Films by Timur Bekmambetov

Our parents, having heard the name “Timur and his team”, recall the children’s work of the same name by Arkady Gaidar. Our generation associates this name with the first Russian-Kazakh troops in Hollywood – the film crew of Timur Bekmambetov. The director, producer and screenwriter, who taught us to watch Russian films in theaters, not only made Russian cinema commercially successful, but also forced serious Hollywood bigwigs to memorize their difficult name for the Western ear.





On July 16, it became known that Timur Bekmambetov is starting to shoot a new film “Hardcore”, in which he will act as a producer. The idea for the film came from the popular YouTube video “Bad Motherfucker” by the Russian band Biting Elbows. The screenwriter of the film was the author of the video Ilya Naishuller, and the main role invited South African actor Sharlto Copley, known for his role in the fantastic film DistrictNo9.

While preparing for the filming process, we can remember the 10 best films of Timur Bekmambetov.

Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006)

Night Watch is a film in the new genre of a fantastic action movie for Russia, based on the super-popular novel by Sergei Lukyanenko, the main domestic science fiction writer. Timur Bekmambetov acted not only as a director, but also as a co-author of the script. After him, Bekmambetov was talked about by everyone – from residents of remote Kazakh villages to Quentin Tarantino, who called the Night Watch “an exciting masterpiece of fantasy” and “an epic work of extraordinary power.”

In Russia, the film was initially accepted ambiguously, mainly due to the army of thousands of fans of the original work of Lukyaneko, who had to explain the difference between the literal adaptation and the concept of “made based on motives”. But most critics and viewers, both in Russia and in foreign countries, gave the film a high positive assessment. The film with a budget of $ 4 million managed to collect more than 34 million at the box office.

The film set a high standard for Russian blockbusters - Bekmambetov not only used innovative special effects and shooting methods, but also brought a unique author's aesthetic. He created not just a spectacular visual range, but also his own recognizable style, which differs not only from Russian directors, but also from much more experienced Hollywood colleagues.

The epic battle between the Dark and Light magicians on the territory of modern Moscow not only appealed to fans of fiction, but also provided Bekmambetov’s road to Hollywood. The film received the prestigious Golden Eagle Award and was included in the list of “100 best films of world cinema according to Empire magazine”. The second part of the picture called “Day Watch” consolidated its success, collecting $ 38 million at the box office.

Especially Dangerous/Wanted (2008)

The first Hollywood experience of Timur Bekmambetov united on the set talented Hollywood youth in the person of the main character James McAvoy, stars of the first magnitude Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, as well as Russian actors Konstantin Khabensky and Dato Bakhtadze. The film is based on the comic book by Mark Millar, which tells about the secret brotherhood of assassins.

“Specially dangerous” received quite high public ratings. Total box office worldwide as of February 1, 2009 was over $342 million.

The film collected a record number of prestigious international nominations and awards for Russian directors: nomination at the National Movie Awards in 3 categories (“best action film”, “best actress” (Jolie) and “best actor” (McEvoy)), nomination for the Teen Choice Awards (“film of summer”), nomination for the Oscar in the categories “best sound” and “best sound effects”, nomination for the Screen Actors Guild of the United States (“best stunt team” (McEvoy)), nomination for the Movimine Award (viumnaya Award), “Best actress” in the award in the Movimine Award in the 3rdial award “Movine Award”).

“Specially Dangerous” can hardly be called a breakthrough on a global scale, but it is impossible not to note the spectacular visual range, special drive, dynamics and proprietary Bekmambetov’s “madness” in handling the laws of physics and the usual Hollywood standards in the application of special effects.

Elki (2011), Elki-2 (2012)

The New Year comedy “Yelki” is a film almanac of 9 novels created by 6 directors (T. Bekmambetov, A. Andryushchenko, A. Voitinsky, D. Kiselev, I. Joninas and Y. Chevazhevsky). The film tells stories, sometimes funny and sometimes sad or ridiculous, that take place on New Year’s Eve with different people in 11 cities of Russia.

All stories are somehow connected in a single chain of events, confirming the famous Theory of 6 handshakes. A series of accidents and directed actions connects many random people - from a pupil of the orphanage Varie to the President of Russia. In the maelstrom of the New Year events are involved singer Vera Brezhneva, janitor Yusuf, taxi driver Pasha, businessman Boris, actor Eugene, alcoholic Peter, snowboarder Kolyan, policeman Valery Petrovich, and many others.

Bekmambetov acted as a producer and director. The picture was so popular that a new almanac was released - Yelki-2, telling the stories of old and new heroes, and by the next New Year, Yelki-3 was announced. Will Bekmambetov continue to shoot Christmas trees, or will he come up with something new (from Christmas trees to Sticks you know how many steps)? Time will tell.

Irony of fate. Continuation (2007)

To shoot remakes of popularly beloved Soviet classics is a risky business, for which not every director will take up, because the originals still remain cultic and relevant. But Timur Bekmambetov made an original move, shooting both a sequel and a remake. In the story, the events of the first Irony are repeated with the children of their favorite heroes. On December 31, the son of Zhenya Kostya went... guess where? Of course the bath!
It is easy to guess what happened next, but it is worth noting that then we will see not only the adventures of Konstantin Evgenyevich and Nadezhda Ippolitovna at the address 3rd Street Builders, 25, apartment 12. Continuation will receive the stories of Zhenya, Nadia and Hippolyte performed by favorite actors from part 1 – Andrei Myagkov, Barbara Brylska and Yuri Yakovlev.

The film became the highest grossing at the box office of Russia and the CIS in 2008, grossing about 49.92 million dollars. By the way, Eldar Ryazanov approved, and even starred in the role of a passenger of the aircraft, as in part 1.

Black Lightning (2009)

It’s not just Batmans and Supermans saving the world – thanks to Bekmambetov, we also have superheroes! However, the superheroes themselves are still inexperienced, do not have superpowers, do not wear latex suits, and look like Grigory Dobrygin (which, in general, is not bad – outwardly not Henry Cavill, but no longer Tobey Maguire). But our superhero has a super-car "Volga GAZ-21" 1966 release. Girls, don't wrinkle, it's a rarity! It's not a Mercedes, it's Black Lightning, a product of nanotechnology, flying on rocket fuel synthesized from ordinary gasoline! (hmm... shouldn't Bekmambetov be appointed energy minister?).

In general, a simple student Dima on the difficult black Volga saves the world (in fact, only Moscow, but some still do not know whether there is life behind the Moscow Ring Road), wins her beloved girl, and organizes a universal New Year's happy ending.

Naive, but, in general, cute attempt to make a superhero comic book film in a country where there are no comics about superheroes. Cash collections of 21.5 million of the invested 15 million

Twisting (2010)

Comedies, in which the characters are put in the most awkward position possible, are the second after the fantastic action films feature of Bekmambetov. In Vykrutasy, Timur is a producer, but the hand of the maestro in the film is clearly visible. Heroes with the disabled “common sense” function with stunning efficiency complicate the life of themselves and others, and instantly charm (and slightly annoy) the audience with their cheerful idiocy.

In addition to the ubiquitous Urgant and Khabensky, Mila Jovovich starred in one of the main roles, and her mother – one of the main beauties of Soviet cinema Galina Loginova – also lit up. The first letters of the names of the actors who played the main roles in the film (Khabensky, Urgant, Jovovich) form an obscene word. One of the trailers shows this. For this reason, many movie theaters refused to show the trailer.

The Phantom (2011)

Another fantastic action movie of the Hollywood spill, in which Bekmambetov acted as a producer. The film was shot in a fashionable 3D format by director Chris Gorac, and tells about the invasion of aliens. A fresh solution (well, we are tired of watching the Statue of Liberty break down in every movie!) was to move the scene to Moscow. Two young American IT workers are distracted from the loss of their Internet project, immersed in the stormy nightlife of the capital. Before they sink into it completely, Moscow is subjected to capture and massive destruction. But the guys are not discouraged – they managed to get acquainted with the girls, which means they are no longer it-nerds, but quite normal heroes!

By all the laws of the genre, the American embassy seems to be the only hope for salvation. But common sense (with the help of aliens) still wins, and the U.S. Embassy also does not drink cocktails, and fight for survival, as in all of Moscow. By the time they reach the embassy, there is no hope. But the fact that the brave defenders of democracy failed is quite within the power of a simple Russian electrician, in whose apartment the survivors find a safe haven. But, as always, women spoil everything with their shopping - well, who asked them to go for food?

In general, everything is just as spectacular, loud and meaningless – the heroes run and hide, Moscow stands beautifully in ruins, and the problems are solved by the Russians. Russians here are absolutely canonical – they frown harshly, look like Gosha Kutsenko, wear assault rifles and military uniforms, and, like the most read nation, hide in the Lenin library.

In general, a typical American fantastic action movie with Russian flavor. $64.6 million at the box office suggests that viewers like such films.

President Lincoln: The Vampire Hunter (2012)

Apparently, in Hollywood, Bekmambetov is already considered his own so much that they even entrusted him with the greatest shrine - the most democratic president of the most democratic country, Abraham Lincoln. And not just trusted, but allowed enough to mock American history. And he does it with great pleasure, bringing what is happening on the screen to a cheerful bloody absurdity. According to Bekmambetov, Lincoln, who did not have much historical dirt, was a vampire hunter. And not on those glamorous with painted lips, which were shown at Twilight, but real monsters – scary, toothy, and so strong that it seems that the curly President played by Benjamin Walker will never win.

Bekmambetov gives this action a truly epic scope - and now the whole country is drowning in rivers of blood in a brutal war against vampires (and we, naive, thought it was the American Civil War). And only with the help of a silver fork... No, I guess enough about the plot.

The film, on which Timur Bekmambetov worked not only as a director but also as a producer (together with Tim Burton), grossed $116 million. The director showed his usual fantasy in using special effects, giving what is happening on the screen a crazy drive without regard to common sense. There is a suspicion that the whole film is a big ironic gift-packed bombshell for Steven Spielberg, who in the same year presented a serious Oscar-winning biographical film about Abraham Lincoln. At least on this topic, there are many Internet memes in the style of “What’s without vampires?”.