomber's apartment, where he is killed.

Nefedov understands that a terrorist attack will take place at the rally scheduled for the next day, he meets with Paul Bradford and demands to remove the bombers. Bradford declared persona non grata and expelled from the country.

Zhuravlev uses his TV presenter mistress to bring as many people as possible to the rally. An explosion occurs on the square, panic begins. Rodionov finds Slava in the crowd, who takes the TV presenter hostage. The girl bites the terrorist's hand and gets shot in the head, the terrorist himself is also killed.

Before leaving for America, Zhuravlev organizes an explosion in a restaurant where the entire Chinese delegation is killed. He made it so that Kira, who had left him for Rodionov, was under suspicion. Rodionov receives an unspoken task to go to Kyiv.

Actors and roles

There is a good cast in Yury Bykov's series "Sleepers". This is Yuri Belyaev, who played Nefedov, Igor Petrenko as Colonel Rodionov, Dmitry Ulyanov, who plays the role of journalist Ivan Zhuravlev, Alexander Rapoport, who appeared before the audience in the form of CIA officer Paul Bradford. Among the female images in the series, it is worth noting the role of the killer Lena, beautifully played by Karina Razumovskaya, and the role of Kira, performed by Natalia Rogozhkina. The film also starred director Yuri Bykov (Slava), producerFyodor Bondarchuk (Deputy Prime Minister Ignatiev) and screenwriter Sergei Minaev (Fedorov).

Igor Petrenko

In the series, the famous actor Igor Petrenko played Rodionov, a specialist in the Middle East, who has been engaged in anti-terrorist activities in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Libya for 15 years. Rodionov is a person who truly worries about what is happening in the country. He compares himself to a shepherd guarding his territory. Over the years of service, he has lost friends more than once, he knows how to value friendship, he is ready to risk his life, saving others. In the film by Yuri Bykov "Sleepers", according to the audience, the role of Colonel Rodionov shows a man who honestly fulfills his officer's duty, it is on such people that Russia is kept.

Dmitry Ulyanov

The role of a liberal journalist working for America's intelligence services went to Dmitry Ulyanov. Once upon a time, the hero of Ulyanov, journalist Ivan Zhuravlev, was a friend of Rodionov. Now they are on opposite sides of the barricades, all their conversations at meetings are proof of this. Zhuravlev considers himself a decent person, while completely calmly managing the lives of other people, framing his wife, working for the enemies of his country. One can understand the bitterness against the world of Lena and Slava, whom life did not spoil. And what is missing in the life of people like Zhuravlev, perfectly played by Dmitry Ulyanov?

Fyodor Bondarchuk

The role of Deputy Prime Minister Ignatiev was played by Fyodor Bondarchuk. Beforeus a person at the very pinnacle of power. What is this person's concern? A house in the mountains, where to go to rest. It is important for him that in the West they speak of him as a politician of a new formation. He arranges exhibitions of contemporary art, sponsors the film. A Moscow crowd gathered around him, in which, according to Rodionov, a conditional opponent does not even need to be psychologically processed.

Karina Razumovskaya

An unexpected offer was received by Karina Razumovskaya. In the film by Yuri Bykov "Sleepers" she got the role of Lena Kolycheva, a killer girl. An unfortunate fate pushed Lena on this path: her father raped her, her mother beat her, bandits let her go around. She had a child whom she raised alone. There was only one feeling left in her soul - hatred. After slaughtering her rapists, she realized that she could easily kill people. But even she, a cold-blooded killer, wants to keep the remnants of humanity in herself.

Alexander Rapoport

Alexander Rapoport played the role of CIA agent Paul Bradford, a specialist in velvet revolutions. For this person, political games are a chess game in which some pieces can be sacrificed in order to win. And although he was expelled from Russia, he still received a tidy sum in his bank account.

Many viewers are looking forward to the start of filming of the 2nd season of the film, at least in the announcement it was stated that if the series is renewed, new episodes should appear on the screens in 2018year.