Are Americans the bad guys in Russian movies?
Context
In US movies, time and again, the bad guys end up being Russians. Examples:
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- 1980s US TV show
- Bad guys: Russian KGB
- The Last Ship
- 2010s US TV show
- Bad guys: Russian military
That's at least a time span of over 30 years.
Question
How is it in Russian movies? Are Americans the default bad guys in Russian movies?
Best Answer
Not really.
Most Russian movies and TV shows are set in Russia and dealing with local themes, so bad guys (if any) are Russian. War films have German (i.e. Nazi), Afghan or Chechen villains, some 2000s movies feature Middle Eastern 'terrorists'. Rare American characters are stereotypically portrayed as rich, overconfident and stupid, but never evil.
There was a number of Cold War era Soviet movies and TV series about American spies, like 'TASS Is Authorized to Declare...', but this genre has gone with the Cold War.
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RUSSIANS IN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES
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Answer 2
I suggest you watch the movie Brother 2 (???? 2). It was directed by Aleksei Balabanov in 2000 and it's one of those movies that I'd say most Russians have watched. In this movie, the Russians go to America but interestingly the interaction between them is quite diverse. Let me point out some moments from the top of my mind:
When they arrive at the airport there's a joke that Americans are fools.
Some Americans are seen as bad guys but they are indeed bad guys!
There's a moment of understanding and friendship between the main character and a truck driver even though the Russian character (Danila) barely speaks English.
All in all, I'd say that this movie in particular doesn't try to convey a specific image about the USA and the Americans. However, you clearly feel that there this "us and them" kind of approach.
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