Bender: The Beginning

2021 1h 36m RU

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 50

AdventureComedyActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Russian Empire, 1919. By a twist of fate, young idealist Osip Zadunaisky meets an infamous con artist and self-proclaimed Turkish subject Ibrahim Bender. A man of pure thought and aristocratic upbringing, Osip would never have associated with a cunning and unscrupulous swindler, but Bender comes up with an offer Osip cannot refuse. A precious royal relic, a diamond-encrusted golden scepter is hidden somewhere in town; Bender needs a partner on his mission to find it, and offers Osip a share of the profit from selling the treasure. And so begins their joint venture, wrought with comical and dangerous twists and turns, where they have to outsmart and outmaneuver officers of the White Guard as well as the local mafia, who also have their eyes on the scepter. As their quest unfolds, Osip is compelled to learn Bender’s tricks of the trade: charming flattery, delicate deception, soft intimidation... as well as brute force.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Sergey Bezrukov
Ibrahim Suleiman Berta-Maria Bender-bay
Aram Vardevanyan
Ostap Zadunayskiy
Nikita Kologrivyy
Mishka Yaponchik
Taisiya Vilkova
Eva Mahulskaya - swindler
Olexander Tsekalo
Mark Sokolovich
Yuliya Rutberg
madam Sokolovich
Olga Sutulova
Bender's mother
Yuri Kolokolnikov
Grigoriy Kotovskiy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Igor Zaytsev
Writers: Oleg Malovichko
Languages: Russian
Countries: Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ostap Bender Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Igor Zaytsev, shot by Sergey Trofimov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ryan Otter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sergey Bezrukov and Aram Vardevanyan and Nikita Kologrivyy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt15060248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Igor Zaytsev directs. Sergey Trofimov behind the camera. Ryan Otter scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Russia. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Part of the "Ostap Bender Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Igor Zaytsev, shot by Sergey Trofimov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ryan Otter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Sergey Bezrukov and Aram Vardevanyan and Nikita Kologrivyy carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt15060248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.