Thieves By Law

Name: Thieves By Law
Director: Alexander Gentelev
Released: 2010

Alexander Gentelev 2010

Made famous by the feature film Eastern Promises, former heads of Russia’s criminal underworld, the vori v zakone, (Thieves By Law) share their story for the first time. The thugs who transformed into reputable businessmen reveal how they came to influence Russia’s economy as it emerged from decades of Soviet rule, and how they used their vast wealth to build up a political base in a land that once treated them as common criminals.

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Running Time:

91 min.

Spoken Languages:

Russian

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Alexander Gentelev

Producers:

Simone Baumann, Sasha Klein, Maya Zinshtein

Cinematographers:

Sergi Freedman

Editors:

Alik Baskin, Martin Schröder

Production Companies:

SMS Productions

Crime

Current Affairs

Investigative Journalism

Law and Justice

Russian Cinema and Cul..

Society

Press

Variety Review

"Simultaneously hilarious and horrific, Alexander Gentelev's extraordinary docu Thieves by Law offers a clear, concise and shockingly candid account of Russian gangsterism as told by the shamelessly high-living, self-contented crooks themselves."

Ronnie Scheib
Screen Daily

"The underworld situation in Russia is so unique, and so surreal, that audiences everywhere should take to the material."

Howard Feinstein
NBC LA

"What makes the film truly astonishing is that director Gentelev’s was given the opportunity to closely follow and film these notorious figures nearly uninhibited."

Tim McGonagle

Festival Participation

Tribeca Film Festival
HotDocs
Docaviv

Additional Materials

Film Poster

Distribution Company

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