The Best Movie 2 2009

Four friends—the Sailor Garik Kharlamov, the Actor Timur Batrutdinov, Dimati Dmitriy Khrustalev, and Major Oleg Vereshchagin—reunite after a long separation at a café to celebrate Major’s birthday. The mood shifts dramatically when Major is kidnapped and a steep ransom of 1,000,000 euros is demanded, pulling their loyalties and nerves into sharp relief.

Each friend sets out on a different path to raise the money: the Sailor heads to Saint Petersburg to sell someone else’s apartment, a scheme that draws in locals who enjoy a drink; Dimati spends the day evading hostile skinheads who confront him because of his appearance; the Major grows increasingly anxious and makes repeated, often unsuccessful attempts to escape; and the Actor takes part in a string of TV shows to pad the funds. The story follows these parallel efforts with a dry, situational wit, keeping the tension of the missing money ever present.

When the plans falter, the trio reunites by a lake and hatches a bold, time-twisting idea: travel back in time to prevent Major from entering the kidnappers’ car. Their plan veers into a ridiculous misadventure and lands them in 1772, during the era of Catherine the Great, where they end up stealing a crown. They return to the present with the crown in hand, hoping to use it as leverage against the captors.

Back in the modern world, they confront the people holding Major and reveal the truth: the kidnapping was a prank staged by Major’s father to teach his friends to value him for more than his money. The revelation reframes the entire episode, turning what began as a crisis into a humorous, bittersweet reminder about friendship, trust, and the ways people demonstrate they care. Bold moments of luck, miscommunication, and the absurd mingle to create a story that is larger than a simple caper, while staying faithful to the core idea that money isn’t the measure of true connection.