In my opinion, one has to live through the times depicted in this movie to truly appreciate it. If you think this movie was cheap, anti-American and racist, you missed the point. It would be like calling "The Godfather" racist and sexist. Brat 2 does a great job in giving an idea of what life is like in Russia and for russians in post-soviet world. It is a world of great uncertainty. A system that just fell apart with everyone in it left to their own devices. In many ways, Brat 2 is an inspiration and Danila is the hero or the bright light that captivates viewers by his humble demeanor and his good selfless deeds.
The beauty of the movie is that Danila is not played by Arnold, Vin Diesel or Tom Cruise. He looks like an average Russian and that is what makes it real. His military training is not about ripped muscles or fancy acrobatic moves. It is about working in real situations with low resources and odds stacked up against him. His personality is real and he is easy to relate to. He is a simple guy and he believes in good, something that many people lost their faith in.
America is definitely portrayed from Danila's eyes. It is not an attempt to portray the way America really is, but rather how it really looks to a Russian that just came to this country. In addition most of the movie involves russians in America.
In terms of ideologic statements, I don't think this movie tries to convey a message that Russians are about truth and Americans are about money. I think it leaves things the way they are that there are russians who believe in truth and Americans that prefer money, but i think there are enough of bad russians and good Americans in the movie...
Anyways, highly recommend the movie, thumbs up.
