A grizzly, middle-aged man with a dead family and nothing to lose seeks revenge against the enemy that stole his life – sounds familiar? Steppenwolf is one to tell your dad about, but not just because he will love the blood, guns, and exploding cars- Steppenwolf is also an undeniably good and fun film.
Ruthless Brayuk (Berik Aitzhanoz) teams up with a traumatised Tamara (Anna Starchenko) to search for her son, kidnapped by the man who murdered Brayuk’s wife and children. Together, they travel across an empty apocalyptic land in open warfare to find the man responsible. A dark synopsis, but the film has a nice surprise: it’s really, really funny.
A leather jacket with one sleeve half ripped, a duct tape nose job and red heart sunglasses: all of these are donned by our psychotic killer, Brayuk. Tamara is timid and plain, suffering and tolerating his madness; sometimes even seemingly enjoying it. The on-screen dynamic between the two is the highlight of the film. Banter and fear are the binding agents of their relationship and it results in a really enjoyable bond.
Another delight in the film is its offputting beauty. Grey, desert landscapes and shells of buildings are all that we see. The cinematography itself doesn’t make the landscape beautiful; it’s not supposed to be, it is meant to appear sinister and dangerous. However, cinematographer Yerkinbek Ptyraliyev does a beautiful job of creating this atmosphere. The world of Steppenwolf is mesmerising and sprawling and more than a little terrifying.
The plot itself was easy enough to follow. The film steadily built towards a grand finale which was pretty well achieved. The premise of the film wasn’t particularly astute, but that doesn’t detract from the fun. In fact, the film’s willingness to lean into the silly is a huge positive element. The acting is decent, the effects are great, and the score is surprisingly nice.
Steppenwolf is an easy-pleaser film. It doesn’t push any boundaries and puts on a great show everyone will enjoy- so long as they aren’t squeamish.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from August 15-21. Tickets and showings are available here. Brig’s coverage of the film festival can be found here.
Feature image credit: Blue Finch Films Releasing