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Leviathan

Play trailer Poster for Leviathan R 2014 2h 22m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 146 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A Russian fisherman (Alexey Serebryakov) fights back when a corrupt mayor tries to seize possession of his ancestral home.
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Leviathan

Leviathan

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Critics Consensus

Leviathan lives up to its title, offering trenchant, well-crafted social satire on a suitably grand scale.

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Critics Reviews

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas The Blue Lenses 08/25/2018
Zvyagintsev grants unrelenting, painstaking attention to the human drama that underscores Leviathan, but at the same time - as the name suggests - there are much bigger things going. Go to Full Review
Claudia Puig The Asahi Shimbun GLOBE (Japan) 12/19/2016
3.5/4
A palpable and melancholy aura of resignation fills the masterful Leviathan the fourth feature from Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. [Full review in Japanese] Go to Full Review
Katie Kilkenny The Atlantic 07/19/2016
Leviathan offers a wry version of the tragedy that occurs when normal people challenge entrenched hierarchies. Go to Full Review
Diego Batlle Otroscines.com 04/26/2023
3.5/5
The first half is quite accomplished and includes rare discoveries with its black humor, but during its second half (especially at the end), this morally and symbolically heavy tragedy grows pretentious and solemn... [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/12/2021
Portions of the work accurately reflect life and reality, but social facts and pressures, like a gravitational force, bend much of the film in false and deeply disoriented ways. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia 06/26/2020
7/10
Zvyagintsev elaborates a social labyrinth where he puts forward the effigy of the chronicle of a Russian people led by a wholesale bureaucracy far from morality. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Claudio C @Claudio666 Jul 2 Corrupt Society (12,544 – 02 Jul 2026) In a costal town in Russia, Kolya lives with his wife Lilya and his son Romka in a seaside house that belonged to his grandfather. However, the corrupt Mayor Vadim expropriates his property, paying minimum indemnity to him. His friend Dmitriy "Dima", who is a lawyer from Moscow, raises the corruption cases of Vadim and blackmails him to pay a fair price for the property. But he has an affair with Lilya and Romka sees them, ragging Kolya that beats and threatens them. Meanwhile, Vadim and his gangsters threatens the life of Dima. When Lilya is found dead in the sea, Kolya becomes the prime suspect. "Leviathan" (2014) is a gripping Russian movie that shows the corruption in society is a small town in Russia and the government. The performances are top-notch in magnificent cinematography. The bleak story is sad and shows what may happen to a citizen in the way of the mobsters. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Leviatã" ("Leviathan") See more Scott R @ScottR Jul 1 Tristram P recommended this from his stint in Russia. The first half kept me engaged, that was until it pivoted away from the corrupt drama to focus on the affair. Although I was still interested, it didn’t keep me as engaged with the vague resolution that left me frustrated. Regardless, it was well made and an interesting Russian film. The music was good. It reminded me of "The Fog of War" soundtrack by Glass. Saw on VUDU. See more Koi P @hopep Jul 11 Good Sci-Fi flick. Stands the test of time. See more Virgo V @vision 02/19/2025 Leviathan is a 2014 Russian crime drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, co-written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin and starring Aleksei Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov and Roman Madyanov. It deals with some of the most important social issues of contemporary Russia. Critics noted the film as being formidable, dealing with quirks of fate, power and money. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Zvyagintsev and Negin won the award for Best Screenplay. The film was judged the best film of the year at the 2014 BFI London Film Festival and the 45th International Film Festival of India. It won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards and the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film in 2014. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. Vision praised the film for its cinematography, acting and themes. The film was stunningly shot. I especially love the imagery of the whale skeleton, which was shown twice in the film. The acting is impressive overall. The film is a commentary on contemporary social issues experienced by ordinary people in Russia. Land appropriations. Injustice. The story of post rural Russia. When developers take your land, bulldoze your homestead and leave the plot barren for years. Hauntingly realistic. The film is a return to Zvyagintsev's earlier themes of his previous film Elena. A slow bore until the end with no justice served. The similarities from the daughter in Elena and our homeowner in this film exist. See more Peter W @RT13411916 02/02/2025 The description on Rotten Tomatoes claims the movie is in original English language. On Amazon PRIME video it is in Russian with English subtitles or English (play by play) description. For me this Amazonian deception, which I'm certain was an honest ai-driven mistake, relieved our bank account of $3.49 never to be seen again, except maybe in the fuel tank of Mr. Bozos [sorry google keyboard mis-autofilled the name...] Blue Origin rocket! If I were fluent in Russian I'm guessing this film is incredible. See more Les S @RT84589946 11/09/2024 Really slow and in Russian or French See more Read all reviews
Leviathan

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Russian fisherman (Alexey Serebryakov) fights back when a corrupt mayor tries to seize possession of his ancestral home.
Director
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Producer
Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov
Screenwriter
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Oleg Negin
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Non-Stop Prods.
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Some Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
2h 22m