Major Grom: Plague Doctor 2021

Major Grom faces off against the seemingly relentless Plague Doctor, a masked vigilante with a brutal, kill-first approach who claims to fight corruption and inequality. The real identity of Plague Doctor is revealed to be Sergei Razumovsky, a childhood orphan and tech billionaire with a traumatic past. Sergei’s childhood was marred by bullying and violence, which left him emotionally scarred and prone to dissociative identity disorder. His darker side, fueled by his traumatic memories and his friend Oleg’s death in Syria, manifests as Plague Doctor—a violent vigilante who seeks to purge what he perceives as the corrupt and unjust system in Saint Petersburg.

Sergei’s idea of justice was rooted in his personal pain and experiences of oppression. He believed that the city’s corruption and inequality required drastic action, and he intended to reshape Petersburg into a city that treats everyone equally. However, his methods were extreme and deadly, including murder and arson, which ultimately betrayed his original intentions. The mask of the Plague Doctor, resembling a bird, symbolized both his childhood trauma and his own perceived role as a judge and executioner.

In the climax, Grom confronts Sergei directly. Despite being captured, Grom manages to outthink Plague Doctor by sacrificing himself emotionally rather than physically. This act allows his allies, Yulia and Dima, to intervene and subdue Sergei. Grom’s realization that violence and killing are not the answer emphasizes the importance of justice, law, and morality. He recalls Dostoevsky’s words, recognizing that resorting to death only leads to chaos and chaos in society.

The ending finds Sergei detained in a mental institution, where his dissociative disorder remains a concern. However, the film hints that he might not be permanently contained—his mental shadows still linger, suggesting a potential return. Meanwhile, in a post-credits scene, Oleg Volkov, who was believed to have died in Syria, is shown in the Middle East. He appears transformed into a militant, hinting that he may seek revenge against Grom and return for a more violent confrontation. The film overall emphasizes that true justice requires understanding and morality, not revenge. It warns against the dangerous edge of taking justice into one’s own hands, illustrating that even those with good intentions, if driven by trauma or hatred, can become monsters. The story ends with the hope that the legal system can be reformed, but also leaves open the possibility of new threats looming on the horizon.

In the fog‑laden streets of 18th‑century St. Petersburg, a city caught between grand imperial ambition and simmering corruption, the crack of horse hooves and the distant clang of cannon fire form a restless backdrop for a fragile rule of law. The metropolis pulses with wealth and decay, its glittering facades hiding a growing sense that justice is a privilege bought by the powerful, while ordinary citizens navigate a maze of whispers and unseen threats.

Enter Igor Grom, a police major whose reputation for tenacity is matched only by his uncompromising sense of duty. Trained in the old‑school rigor of the Imperial Guard, he walks a thin line between the stern expectations of his superiors and the gritty realities of street‑level policing. Grom’s world is one of disciplined routine, yet his sharp instincts constantly push him to confront the underbelly that official reports prefer to ignore, setting up a tension between order and the chaotic pulse of the city itself.

The equilibrium shatters when a mysterious figure known only as the Plague Doctor emerges from the shadows. Clad in a stark mask and driven by a radical vision of cleansing the city’s rot, this enigmatic vigilante begins to challenge the very foundations of authority that Grom has sworn to uphold. Their clash is less about personal vendetta and more about competing philosophies: one rooted in institutional control, the other in anarchic retribution. The very air seems to tremble with the promise of a confrontation that could reshape St. Petersburg’s destiny.

Against this backdrop of looming unrest, the film balances a brooding, atmospheric tone with moments of sharp, almost theatrical flair. The streets become a character in their own right, reflecting the inner turmoil of those who walk them. As Grom grapples with the rise of this new, unsettling force, the story teeters between the allure of swift justice and the enduring belief that order, however imperfect, remains essential for a city’s future.