Yegor Konchalovsky's "Antikiller" is based on Daniil Koretsky's novel of the same name. Published in Russia in 1993, "Antikiller" the novel was an immediate bestseller, on par with the other Russian crime novels that were enormously popular at that time. Like the book, the film gives a view of the year 1993 and the harsh realities of Russia at that time in vivid color: the violence that was rampant all over the country, organized criminal gangs, kingpins, cash-strapped, ineffectual police and the all-powerful mafia.

The plot centers around the fate of a former criminal investigation officer, Lis (Gosha Kutsenko), an uncompromising, ruthless crime-fighter. A hidden camera caught Lis applying his tried-and-true skills - beating a confession out of a suspect - and he was sent to jail. Thanks to his strong will and body, he managed to survive prison, despite the many kingpins who wanted to kill him. Now Lis is free again and aims to finish his investigations, get his revenge and continue fighting crime. This all takes place under a hail of gunfire, tons of blood and lots of corpses.

"Antikiller," the press release reads, is "Russia's first action movie of the new generation, in which Russia's well-known criminal world is shown using modern moviemaking techniques characteristic of Western action films." This is partly true: Audiences will enjoy the editing work of Benedicte Brunet as well as the professional stunts and convincing acting. The result is a largely exciting action flick that measures up to the genre's classics.

Unfortunately, "Antikiller" lacks originality and does not contribute anything new to the genre. It's definitely a high-quality product and a high-budget one ($5 million) by Russian standards, but it mostly repeats what moviegoers have all seen before. Though it takes Russian cinema a step West in terms of professionlism, "Antikiller" misses some important elements along the way.