The Russian Bride

A woman along with her daughter, comes to the the US with the hopes of finding a better life by way of being a mail order bride. While the home is large and clearly indicates her intended is a man of means, there is a cold and ominous atmosphere to the place. Something just isn't right but can she find out what is going on before it is too late?

Just finished this up and in my opinion, this is a decent film. The story is a bit shaky but it wasn't so bad that it took away from the film. The actors are not folk I'm familiar with and maybe they were a bit lacking but it wasn't awful.

The film moves along at a slow but steady pace and the there is decent tension throughout the film. The camera, audio and wardrobe were all well suited and the home was great.

For a lower budget film, it worked for me. Don't go into it expecting all the questions will have an answer. Simply take it at face value and try not over analyze it.

Plot has more holes than Sunderlands defence, and the acting is shocking.

The dialogue was off. I think if it had been written better with these actors,then the movie would have rated higher.

"The Russian Bride" may seem like some sort of generic Lifetime-style thriller/horror movie from the outside looking in. However, this movie contains a lot of strong performances from not only the three main leads, but the smaller supporting characters as well. Firstly, Corbin Bernsen does a stellar job as the coldly sociopathic Karl. Secondly, the performances by Oksana Orlan as mother Nina and young actress/model Kristina Pimenova as daughter Dasha are very well done, and the chemistry between the two of them makes their performances very believable. The role of Dasha made for a great start to young Ms. Pimenova's acting career, and I hope she continues acting whenever possible. Despite not being on screen nearly as much in this, in my opinion, she proved to me that she has the necessary talent and depth.

Adding to all this is the good writing, which allowed for just enough character development for the smaller supporting characters (especially the emotionally abused mute servant Hagen) for their performances to be passably believable as well.

My only regret is that I which Karl's backstory could've been explored a little bit more. Despite this, TRB is a really thrilling movie that is definitely worth watching.

Some other reviewer mentioned that the acting was shocking. well not really most of the cast were not that great but Corbin and in particular Oksana Orlan made the movie for me - she was rather sexy and a real tough ass kicker and her acting was far and away superb in my opinion - she made the movie for me. Stellar performance Oksana Orlan don't let the critics get you down.

So many critics these days cannot just sit and watch a movie without digging out plot holes and other inconsequential drivel - its a HORROR movie, they are not known for their literary masterpiece or amazing plots or acting - I go to watch and leave this world behind and become immersed in what is on the screen, not sitting nit picking every little detail, how accurate the historical details are - oh man those people bore the hell out of me, a bit like Mark Kermode and his dissection of a movie into its minutae and that would be fair if the movie was a great epic but folks this is a tongue in cheek horror / thriller and you get what is on the tin so save the literary criticism for War & Peace and let ordinary folks just enjoy the film. I guess some people have lost the inner child and have become old before their time - I can still sit and watch Doctor Who from the 1970's or Space 1999 and believe its not a rainy quarry in Newcastle on a wet Sunday afternoon but the Sontaran homeworld and I am over 50 and that is what a lot of people seemingly cannot do these days - I pity them, what a bore life must be for you!

I digress, well the story has been done many times before notably with a French movie whose name eludes me for now and many copies thereafter and it does meander along for the first hour and then hits you with a pickaxe in the closing quarter with some kick-ass gore and violence and after all it is a horror/thriller and tongue in cheek it did finish with aplomb! Corbin is always a dab hand at the tongue in cheek horror as The Dentist he played rather well. Add in some cannibalism references and a bit of Frankenstein's monster and stir it all up and out comes a crazy hour and a half of female hammer wielding mayhem!

I was going to give it an average 5/10 but the last half hour gives it an extra star as it lifted what was seemingly a tame horror/thriller into the above average echelons of gore and female revenge!