The director Oleg Trofim bravely stepped into the ring with a new project – a feature film with a cool name – Mayor Grom: Plague Doctor, meeting all the requirements for a hit: spectacular cast, a juicy name on the poster, an exciting plot and a great screenplay.
It is tapping into the thunderous action in St. Petersburg, which seems to be a mixture of police handiwork and the cloak & dagger type hidden identity movement. In the story, a police officer, Igor Grom, played by the exceptionally talented Tikhon Zhiznevskiy, is assigned to investigate the crimes that plague the city.
The film is saturated with the atmosphere of a gothic novel, and fans of the genre will appreciate the shadowy alleys of the gloomy St. Petersburg in its night watch. The main character is a mysterious figure in the cloak, armed with a flamethrower torch – a sort of modernized doctor who deals with all those who disagree with him by burning them alive. The Plague Doctor (Dmitriy Chebotarev) blends in well, leaving an aftermath of emotions on the screen.
Sergei Goroshko ignites the path to the emergence of the Plague Doctor and his prominence. As he unveils his new virtual reality platform, he presents the breeding grounds for the Plague Doctor and his incendiary rhetoric.
What will be the reaction of honest Police Major Grom, who is deeply rooted in law and order, to this new masked figure, who has no other purpose than to lash out against crime?
What on earth is a Plague Doctor?
If you are a fan of the action genre, the infamous and bloody – this story will be interesting to you. It is no longer the familiar stories about police officers fighting against crime on the street.
At the beginning of the story, the notoriety is widespread despite the back-breaking efforts of the police, who are powerless in different instances. The enemies of the society become increasingly dynamic, the law enforcement system is in danger, and the situation gets out of control. The most unpleasant thing is that the “bad guys” have their own “medicine”, as a result of which they can always get out of the tightest situations.
Out of nowhere, a cloaked vigilante known as the Plague Doctor has begun setting criminals on fire. It’s up to Major Grom, an honest cop, to track down a man who refuses to show his face and doesn’t let go of sentencing criminals through mindless killing.
The Plague Doctor makes it his life’s mission to inflict cruel deliverance upon criminals, who are beyond law and court. In a city already fearing and cursed with crime, the appearance of mass destruction and death in the form of a masked vigilante is more than enough to create an even deeper fear and outrage.
The situation that ensues is of sheer madness and chaos. People of St. Petersberg begin worshipping the Plague Doctor with complete disregard for law and order. A mob emerges, and control is left in complete disarray.
Plague Doctor-A satirical play on character and motive
It is a rather interesting take by the Russians on superhero flicks based on Bubble Comics. The Plague Doctor is an ideological and villainous embodiment of a new-age superhero who starts to sweep through the streets, capturing corrupt government officials and mafia bosses alike.
The movie is full of action and unexpected twists. The ingredients are a fantastic idea, excellent film script, great casting – from the central roles to supporting actors, beautiful scenery, and incredible special effects!
The action sequences of the movie occur in a spectacularly beautiful St. Petersburg. In explosive fight scenes that blow up your eyes into pieces, it will still be helpful to focus on the script and imagine what kind of intrigue and adventures we can see. We have not been deceived on this topic – the Plague Doctor is once again forced to take care of villains who violated his beloved city.
Major Grom: Plague Doctor is an original and exciting movie – a stylish noir, full of clever play and expressive music that puts us in the right mood.
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Plague Doctor-Is it the Russian Mad Max?
Honestly, this is not far from the truth. Somewhat different genres, but the same picture of our world – a brutal post-apocalyptic world filled with mutants in technologically advanced suits and exoskeletons.
Major Grom: Plague Doctor is more than action – it draws attention to the inadmissibility of law violations. Naturally, the plague doctor cannot be called a hero. He is not trying to justify himself because he does not think he is right – but his opinion about it is not particularly important.
Because in the fight against evil, one thing is clear: no other options are available. It’s necessary to stop scoundrels as soon as possible, without waiting for a court hearing or amnesty. So hot the criminals will burn with a purifying flame as seen in the movie scenes!
Stream it or Skip it?
Major Grom: Plague Doctor‘s plot is not new, and in the first half-hour, we already saw something like this somewhere. But then the script comes out: “The plague doctor” can be defined as a complete work from the beginning to the end. All characters are realistic, their motivations are based on real psychology, and there are no unnecessary elements or thinness. The picture does not pretend to be an intellectual narrative but straightforwardly reveals the details about honest cops and criminals.
Who is the Plague Doctor? What was his past? And what are his purposes in this world? The answers to these questions will be disclosed along with the main character of the film. But the thing we can say for sure – soon there won’t be any goons, in his watch.
Major Grom: Plague Doctor is streaming on Netflix.
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