Edinburgh International Film Festival

Bigga than Ben: A Russians Guide to Ripping Off London is a United Kingdom film directed by S.A. Halewood.  It stars Ben Barnes and Andrei Chadov.  They play two Russian citizens that leave their home country to avoid mandatory service in the military.  They only have enough money to get them as far as London.  They have a plan on how to cheat the system and make their fortune.  The movie is a humorous look at the experiences they have and the results of their endeavors.

I liked the way that this film was done.  The style of the movie was almost that of a documentary.  The film followed these two Russians around and made them the focus of the movie.  They deliberately showed the lower sides of the London landscape.  They used this to show the poverty of these two men, as well as other immigrants. Although it was a comedy and obviously intended to be funny, it had a very serious undertone.  Underneath the humor was a true Marxist film.  It took a lot of effort to show how the poor are forced to remain poor while the rich have all the power.  I give Bigga than Ben three and a half stars.  I liked it but have no desire to see it again.