Volchok: A Wild Ride with a Few Too Many Lulls

I'll be honest, Volchok doesn't hold back - he's a ruthless fighter who'll take you down with a single punch. But let's be real, the only part of this movie that's even remotely interesting is about 1/3 of it. The action finally kicks in around the 1-hour mark, and it's a wild ride. You'll see people jumping off a cornfield onto a train, defying physics and common sense.

Volchok reviewsBut before that, it's just a bunch of whiny rich kid trying to outsmart a poor guy. I mean, what's up with the dialogue? It's like the screenwriter is trying to tell us that the Earth is flat or something.

On the treeWhat's going on with kids' movies these days? Everyone's asking the same question: is the Earth flat or round? Geez, screenwriter, get it together!Volchok 2025But if I had to choose between this and some of the other recent flops, I'd say Volchok is the lesser of evils. I mean, at least it's not as bad as Kvirikashvili's nightmare, or Andersen's "Ogniva", or "The Flying Ship", or Kuzi's "The Uninvited Guest". At least Volchok is a decent road trip movie.

Volchok
THE PLOT.
Ivan Ogarov's dad dies suddenly, and his house is invaded by a long-lost relative who's been trying to get his hands on the family vineyards.Film Volchok reviewsThe scam artist tries to sweet-talk his underage nephew into signing over the vineyards, but when that doesn't work, he brings in some hired thugs to take care of the problem. That's when things get interesting, and Ivan meets Volchok, a tough-as-nails boxer who's not afraid to throw a punch.When the nice talk doesn't work, the bad guys bring in some hired muscle to take care of the problem. That's when things get really interesting, and Ivan meets Volchok, a tough-as-nails boxer who's not afraid to throw a punch. Bare knuckle I've gotta say, it's pretty cool to see a guy getting paid to protect a noble from some pesky pursuers and escort him to Nizhny Novgorod to hand over some family business to his dad's buddy.

Rock, Paper, Scissors
CHARACTERS / ACTORS.
Tkauchuk-Volchok - I've gotta say, the bare-knuckle boxer from Evgeny is way better than Prince Menshikov. They definitely went overboard with the whole 'unbeatable' thing, but hey, I'll give 'em a pass. I'll just go with it.

Bare knuckle Just the other day, Vitya Chesnok was taking Lekh Shtrya on a wild ride, and now Volchok is escorting Vanya the aristocrat on a long journey to Nizhny Novgorod.

"In the Greek hall, the mouse..." © Tkauchuk is perfect for a kids' movie, because he looks like a real-life Timurid warrior and a young Malysh-Kibalchish. He's a 40-year-old guy who looks like he's been through a war. I'd totally give him a makeover, though - a darker brow would do wonders for him.

TkauchukVanya Ogarev - I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this kid went from being a young loan shark in the TV series "Pальцы" to a noble who's all about ideals and whatnot. I mean, he looked way more believable as a scrappy little hoodlum than as some naive idealist who's in way over his head. Vanya, who's actually Mark-MalikDad - he's this over-the-top Dickensian Uriah Heep type, but with the looks of a Franz Ferdinand band member. Before I even saw the cast list, I was like, "Oh great, Alexei's everywhere again." But it's actually Daniil.

Kratch, my friend, is like Uncle Vanya - the fight organizer decides when Volchok is ready to take on the competition, no matter how big and clumsy the opponent is, and when to take a break and fold his paws. Smolyakov is way cooler than the gloomy Cherkasov in all the Mosgaz projects combined. I have to admit, I really liked him. I wish he played more antagonists with those retro-style hairdos and earrings.

Major CherkasovElza - the spy and private investigator. She'd be perfect for the codename Glasha von Sissophon. This sly femme fatale is hired by Uncle Vanya. If the thug-like gang members scare off a fleeing rabbit, she'll worm her way into the victim's trust so fast, they'll run to their doom like a lamb to the slaughter.

The 2025 film "Volchok"For most of the movie, Hlynin has no idea where to put his mouth and barely mumbles his lines. He's just a prop, and it seems like he's changing size from scene to scene.

Makovetsky doesn't convince me - the character is too superficial.

Yevlanov, as always, is straight out of the underworld. He probably doesn't even change clothes, just walks from one movie to the next, from one series to the next.
IMPRESSIONS.
I was about to advise against it due to the dragging start that lasts until the middle of the movie. The dialogue is so dull, it's like my ears are bleeding.

But the further I went into the forest, the higher the interest. They managed to set up a thrilling scene at a science exhibition.

I've got to say, Vanya's last-minute save was a real nail-biter. I mean, the kid's got skills, but he's no Terminator. Rough I'm still trying to wrap my head around Elsa's supposed moral transformation. It's like she's a whole different person from the lazy, laid-back Lämur we saw earlier - almost as out of place as Asmus and Filippenko in 'Letter to Grandfather Frost'.

Lisá Alisa To be honest, I'm still not getting the point of those fragmented childhood memories. The supposed 'twist' was pretty predictable, and the whole thing felt like a letdown. But hey, at least 'Volchok' was something, so I'll give it a pass.

Alleya Koshmarov