It's a horror film about maniac with details of his crimes. It's not about the USSR and it's not a historical movie. The director pretends on a great depth of meaning but really it's horror in "social realism" style. If you never live in the USSR in 80th you can think that the whole life was the same like in this movie. I.e. maniacs, criminals integrated in the police and in the society. But reality differs from this like Charles Manson differs from usual man. Balabanov is a good provoker. He wanted sensation at any cost and he received it with naturalistic acts of violence and with decomposing men bodies. It's a very cheap way but if you haven't talent and ideas just remake "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in another surrounding and call it drama instead of horror and voilà - you are modern fancy new wave director!
