Vinegar Syndrome: Red Mob (1992) - Reviewed

Images courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome

Near the tail end of the dissolution of the Soviet Union arose the emergence of the video club or Elektronika VM-12 SECAM PAL tape recorder which presented the option for many Russians to view Western or otherwise American movies and in particular the 1980s action movie.  In a post-Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie landscape resulting in numerous domestic blockbusters such as the Rambo films, Commando, Red Scorpion and Predator, it was inevitable after exposure to it, Russia too wanted a piece of the action movie gold. 
 
While the Soviet Union offered tense actioners in the past such as The Red Tent and eventually Pirates of the 20^th Century, Moscow based director Vsevolod Plotkin brought about perhaps the first time the framework and structure of an American action film became the blueprint for the Russian action adventure with his 1992 film Чтобы выжить translated to In Order to Survive or as entitled by Vinegar Syndrome’s 2K restored blu-ray premiere disc Red Mob.  Modeled after many American action flicks and featuring an American co-producer Arthur Schweitzer (eventual co-writer on New York Ninja) on the credits, Red Mob is the closest thing you’ll see to a then-freshly post-Soviet brawny Schwarzenegger flick.

 
1992, post-Soviet dissolution, a secret alliance between the mob and the KGB remains intact with mercenary and murderous Jaffar (pop singer Aleksandr Rozembaum) as its unholy drug-dealing ringleader who has no qualms about raiding Ukrainian police stations for weaponry.  Meanwhile Oleg (Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears director Vladimir Menshov) has just returned from military duty in Afghanistan to commandeer a survivalist summer camp with his preteen son Yura (Mitya Volkov) and former wartime comrade Nikolai (Sergei Veksler) in tow.  However, they cross paths with the nefarious Jaffar who kidnaps his son Yura with the aim of forcing Oleg into leading the illicit drug-and-weapons smuggling caravan.  Needless to say, it doesn’t completely go according to plan with Oleg launching an all-out one-man Commando styled military assault against the operation.

 
Featuring scenes of villainous heavies being tossed about by the hero into a room full of 80s action movie posters and Sylvester Stallone, Red Mob is more or less a Russian Commando replete with the kidnapping plot and a cartoonishly over-the-top villain and a showcase for wild if not outright dangerous stunts.  Including but not limited to huge explosions, death-defying physical feats and a helicopter dogfight that has to be seen to be believed, this obviously American influenced post-Soviet Russian actioner feels at times like a Michael Dudikoff American Ninja or Steven Seagal B-movie.  The only difference here is it stars an Oscar winning film director in the role of the brawny musclebound hero. 

 
Shot beautifully by Winter Evening in Gagra cinematographer Vladimir Shevtsik in 1.85:1 widescreen, often taking place in open desert Muslim landscapes and rocky terrain, Red Mob is unique for propelling much of the Western action cliches in a very overtly Eastern European environment.  The soundtrack was co-written by Pumpkinhead co-composer Arne Schulze alongside The Secret of the Snow Queen composer Mark Minkov and it is a serviceable enough action movie score taking a backseat to the explosive pyrotechnics firing onscreen.  As with Vladimir Menshov who was himself an actor and director, the film’s villain Jaffar played by Aleksandr Rozenbaum is also a composer whose music at one point is used in the 2015 IMAX 3D downer Everest.  The cast and crew, much of which would go on to the Night Watch movies, you could say is comprised of multitalented film workers having a go at the American action movie cliché.

 
Barely released outside of Russia, the film was a near-lost child that was rescued from certain oblivion by Vinegar Syndrome who have transferred this little post-Soviet actioner to blu-ray in a 2K restoration from the 35mm interpositive.  Also for posterity, the boutique label have also included the original Russian release version and a slightly longer American version.  As always in terms of extras, they include new interviews with producer Arthur Schweitzer who, as it turns out, also was the founder of the Cinevest Interactive which specializes in film distribution.  Looking back at Red Mob, a film that didn’t really find a target audience in its country of origin or in the West, Vinegar Syndrome curated a real gem with their worldwide blu-ray disc premiere and offers filmgoers around the world over a look at how much of Eastern Europe perceived Western American action-adventure B-movie escapism.

--Andrew Kotwicki