Furious (2017 film)

Not to be confused with Fast & Furious.

Furious
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dzhanik Fayziev Ivan Shurkhovetskiy
Screenplay by	Sergey Yudakov Dmitriy Raevskiy Evgeniy Raevskiy Dmitriy Paltsev
Produced by	Dzhanik Fayziev Rafael Minasbekyan Pavel Stepanov Aleksandr Bondarev Aleksey Neklyudov
Starring	Ilya Malakov Polina Chernyshova Aleksei Serebryakov Aleksandr Ilyin Jr. Yulia Khlynina Igor Savochkin Timofey Tribuntsev Andrey Burkovskiy Mariya Fomina
Cinematography	Maksim Osadchy
Edited by	Rod Nikolaychuk
Music by	Serj Tankian
Production companies	Central Partnership Production Centre IVAN Film Studio KIT
Distributed by	Central Partnership
Release date	November 30, 2017 (2017-11-30) (Russia)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	Russia
Languages	Russian, Mongolian
Budget	₽360 million $5.610.000
Box office	₽593.2 million $10.433.259 (total amount) $10.796.309 (Russia/CIS)

Furious, also known as Legend of Kolovrat (Template:Lang-ru, pronounced [lʲɪˈɡʲɛndɐ ɐ kəlɐˈvratʲɪ]), is a 2017 Russian epic period action film about the Siege of Ryazan from the 13th century in Kievan Rus', and about the Ryazan knight Evpaty Kolovrat. The film is directed by Dzhanik Fayziev and stars newcomer Ilya Malakov, as well as Polina Chernyshova, Aleksei Serebryakov, Aleksandr Ilyin Jr. and Yulia Khlynina in supporting roles.

The film is based on the period when Kievan Rus' was under control of the Golden Horde. Ryazan knight Evpaty Kolovrat is the leader of the squad, which decides to fight back khan Batu, who has divided Kievan Rus'.

The plot is based on The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan, a medieval military tale about the capture of the city of Ryazan by the Mongols in 1237 and is one of the best sources of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' (then set in now Russia).

Furious was theatrically released in Russia by Central Partnership on November 30, 2017.

Plot

Golden Horde times and the warrior, Ryazan knight Evpaty Kolovrat, combat khan Batu, who shattered Ancient Russia.

This military tale (The Tale of the Destruction of Riazan) survived in several sixteenth and the seventeenth century redactions and is thought to be a part of a miscellany that was composed and revised by the clergy of the Church of St. Nikholas of Zaraisk. According to the legend, the church is located on the spot where the princess Eupraxy killed herself. Given a form of a military tale, the later version of The Tale of Batu's Capture of Ryazan is a fictionalized account with some historical inaccuracies suggesting that the Tale was composed sometimes after the described events and was subsequently further edited. Tracing its provenance, textual analysis, and dating of various redactions have been conclusively resolved by Soviet scholars.

The Tale of the Destruction of Riazan is one of the most interesting and best written accounts of the invasion of Russia by the Mongols : Within twelve years after bringing the miraculous icon of St.Nicholas from Kherson, Batu Khan invaded the Russian land with a great multitude of his Tatar warriors and set up camp on the river Voronezh in the vicinity of the principality of Riazan and he sent his envoys to the city of Riazan, to Great Prince Yury Ingvarevich, demanding tithes from everyone - from the princes and from all ranks of people. And the Great Prince decided to send his son, Fedor Yurevich, to Batu with many gifts and supplications that he not invade the land of Riazan.

Prince Fedor came to the Emperor Batu. Batu entertained the Riazan Princes, and asked that they send their sisters and daughters to be his concubines. One envious Riazan courtier told Batu that the wife of Prince Fedor belonged to the Byzantine imperial family and that she had a most beautiful body. Emperor Batu, who was false and merciless, became excited, and told Prince Fedor: "Prince, give me your wife so that I may enjoy her beauty." And Prince Fedor said - "It is not our Christian custom to bring to you, the godless emperor our wives so that your lust may be satisfied. If you conquer us then you will be the ruler of our wives."

The godless Batu was offended, became angry, and ordered the immediate death of Prince Fedor; his body be thrown in a field where it would be devoured by beasts and birds. The retinue and the warriors of Prince Fedor were also put to death.

One of the servants of Prince Fedor, by name Aponitsa, managed to escape, and wept bitterly, seeing the body of his master. Having noticed that no one guarded the corpse, he secretly took his beloved master's body and buried it. Then he hurried to Princess Eupraxia of Ryazan and told her that Emperor Batu had killed her husband. At that moment the princess happened to be on the upper floor of the palace with her infant son, Prince Ivan. When she heard that her husband had been slain, she was seized with grief, and threw herself from the window with the child in her arms. And so both died.

Evpaty and his soldiers return to Riazan, only to find that the Mongols had burned the city and massacred many of its inhabitants, including the defending soldiers, his wife Nastya and their children. He and his men ring the town bell, summoning the survivors. They hide as a band of Mongols return, and Evpaty kills them all with his two swords. Evpaty leads his men against a blizzard into a forest, and stumble upon a bear and a hermit. The hermit, Nestor, invites them into a cave where they rest for the night and receive herbs.

Evpaty and his soldiers use trickery to frighten and distract the Mongols and allow one of his soldiers to help Lada take several children to safety. He sends three soldiers on horseback to three princes in their cities, but only one accepted their request for help in fighting Batu Khan. He also ensures that the surviving people of his city hide in Nestor's cave. At the same time, his soldiers and Lada struggle to help him remember his current situation to stop him from attacking them.

Evpaty and his soldiers fight Batu Khan's soldiers on a hill, but the Mongols prevail, leaving Evpaty as the last member of his army. The Mongol officer asks Evpaty on his demands. Evpaty goes down from the hill, he shows them a seal that Batu Khan had given to him earlier, causing the Mongols to avoid killing him. Evpaty taunts Batu Khan that now the latter is the one who kneels, and dies from his wounds from being hit by stones thrown by trebuchets.

Because he has his warriors to keep fighting the Mongols to the end, Batu Khan orders his soldiers to build a mound to bury Evpaty's body, one that became taller than the hill where he fought the Mongols. Many years later, that hill was used by another Russian prince, who leads a larger army to face an invasion of Teutonic Knights.

Cast

• Ilya Malakov as Evpaty Kolovrat
  • David Melkonyan as Evpaty Kolovrat to the boy
• Polina Chernyshova as Nastya
  • Diana Pentovich as young Nastya
• Aleksei Serebryakov as Prince Yuri of Ryazan
• Aleksandr Ilyin Jr. as Karkun, a druzhinnik
• Yulia Khlynina as Lada
• Timofey Tribuntsev as Zakhar, the medicine man
• Igor Savochkin as Ratmir, Nastya's father
• Aleksandr Choi as Batu Khan
• Sergey Koltakov as Dobromir, a voivode
• Andrey Burkovskiy as Rostislav, the Bryansk voivode
• Viktor Proskurin as svyasschennik (priest)
• Olga Drozdova as Princess Agrafena of Ryazan, Prince Yuri's wife
• Ilya Antonenko as Prince Fedor of Ryazan
• Mariya Fomina as Princess Eupraxia of Ryazan, Prince Fedor's wife
• Darya Yartseva as Princess Daria of Ryazan
• Marta Timofeeva as Zhdana, Evpaty Kolovrat's daughter
• Artemiy Padalka as Ivan, Evpaty Kolovrat's son
• Gennady Solovyov as Nikifor
• Anton Shpinkov as Danila
• Sergey Yuyukin as Frol, highlander
• Aleksey Vertkov as Nestor
• Sergey Shaydakov as Putyata
• Artem Bordovsky as Nikita
• Vladimir Lyubimtsev as Guryan Kurya

Production

Development

Siege of Ryazan is the "Defense of Ryazan". From a painting by Deshalyta.

An ancient settlement, the village of Staraya Ryazan fortifications. View from the Oka River. (ru)

From the very beginning of the production, the producers decided not to build an entire photographic site of the 13th century buildings, but to create them using computer effects. This project is the first feature film directed by Ivan Shurhovetskiy.

According to Dzhanik Fayziev, the creators of the film tried to focus not on historical details, but on the feelings and experiences of people who make an ordinary person a hero capable of performing a feat.

"We made an impassioned, energetic, and action-packed film – an incredibly tender, awe-inspiring tale of indomitable courage", said Dzhanik Fayziev, general producer at Russia’s Film Studio KIT. Dzhanik Fayziev said the film blends history with the present day and fantasy with realism to tell an emotional story of simple folk who become true heroes when burdened with unanticipated circumstances.

Casting

A total of more than 500 episodic artists participated in the mass scenes. Ilya Malakov, who played Evpaty Kolovrat, first starred in the main role in a feature film.

Filming

The filmmakers decided to abandon the reconstruction of historical events of the thirteenth century and chose to create a fairy-tale world with good and bad characters.

Principal photography for the film was shot in Moscow, in a specially constructed pavilion at the ZiL plant, where the largest chromakey pavilions in Europe were erected, the total area of which was more than 4,000 square meters. In the neighboring pavilions, a hall for training actors and stuntmen was equipped, as well as a riding arena and a stable.

Mongol warriors completely destroyed Ryazan, in its place is now the village of Staraya Ryazan (English: Old Ryazan), Spassky District, Ryazan Oblast, Russia. That city, which we call Ryazan today, until 1778 was called Pereyaslavl Ryazan.

Post-production

The visual effects of the film studio created in the Main Road Post, which created special effects for films "The Duelist", "Prizrak", "Stalingrad". According to Pavel Stepanov, director of the Central Partnership film manufacturing company, the visual effects were deliberately fabulous to emphasize that the events of the film are a legend.

Soundtrack

Furious: The Movie Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Serj Tankian
Released	December 8, 2017
Recorded	2017–2018
Genre	Film soundtrack, EDM
Length	1:17:31
Language	English, Russian
Label	Lakeshore Records
Director	Ivan Shurkhovestskiy

The author of the film soundtrack is world-famous American composer and musician is Serj Tankian, leader of the cult band System of a Down. This is his first experience in Russian cinema.

As part of the soundtrack recording, Serj Tankian collaborated with folk instrument performers (balalaika, zhaleika, treshchotka, domra, etc.), throat singing masters from Tuva, a symphony orchestra and choir. The recordings included electric guitars and electronic instruments, but there is not a single note played on the piano in the soundtrack. Serj played personally on many instruments.

Release

The Russian cinematographic agency Roskino revealed the names that he will show this year at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017, including first looks at Central Partnership’s historical epic film Furious and war film T-34 (2019).

Furious was scheduled for release in the Russian Federation on November 30, 2017 by Central Partnership. The television premiere of the film took place on May 7, 2018 on the Russia-1 television channel.

Marketing

In November 2017, The President was shown some of the props used in the making of the film: a sword, a shield, and costume elements – all hand-made. Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, film director Dzhanik Fayziev, lead actor Ilya Malakov and lead actress Polina Chernyshova also attended the screening. President Vladimir Putin, and watch Dzhanik Fayziev's historical fantasy film Furious (also known as Legend of Kolovrat) at the Moscow Kremlin.

The title song for the soundtrack, the dramatic composition "A fine morning ", was recorded by Serj Tankian with the lead singer of the IOWA band Ekaterina Ivanchikova. The music was written by Serj, and the film's screenwriters Yevgeny and Dmitry Raevsky, as well as Ekaterina IOWA, worked with him to create the words. Serj recorded the arrangement and his part at a Studio in Los Angeles, and Ekaterina wrote her vocals in Saint Petersburg. (Serj Tankian & IOWA on YouTube)

Well Go USA has acquired North American rights to the Russian historical action epic Furious, which is being sold in Berlin by Central Partnership, French-speaking countries (Acteurs Auteurs Associes) and Spain (Mediaset).

In April 2018, TGV Cinemas was licensed to screen the movie in its Malaysian cinemas.

Reception

The film was made with a budget of 360 million rubles and was very successful at the box office, with only 30 million rubles on its day of screening and 261 million on its first weekend. The film's total revenue is estimated at 606 million rubles.

See also

• Viking (film), a 2016 Russian historical film

External links

• Furious at IMDb
• Furious at Rotten Tomatoes
• Furious at AllMovie