Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Why Don't You Just Die! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 8, 2020

The Russian "soul" is often perceived (at least by Westerners) as being dark, serious, and perhaps even morose. In that regard, it can be a kind of daunting task to come up with a very long list of Russian (and/or Soviet) comedy films, unless, of course, you’re up to speed with such ostensible “laff riots” as Ne goryuy! , Peculiarities of National Fishing, Kin-dza-dza!, or any number of other oddly titled entries that turn up in search engines if a hunt for “Russian comedy films” is entered as a query. (There is one title that turns up in such searches which may be more generally recognizable than the titles above, namely the 1971 Soviet version of Twelve Chairs, which came out a year after Mel Brooks’ Americanized The Twelve Chairs, available on Blu-ray as a part of The Mel Brooks Collection. It appears that there may be more than one Soviet version of that particular tale, at least as evidenced by this entry in our database, which bears a release date of 1977.) In terms of those three kind of (appropriately) comically titled releases listed above that probably very few have heard of, Kin-dza-dza! may be the closest sibling to Why Don’t You Just Die!, not in terms of any plot or even stylistic tendencies, but simply because both films feature elements that are, well, dark, serious and perhaps even morose. In the case of Why Don't You Just Die!, though, things are also frankly often hilarious, at least for those with perhaps jaded senses of humor who don't mind seeing the occasional body get pummeled into various states of bloodiness.

Note: I’m assuming due to the vagaries of Cyrillic, some of the character names listed below are spelled a bit differently in the subtitles on this release than what I have below; I’m following the spelling conventions of the character names on the IMDb.

While Why Don’t You Just Die! engages in some structural artifices (more about those in a moment), the general set up of the film is simplicity itself: hangdog twenty-something Matvey (Aleksandr Kutnesov) arrives at the door of Andrey Gennadievitch (Vitaliy Khaev) with a hammer hidden behind his back, since he’s been tasked by his girlfriend Olya (Evgeniya Kregzhde), Andrey’s daughter, with killing “dear old Dad”. Olya has told Matvey that Andrey sexually molested her when she was twelve, and she has been aching for revenge ever since.

Now on the face of things, that might not seem to be fodder for a comedy, but rather surprisingly writer and director Kirill Sokolov does manage to wrest quite a few laughs out of what happens next, but they may be laughs tinged with a certain shock value, akin perhaps to some of the very twisted comedy that often informs films by the Coens. While Why Don't You Just Die! is considerably more graphic than even some Coen films, scenes like Fargo's kidnapping, where amidst that horror the character played by Steve Buscemi is running around begging for "unguent" (pronounced with three syllables), offer an at least somewhat similar tone to this film where there's a really intriguing combo platter of terror and almost slapstick humor. That said, I'd probably compare this outing more to Blood Simple than to Fargo both in terms of people misunderstanding each other's motivations, but also with regard to the "hired hit" aspect and the ultimate body count.

Suffice it to say that Andrey turns out to be a policeman, and his investigative instincts make him suspicious of Matvey’s appearance from the get go, which is when things turn into a rather gruesome cat and mouse game, with Andrey and Matvey repeatedly exchanging “roles” as the figurative cat and mouse. Some aspects of this part of the plot may actually verge more on horror film territory at times, since both men go after each other with a variety of weapons and/or household implements, leading to rather significant carnage. The film almost delights in things like wounded victims desperately trying to gain a secure foothold on slippery floors (and/or bathtubs) covered with blood, all while various backstories are delivered via interstitial flashbacks, which is where those structural artifices mentioned above come in. These interstitial flashbacks offer insights into at least some of the background of both Olya and Andrey's partner Yevgenich (Michael Gorevoy), both of whom later turn up at Andrey's apartment, where the bulk of the film takes place.

While Why Don't You Just Die! arguably makes a couple of brief missteps (more about those in a moment), it is a marvel of smart writing which almost instantly offers immediately comprehensible situations and characterizations, sometimes with very little dialogue (and/or screaming) involved. It's therefore possible to immediately glean the entire context surrounding Andrey's put upon wife Tasha (Elena Shevchenko, in a performance that for me stole the entire show, which is saying something), even though Sokolov doesn't really offer much overt information about her in the film itself. In fact, one of the arguable missteps Why Don't You Just Die! makes is not offering a flashback detailing some of Tasha's story. There are also a couple of other "interruptions", one involving a "training video" on how to break out of handcuffs, and another further back flashback to Matvey's childhood detailing what amounts to an asphyxiation game he and his buddies played. All of these definitely deliver humor, but they also tend to divert attention from the main showdown between Andrey and Matvey.

Without spoiling what turns out to be a series of fairly substantial "new developments", a stolen cache of cash and any number of duplicitous motivations enter the fray, with the result being a body count of near Hamlet proportions. The film offers some really fun production design as well, with an emphasis on greens and orange-reds, and some cartwheeling camera moves that can keep the carnage almost on the cartoonish side at times.

Why Don't You Just Die! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Why Don't You Just Die! is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following pretty generic verbiage on the transfer:

Why Don't You Just Die! / Papa, sdokhni is presented in its original 2.35:1 [sic] aspect ratio with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. The High Definition master was provided by Reel Suspects.

The closing credits for the film have the "Captured with Alexa" logo, but the IMDb lists several other cameras that were apparently utilized. I have no authoritative information on the resolution of the DI. All of that said, this is a really sharp and well detailed looking presentation throughout, despite several kind of dimly lit scenes, and what looks like digital grain that has been added to at least some scenes. As mentioned above, the production design emphasizes greens and a kind of orange-red tone, and those pop extremely well throughout the presentation. Despite some camera tricks including slow motion and step printing, fine detail levels are remarkably consistent throughout. In fact fine detail levels may be too fine for more squeamish viewers with regard to some of the horrifying injuries that accrue. There are some very minor flirtations with banding during sudden light changes (something I also noticed on some of the shorts included as supplements on this release), but otherwise this is a fantastic looking transfer of a rather stylishly mounted film.

Why Don't You Just Die! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Why Don't You Just Die! offers a really energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in the original Russian (with optional English subtitles). The film's sound design is about as chaotic as all of the craziness unfolding on screen, and there are a number of booming source cues that are utilized, as well as underscore that is clearly meant to mimic composers like Ennio Morricone. The knock down, drag out fights, not to mention several shotgun blasts, drills to flesh and other mayhem keep the surround channels regularly engaged with sometimes goofy sound effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation.

Why Don't You Just Die! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Why Can't You Just Leave? (1080p; 25:32) is another enjoyable piece with Kim Newman. Arrow advertises this as dealing with the film's (largely) sole set, and while Newman does eventually address that issue, he spends a good deal of time discussing Why Don't You Just Die! as a kind of modern day western, while also mentioning what Newman sees as some of its antecedents, like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.


• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 27:18) offers a bunch of different segments (also accessible individually) that document a bunch of the shoot and things like stunts and fight rehearsals. In Russian with English subtitles.


• Short Films offers a grab bag of other pieces by Kirill Sokolov, all of which are fascinating, but some of which seem to suggest he really likes seeing people getting injured in various ways. In Russian with English subtitles.

  Could Be Worse (1080p; 13:38)

  
  

  The Outcome (1080p; 10:20)

  
  

  The Flame (1080p; 29:54)

  
  

  Sisyphus is Happy (1080p; 25:42)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:24)


• Storyboards are available as BD-ROM content.

Arrow also offers its typically nicely appointed insert booklet, with cast and crew information, technical data, and an interesting essay by Neil Mitchell.

Why Don't You Just Die! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have quite a bit of ancestry from eastern European locations that my family has long joked were either Russian, German or Polish depending upon the time of day, and so that perhaps makes me "genetically" prone to really like the kind of dark and frankly twisted humor that Why Don't You Just Die! offers in abundance. I do want to reiterate that anyone who finds bodily injury disturbing had best stay far, far away from this film, but if you can stand that kind of thing, this film may provide some unexpected laughs. I'm not sure if Sokolov meant this to be some kind of critique of Russian culture, but he ended up making a film that should universally appeal to those with blacker than black senses of humor. Technical merits are first rate, and the supplemental package very appealing. With caveats duly noted, Why Don't You Just Die! comes Highly recommended.