| Director | Aleksei Balabanov |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, crime film, drama film |
| Runtime | 126 min |
| Country | Russia |
| Budget | $1.5 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million |
The film opens in Moscow with Danila Bagrov and two of his friends from the army, Ilya Setevoy and Kostya Gromov, being interviewed on TV about their service in the First Chechen War.
After the interview, Kostya reveals that his twin brother, Dmitry, is an ice hockey player for the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and is being extorted by American kingpin Richard Mennis. Mennis has come to Moscow to discuss a proposal with the head of the bank Kostya works for, Valentin Belkin. Meanwhile, Danila's brother Viktor, who has moved to live with their mother, goes to Moscow to meet Danila.
The next morning, Kostya pleads Belkin to talk to Mennis about Dmitry. Belkin instructs his assistants to "deal with" Kostya so that he does not interfere, and they kill Kostya. That evening, Danila stops by Kostya's apartment to discover him shot dead and decides to help his twin brother.
On the black market, they purchase a CD with personal information about Belkin and buy World War II-era submachine gun and grenades. Meanwhile, Viktor has arrived in Moscow and manages to find Danila. He agrees to go to America with Danila and helps them steal a car.
Danila and Viktor find Belkin at an elite gymnasium where Belkin's son studies. Danila pulls Belkin aside to a private office and interrogates him at gunpoint, but Belkin completely shifts the blame onto Mennis. He discloses that Mennis is involved in drug trafficking and pornography. Danila spares Belkin.
Later, Belkin warns Mennis, telling him about the incident with Danila, and sends him a photo. Danila and his brother secretly obtain foreign passports with visas. To avoid capture, the brothers fly to America separately, and Viktor arrives in Chicago without any suspicion. Danila instead flies to New York City where he buys a cheap car to travel to Chicago by road, but it breaks down just outside Pennsylvania. Stranded, he hitches a ride to Chicago with trucker Ben Johnson (Ray Toler). Danila arrives in Chicago without a car, without a weapon and almost without money. There, he meets a Russian prostitute, Dasha, nicknamed Marilyn.
Back in Moscow, Belkin is still determined to catch Danila. Learning that Viktor was on board the flight to Chicago, he alerts the Ukrainian mafia there to find him. Meanwhile, Viktor arrives to the Ukrainian Village of Chicago and quickly begins to spend his money on entertainment. Danila is unable to contact Dmitry and Victor. Wanting to talk to Dasha, he goes to the neighborhood where she works, but ends up detained by the police after getting into a fight with the pimp's men.
Having found Dmitry, Danila finds out the address of Mennis's office. Contacting Dasha, Danila arranges a meeting with a local arms dealer. Using a homemade gun, he wounds the dealer in the face and steals a weapon. Then, in Dasha's apartment, he kills her pimp and the bandits accompanying him, who came to avenge the dealer. After this, Danila and Dasha finally meet Victor; sitting by the fire, the three discuss life - Dasha reluctantly recalls being stranded for years after coming on a student visa; Victor, on the contrary, admires America.
The next day, Danila first hits Mennis's front, a local club. The frightened director of the club gives Danila all Mennis' money and location. Viktor picked up a tail by the Ukrainian mafia, draws them away and kills their hitman, but not before learning of the mafia's headquarters.
The next morning, Danila reaches Mennis's office and confronts him. Danila returns the money he took to Dmitry. Danila tells Dmitry that he is very similar to his brother.
Danila and Dasha take a taxi to the airport, but the car stops at a police line in the Ukrainian Village; one of the onlookers says that a certain Russian came to a Ukrainian restaurant and shot the local mafia. The police storm the building and drag Viktor out, and he shouts that he will stay in America. Danila calls Ben; he takes them to the airport in a limousine disguised as first-class passengers. They manage to quickly go through the procedures and board a plane to Moscow.