Saw it at TIFF 2016.

The sets and costumes are great and the story is engrossing, but be warned that this film is *extremely* violent in places. "Onegin" this is not!

Also, when they are speaking German, there is a Soviet-style voice-over instead of subtitles, so you can't actually hear what the actors are saying.

Overall, it was a very interesting experience!

I recommend seeing it if you are at all interested in Russian culture, but sadly this film is likely to be too lowbrow to meet the approval of the art-house crowd.

Set in 19th century Imperial Russia, this quite violent Russian film stars Pyotr Fyodorov, who gives a powerful performance as the mysterious Yakovlev. He's only been in the city of St. Petersburg for several months but has already killed 5 men as a duelist (comparable in a way to a Wild West gunslinger). Only slowly do we learn of his motivations, and it's only towards the very end of the movie that all is revealed.

To note, I thought some of the plot elements could be rather obtuse and difficult to follow at times. The settings and cinematography are exquisite and I really got the sense that I was right there in 19th century Russia.

All in all, if you don't mind the violence or some of the cloudy plot elements, this movie can be a reasonably decent watch, especially if you like dark and intense foreign dramas.

I must say that the movie I watched had a very broken english translation that took a great deal of my own subjective translating. I really liked it though.

This film is about, what essentially comes down to, a hired gunman. A nobleman pays for someone to stand in for nobility at time when the only price for honor is blood. There are backstories which twist and turn the film in places which helps to make this a nice thriller.

I personally didn't find this to be as bloody as some have made out. Like I mentioned, the english translation for the film I watched was broken and I really had to try and figure a few things out for myself. This was a well filmed movie. The costuming and sets were great. I really did enjoy it and I hope to find a better version so that I might be able to enjoy it all the more. I would suggest this if you like period thrillers.