Domovoy (2008) User Reviews

Good

[dd1-7 · 7/10 · 10 January 2009]

I have taken pleasure in viewing of the given Russian film that recently happens not often. We have an interesting plot, good work of actors. Shortly about a plot – not so successfully all develops at the young writer Anton Prachenko, without results trying to deduce on a wide look the book "Domovoy" about the hired killer about whom he has read in what that of the newspaper publication. In publishing house it is not especially claimed. And suddenly, he meets the hired killer and sees, how it makes, the ruthless murders. Further it it is banal gets to a police station as the witness of crimes …. But, suddenly the professional murderer finds the writer and between them certain mutual relations … About actors are fastened. Habensky has once again proved that he excellently plays drunkards. Moshkov as always at the high level. Most less, Hamatova was pleasant, is somehow fresh it played. Unfortunately, in the film scenario there are some holes. What for «Domovoy» has stolen the writer? It has executed all, enemies have killed him, and militiamen nevertheless on the writer and have written off. And «Domovoy» in chocolate. But, there is no it confuses more and more, operates somehow not logically … It is necessary to notice still that in a film music was remembered, it is a little unusual to our films. The result in a film is separate scenes calculated on the spectator who has come to look cinema, instead of having filled up with meal has received the Russian art absurd chewed to aversion. It is an excellent film and it not on once.

Thanks for attention.

Surprisingly Good

[smirnov-maxim · 7/10 · 6 November 2009]

In this movie young pulp-fiction writer Anton (Habensky) suffers from so called writer's block (rather unusual illness for a pulp fiction writer), excessive drinking and complicated relationships with this girlfriend Vika (Khamatova) and small son. Abruptly a real professional killer, prototype of Anton's fictional character named Domovoy (kind of ghost living in houses together with human beings in Russian mythology), interferes into his life and helps to recover inspiration through participation in fake homicide.

One of the drawbacks of modern Russian cinematography is total inability to make good genre movies, not genius ones, but yet having something really interesting to watch. Pure romantic comedies, solid melodramas, high-quality biopics. This picture is a lucky exception from this rule: "Domovoy" is a well made thriller, and its suspense and intrigue will definitely suffice you.

And, for sure, Habensky is excellent at playing drunkards, a talent that he uses in his every third film.

Great thriller with some of the best Russian actors of the 21st century

[eva3si0n · 8/10 · 18 June 2020]

Great thriller with some of the best Russian actors of the 21st century. Here Khabensky is still quite young and clearly loses in the acting to Mashkov. But the way the main characters play out is excellent. And Chulfan Khamatova played great. The plot itself perfectly catches up with suspense, which can be seen very rarely in Russian cinema. Well, the main thing that the film is good is its completion, because now Anton Prachenko will always be afraid of something.

Potential not fulfilled

[tripleyew · 6/10 · 7 February 2009]

This could have been a very polished thriller. The plot is reasonably suspenseful, but the acting is a bit dour. I especially found the Vika character underwhelming. I also think the film should have focused more on the protagonist's inner development. I kept on waiting for a "moment of truth", but found none. Nevertheless, there are some nuggets in here, like the opening sequence of the book signing. I normally don't advocate the full Hollywood polish, but in this case I think a remake might work better than the original. Edward Norton would make a good Anton Prachenko. Scarlett Johansson as Vika, and Sean Penn as the Ghost.

Gorgeously filmed

[Mars11 · 4/10 · 15 February 2009]

As I could not get a version of this film with subtitles, I am unable to comment on the script or the actor's reading of the lines. However, the action moved along well enough, the actors seemed to carry the necessary emotion just fine and frankly the cinematography was enough to keep me interested. I naturally missed a large portion of the dialog proceedings because I don't speak Russian and my friend who does doesn't speak it well enough to pick up the intricacies of the plot, but the beats of the action are broadly drawn enough that I could follow the film just fine despite the language problem. Possibly that means the film is not very imaginative and it may actually be hackneyed and boring with translation but viewed without that, I enjoyed it. And again, it's beautiful to look at. Every frame is about color and shape, is selected carefully, set up symmetrically or asymmetrically with great attention, all little works of art. The favored color scheme seems to be blue versus gold and it shows up in countless unusual ways. Hopefully, we'll get a comment on here from a Russian speaker who also speaks excellent English (no offense to the first reviewer but the translation leaves much to be desired) or we may get a version with subtitles but until then, it is very easy to look at. Oh yes: and Konstantin Khabensky does do drunk very, very well. No argument there.