Move Over John Wick: Adilkhan Yerzhanov Unleashes A Bloody Tale Of Vengeance In His Latest Feature
Bleak, bloody, and bullet-riddled, the latest from prolific Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov plunges viewers into a godless, barren landscape in which hope is a worthless form of currency. Blending together the scorched earth chaos of Mad Max with the swagger of Golden Age westerns, and dashed with Nicolas Winding Refn styled nihilism, Steppenwolf is an existential genre exercise the probes deeper concerns about humanity below the surface. But despite its gripping execution, Yerzhanov’s philosophical musings struggle to resonate amidst the film’s endless body count.
With a cigarette permanently dangling out of his mouth, Berik Aitzhanov is the film’s Man With No Name.…...
Bleak, bloody, and bullet-riddled, the latest from prolific Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov plunges viewers into a godless, barren landscape in which hope is a worthless form of currency. Blending together the scorched earth chaos of Mad Max with the swagger of Golden Age westerns, and dashed with Nicolas Winding Refn styled nihilism, Steppenwolf is an existential genre exercise the probes deeper concerns about humanity below the surface. But despite its gripping execution, Yerzhanov’s philosophical musings struggle to resonate amidst the film’s endless body count.
With a cigarette permanently dangling out of his mouth, Berik Aitzhanov is the film’s Man With No Name.…...
- 2/1/2024
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- IONCINEMA.com
The rather prolific Adilkhan Yerzhanov (15 features in 12 years) has already established his own style, by including elements of US b-movies, Western, action and violence, and a rather bleak sense of humor that make his movies quite entertaining. “Steppenwolf” continues in the same path, in a pure genre film that is inspired by the 1956 John Ford movie, “The Searchers”.
Steppenwolf is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Tamara, a young woman who seems to suffer from mental issues, is walking around a small town where the police is clashing with some sort of armed groups, in search of her missing son who has been kidnapped by child organ traffickers. Bullets do not seem to touch her, but the fact that she can barely speak does not help her cause, as the people around her mostly ignore her. Eventually, she stumbles upon ‘The Steppenwolf' a man the corrupt police hire to torture convicts into confession,...
Steppenwolf is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Tamara, a young woman who seems to suffer from mental issues, is walking around a small town where the police is clashing with some sort of armed groups, in search of her missing son who has been kidnapped by child organ traffickers. Bullets do not seem to touch her, but the fact that she can barely speak does not help her cause, as the people around her mostly ignore her. Eventually, she stumbles upon ‘The Steppenwolf' a man the corrupt police hire to torture convicts into confession,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Singapore actors Sheila Sim, Sunny Pang and Shane Mardjuki, were among the special guests who graced the gala opening of the 33rd Singapore International Film Festival, at speciality arthouse cinema Projector Picturehouse.
The trio headline Boi Kwong’s “Geylang,” a breathless, full-throttle crime thriller set in Singapore’s infamous red-light district. The film is being screened in the festival’s Singapore Panorama sidebar for local filmmakers.
“I am glad that local films make up a quarter of this year’s overall line-up at the festival. It’s a strong showing and testament to the achievements of our homegrown talents.” said Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information. “We welcome and appreciate good films from around the world. At the same time, we will always support local filmmakers through platforms like the Singapore Media Festival and Sgiff and help them shine brighter on the international stage.”
Kazakh actors Berik Aytzhanov and...
The trio headline Boi Kwong’s “Geylang,” a breathless, full-throttle crime thriller set in Singapore’s infamous red-light district. The film is being screened in the festival’s Singapore Panorama sidebar for local filmmakers.
“I am glad that local films make up a quarter of this year’s overall line-up at the festival. It’s a strong showing and testament to the achievements of our homegrown talents.” said Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information. “We welcome and appreciate good films from around the world. At the same time, we will always support local filmmakers through platforms like the Singapore Media Festival and Sgiff and help them shine brighter on the international stage.”
Kazakh actors Berik Aytzhanov and...
- 11/24/2022
- by Marcus Lim
- Variety Film + TV
The Kazakh village Karatas is terrorized by a criminal boss called Poshaev (Yerzhanov’s regular Daniyar Alshinov), a muscular no-neck tug who is allergic to the slightest rebellion against his way of doing business. As a self-proclaimed ruler of the area, surrounded by a group of armed, merciless killers tasked with punishing anyone who dares to question his unwritten laws, he is bigger than life and as unpredictable as the weather conditions in the Kazakh steppe.
Goliath is screening at Venice International Film Festival
Set in a dramatic landscape with naked mountains and open grassland, “Goliath” is a modern western with nasty cowboys and fearful locals, whose options to survive are reduced to fleeing, or doing what they are told – a set of rules never logical enough to end well. Heads roll or get blown off, but make no mistake thinking you will get what’s going on better than characters in the fim,...
Goliath is screening at Venice International Film Festival
Set in a dramatic landscape with naked mountains and open grassland, “Goliath” is a modern western with nasty cowboys and fearful locals, whose options to survive are reduced to fleeing, or doing what they are told – a set of rules never logical enough to end well. Heads roll or get blown off, but make no mistake thinking you will get what’s going on better than characters in the fim,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
If a local village warlord discovers he’s in a movie titled Goliath, he better watch his back. It doesn’t matter what his origin story is—and Poshaev (Daniyar Alshinov) has a bloody one—when power is never absolute. Yes, the villagers hail him as a hero for using his formidable presence to extort jobs for the community at a foreign investment firm’s tungsten mine. Yes, he works to keep drugs out of his domain by ruthlessly gunning down any rival gangs who dare to bring it across his borders. He’s still just a man, though. Still at the whims of those he trusts to stand by his side with guns in their hands. They’re the ones to worry about. They’re the ones with something to gain.
The first two-thirds of Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s film are interesting precisely because the man everyone fears might seek...
The first two-thirds of Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s film are interesting precisely because the man everyone fears might seek...
- 9/9/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
"I swear... I shall take back everything you left for me!" Kick his ass! Well Go USA has released an official trailer for a historical epic titled The Legend of Tomiris, an extension of the original title Tomiris. As the title indicates, the film tells the story of the life of the great queen of of the steppe - legendary Tomiris. She is destined to become a skillful warrior, survive the loss of close people and unite the Scythian/Saka tribes under her authority. She is an iconic individual in Asian history, and is the namesake of the modern name Tomris. The Kazakh film stars Almira Tursyn as the iconic Tomiris, with Adil Akhmetov, Erkebulan Dairov, Berik Aytzhanov, Satybaldy Azamat, Aizhan Lighg, and Ghassan Massoud. This actually looks great! Some solid action footage and authentic storytelling, might be worth a watch after all. That final shot where she stares down...
- 7/16/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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