Gruz 200 (Cargo 200) (Freight 200) (2007)

79% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(644 ratings)

Brother director Alexei Balabanov takes the helm for this over-the-top black comedy concerning the clash between a sadistic police captain and an atheist university professor. The year is 1984, and power-abusing police Captain Zhurov (Alexei Poluyan) lives in a modest Leninisk home with his… More Brother director Alexei Balabanov takes the helm for this over-the-top black comedy concerning the clash between a sadistic police captain and an atheist university professor. The year is 1984, and power-abusing police Captain Zhurov (Alexei Poluyan) lives in a modest Leninisk home with his incoherent, alcoholic mother (Valentina Andryukova). Existing in stark contrast to the corrupt urban policeman, grain alcohol slinger Alexei (Alexei Serebryakov) lives in a remote country shack with his wife Tonya (Natalya Akimova). One night, on his way to visit his mother, local academic Artem (Leonid Gromov)'s care breaks down near Alexei and Tonya's cabin. Later, after Alexei and Artem engaged in a lively debate about communism, atheism, and religion, Leninisk youths Valeria (Leonid Bicevin) and Angelika (Agniya Kuznetsova) show up at the shack in search of some hooch. But Captain Zhurov, who has been lurking in the shadows all along, wants communist chief's daughter Angelika all to himself, and he's willing to take drastic measures in order to get her back to his place and work out his many sexual frustrations. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Aleksei Balabanov
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jun 14, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Apr 28, 2009
Studio: Disinformation Company

Critic Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Art house meets grind house in Cargo 200, Alexey Balabanov's morbidly compelling thriller set in the Soviet Union.
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice
Regardless of intent, Cargo 200 is beautifully filmed and completely disturbing for its entire running time.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
This is not a movie for those with weak stomachs, but it is haunting if you can stomach the disgusting acts of sexual abuse and murder.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Mildly compelling, but, essentially, it's just another bland, tedious, pointless version of Hostel with much less blood-and-guts and ultimately leaves you with a bitter aftertaste.
Matthew Nestel, Boxoffice Magazine
The realism of the cinematography, the pull-no-punches style in the scenes that depict Russia's military as a disenfranchised bunch of thugs and the gumption to toss it into one pot all deliver a robust recipe.
Lewis Beale, Film Journal International
Incredibly perverse and weirdly fascinating look at the Soviet Union in the pre-Glasnost era.
Karina Longworth, SpoutBlog
Balabanov has crafted horror setpieces as vile (and strangely aesthetically pleasing) as anything you might see in contemporary torture porn, but Cargo's slow-burn build give each act of rape, murder, torture and necrophilia that much more weight.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A depressing Russian thriller set in 1984 that paints a very unpretty picture of society.
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Soviet lives are uncomfortable to watch here but as compelling as Richard Widmark's début in 'Kiss of Death' or Tarantino's more graphic one with 'Reservoir Dogs.'
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Balabanov (Brother) writes and directs with an almost unnervingly naturalistic style, loading each scene with pitch-black humour
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Balabanov imbues his uncompromisingly matter-of-fact horror show material with a shrewd politicized consciousness.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
so bleak and horrifying that you might think Francis Bacon served as DP
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
You're likely to leave this movie wondering what you've just watched, as if you've been abused worse than the poor kidnapped girl.
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Searing critique of the social decay in 1984 by Alexei Balabanov, who has an affinity with Quentin Tarentino. Worth seeing, but not as successful as his best-known movie "Brother".
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Alexey Balabanov's gruesome little charmer of a black comedy -- a goth cousin to Delicatessen -- is set in the gray, decaying environs of Leninsk, essentially a more depressing version of Pittsburgh.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
o stomahi hreiazetai na to 'heis gero kai to goysto isos kai ligo diestrammeno gia tin ektimiseis, toylahiston sto epipedo poy doyleyei i ameilikti eystohia toy petyhimenoy pantrematos toy karamayroy hioymor me tin politiki satira, tin arketa sygkratimeni
Boyd van Hoeij, european-films.net
Unflinching would be a gentle word to describe this portrayal of a doomed humanity, but the exact point of the film beyond its doomsday message is never really clear.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bannan i

I still am uncertain what to think of this film, the previous Balabanov film was a comedic gem really taking black comedies in the direction you'd think they'd go. Known for his Tarantino-esque sense of humour and combining violence with laughs it was quite enjoyable.… More
I still am uncertain what to think of this film, the previous Balabanov film was a comedic gem really taking black comedies in the direction you'd think they'd go. Known for his Tarantino-esque sense of humour and combining violence with laughs it was quite enjoyable. However, this story as gritty as it is and how true it may be is something entirely. There's maybe two people in the entire film that have anything close to a conscience. The perfomances are really believable and the violence is almost random acts of brutality. What you're gonna look at me in the wrong way? Fuck you buddy, the military's gonna beat you up. It's just really scary to see how far authority can go..or heck, how corrupt ANYONE could be. Really different, and definitely not for the weak stomachs, either. Although, I did particularly enjoy the political/philosophical debates over copious amounts of moonshine. A curious look into communist russia, for sure.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Cargo 200" starts with Artem(Leonid Gromov), a professor of scientific atheism, drinking with his brother Mikhail(Yuri Stepanov), an army colonel, on a balcony in Leningrad in 1984. Artem leaves to visit their mother in Leninsk but his car breaks down… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Cargo 200" starts with Artem(Leonid Gromov), a professor of scientific atheism, drinking with his brother Mikhail(Yuri Stepanov), an army colonel, on a balcony in Leningrad in 1984. Artem leaves to visit their mother in Leninsk but his car breaks down along the way. Seeing a light in the distance, he goes to a cabin to ask for help and Sunka(Mikhail Skryabin), a Vietnamese national, fixes his car. A short time later, Valera(Leonid Bichevin) convinces Angelika(Agniya Kuznetsova) to go with him someplace secluded and nearby but they end up at the very same cabin where Valera manages to pass out drunk...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]Based on a true story, "Cargo 200" is a nasty, dark and brooding tale set at a time when the Soviet Union was collapsing under its own weight as dead bodies were being returned in coffins from Afghanistan at an ever increasing rate as live bodies were going in the opposite direction, the powers that be trying to cover their tracks as best they could. And on a local level, authority was either alternately being abused or simply ignored. While all of this was going on, the older generation simply scoffed at the younger generation who they expected to fight their battles but instead just ignored the old orthodoxy.[/font]
Christopher B

Brutal and criminally unknown film about interconnecting stories revolving around a police chief who as gone mad in 80?s Russia. Beautifully shot and directed with great performances by the whole cast. Downbeat, but a must see.

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Gruz 200 (Cargo 200) (Freight 200) (2007)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Bannan i

Walter M

Christopher B

Cast

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