POSSIBLE SPOILER INFO BELOW<br /><br />This film has a simple plot - although, in my opinion, it is not a plot oriented movie. Danila and his friends have returned to civilian life after a tour of duty in Chechnya.<br /><br />Danila, after an excursion in Saint Petersburg (watch the original film "Brat" for more info), travels to Moscow, where this movie begins. Danila's army buddy's twin brother (and professional hockey player in the U.S.) is having problems with the Ukranian/American mafia in Chicago. Danila's friend is killed for having requested an influential Russian "banker" to intervene on American brother's behalf.<br /><br />This leads Danila to travel to the U.S. to help solve the hockey star's mafia-related financial problems. There are essentially two phases to this film: the preparation to go to America (which occurs in Moscow) and carrying out the business in the states (mainly NY and Chicago).<br /><br />I enjoy this movie immensely, but I can see how it is not for everyone. I was living in Moscow at the time this movie came out - I saw a matinée at the Pushkinsky theater in the center of Moscow. While many of my Russian friends consider this movie to be extremely low-brow, I still can't put my finger on what I like about it so much. Danila and his brother are great characters. Like I saw another reviewer write, Danila cares about others' lives more than his own. I think there are brilliant shots of Moscow and many are picturesque. I recognized most of the locations in the movie, including the inside of Sanduni banya (located behind TSUM) where Danila and his friends party with some pretty ladies. The soundtrack is great - I even bought it on CD (although some of my more hip Russian friends refer to it as "otstoy" or "lame"). Generally, the film is action-packed, funny at times, nostalgic, and one of the more commercialized Russian movies that I know of.<br /><br />If you have some connection to Moscow and enjoy gangster-type movies, you will probably like this film.<br /><br />I have seen several critiques of this film, some of which are valid. However, I haven't seen a criticism that overwhelms this movie's appeal.<br /><br />Brat 2 is a nationalistic movie, but not in a bad way. The basic message is that life in Russia is NOT really worse than the un-realized American Dream that many Russian immigrants experience.<br /><br />Although I read many reviews that deemed this movie "racist," I haven't seen a single reason presented. I'm sure some viewers from Los Angeles cannot comprehend that Danila's use of the Russian term "negr" is not to be confused with the extremely offensive English "n word." In Russian, "negr" is the appropriate and non-offensive way to refer to a black person - although it is very harsh on American ears.<br /><br />In response to Danila's statement to the police, an American (non-Russian speaking) cop hears Danila use the word "negr." The cop confuses this statement as being racist and uses it to segway into a truly racist comment of his own. Just because a character makes a racist comment in a film does not mean that a movie's message is racist. This is a critique of race relations in the U.S., not a reason that this film is "racist."<br /><br />The soundtrack is cool. I like most of the music on it, which includes some commercially successful Russian groups like: B2, Zemfira, and Krematory.<br /><br />My only real criticism of Brat 2 is that many of the Americans are either portrayed as evil or stupid. This is most likely in direct response to how Russians are repeatedly portrayed in American cinema - either as gangsters or stupid (Yakhov Smirnov-esquire characters).<br /><br />Overall, this film has a very positive message - one of loyalty, anti-materialism, honesty, and friendship. How is that negative?