Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.5

The Major Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 3, 2016

Nominated for the Critics Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Yury Bykov's "The Major" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent U.S. distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The one they could not trust

It is winter and the location is a small town thousands of miles away from Moscow. One’s initial impression is that nothing has changed here since the collapse of the Soviet Union -- there are tall panel-block buildings that have not been painted in years and many of the narrow streets are still broken. From afar it seems like the place comes alive only at night, when people return to their tiny apartments and temporarily turn on the lights.

In the early morning hours, a man (Denis Svhedov) is phoned and urged to rush to a hospital in another town because his wife will soon give birth. He jumps in his BMW and begins driving like a maniac, nearly causing a major collision on a busy street. Then minutes after he exits the town he hits and kills a young boy in front of his mother (Irina Nizina).

It happens so quickly that for a few minutes after the hit the man and the mother remain completely still. The silence is indescribably heavy, even suffocating.

The man then phones a friend (Yury Bykov) who ensures him that he can help him get out of the mess. It won’t be easy, but it can be done. They just have to act quickly and make sure that certain things are done right.

Soon after, policemen from different departments arrive at the scene and begin taking notes. The “friend” is also there, giving orders and making sure that his colleagues see exactly what he wants them to see and take the notes he wants them to take. They all know the driver -- because he is one of them.

The news quickly reaches the town’s mayor who is in the middle of an important business discussion but wants to make sure that the authorities handle the case with the proper attention. He is up for reelection and the last thing he and the people that support him, including the police chief, need is drama -- the type that can bring to his town independent observers, possibly even the big boys from Internal Affairs. The “friend” assures him that he can take care of business. After all, the law is, and always has been, on his side.

Yury Bykov’s The Mayor is infused with the same quiet anger that is present in Andrey Zvyagintsev's Leviathan. It was filmed with a smaller budget, but its targets are essentially the same.

What makes this film unique is the bleak noirish atmosphere in which its characters are forced to confront their demons. It is used as a magic mirror of sorts that allows one to see what is on the other side, behind the corruption and hypocrisy, and realize that contemporary Russia is basically unfixable. So even though initially the focus of attention appears to be on the accident and the moral choices different people make after the investigation begins, the film really offers a slice of the reality that people in Russia are forced to endure on a daily basis.

The three leads are fantastic. Shvedov really does look like a man whose life has suddenly become a nightmare and he has no idea how to break free of it. Bykov’s brutal detective is one of those young maniacs the KGB loved to breed. And Nizina looks genuinely hopeless at the end, as any mother in her shoes would.

The soundtrack is very effective. It blends organic sounds and noises with wonderful minimalistic ambient themes that greatly enhance the noirish atmosphere.

The Major Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yury Bykov's The Major arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

Shot digitally, with the bulk of the footage shot on the Red camera, the film has a clean, very smooth and fluid appearance. The outdoor footage looks particularly strong, especially when there is an abundant natural light. During the indoor footage depth could fluctuate a bit, but clarity and fluidity remain very impressive. The color scheme favors cold and neutral primaries with limited nuances that remain solid. Image stability is excellent. There is a whiff of very light banding that pops up early into the film, but otherwise the technical presentation is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Major Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film's soundtrack is very effective. It blends organic sounds and noises with wonderful minimalistic ambient themes the give the film a very special dreamy atmosphere. Dynamic intensity is modest, but during the chase and the shootouts separation and clarity are superb. The dialog is very clean, crisp, and easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Major Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Cannes trailer for The Major. In Russian, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

The Major Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yury Bykov's The Major is the best film that I have seen this year that no one talks about. To be honest, I liked it a lot more than Andrey Zvyagintsev's Leviathan, and I think that it is actually a lot more effective. It all depends on what type of exposure Bykov's films get in the future, but if they are promoted right at major festivals around the world, there is no doubt in my mind that he will soon be one of Russia's biggest directors. Olive Films' technical presentation of The Major is excellent. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.