Bigga than Ben
| Bigga Than Ben | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Suzie Halewood |
| Written by | Suzie Halewood |
| Produced by | Suzie Halewood Liz Holford Melissa Simmonds |
| Distributed by | High Fliers Films |
Running time | 85 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Bigga Than Ben ([Больше Бена, Bol'še Bena] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a 2008 English drama film written and directed by Suzie Halewood. The film is based on the 1999 Russian novel of the same name.
It was released on 10 October 2008 in the United Kingdom and 18 November 2008 in the United States. It stars Ben Barnes, Andrei Chadov, Ovidiu Matesan and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin.
Plot
This dark comedy from the UK, is a tale of two likeable but wayward young Russian backpackers who come to London in an attempt to amass an easy fortune.
But it’s not too long before Spiker and Cobakka realize that legally, they aren’t going to get very far. So, aided by the dodgy Artash they learn to shoplift from supermarkets, rip off banks, joyride on the tube and turn mobile phones into crack.
Cast
- Ben Barnes as Cobakka
- Andrei Chadov as Spiker
- Ovidiu Matesan as Artash
- Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Spartak
Critical reception
Bigga Than Ben received generally favorable reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 60% of critics gave the film positive reviews.
Cosmo Landesman in The Sunday Times gave the film four stars and said the film was “Dark, funny, charming, fast, immoral, decadent and delightful. The best double act buddies since Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.”
London's Time Out said, “Makes Dirty Pretty Things look like a government advisory documentary... street-smart un-pc and very funny” and also gave the film four stars. . The critic at the Edinburgh Film Festival stated, “A brilliantly savage black comedy, bursting with raw energy.”
