I watched the hype Russian TV series “Dashing”. This is a true story, and that makes it even scarier.

Recently, the streaming service Ökko released a new series “Dashing”, and it quickly became popular among Russian viewers.

It is based on a real story, which is even more compelling. And the director is Yuri Bykov, known for “Method”, “Plant”, and the films “Major” and “Fool”. All in all, a well-established director.

And the cast inspired confidence. The series has assembled a fairly experienced cast.

We have already watched the first four episodes out of eight and are sharing our impressions in a funny way. Spoiler: definitely worth watching.

Welcome to the roaring nineties

What is the series about?: Khabarovsk region. Taiga. Pavel Likhovtsev, senior huntsman and bear hunter, keeps an apiary in the taiga and raises his eldest son Zhenya to be a real man. But with the advent of the 90s, the apiary went bankrupt.

Pavel and his family are forced to go to Khabarovsk in search of a better life. At this time, the city is undergoing a redistribution of the sphere of civil law – all power and all resources are transferred to the Obshchak organized crime group. Having got a job as a driver for Yura Krab, a former neighbor in the village and Zhenya’s godfather, Pavel finds himself in the epicenter of a gang war.

If you watched “The Boy’s Word”, then you roughly already understood the local atmosphere. The creators of the story confidently transferred the film adaptation of Likhovtsev’s memoirs to wide open spaces and were able to choose the right approach to the atmosphere in their project. It is she who plays a big role here, and the authors of this differ perfectly.

This is not just a crime story. The story centers on a broken family, in which the father, who has become a murderer, drags the investigator into a cruel world of crime. Bykov creates an image of a harsh, joyless reality, devoid of any romanticization or heroism, contradicting crime dramas like “The Brigade” or the same “The Boy’s Word.” There is no room for charm or sympathy for the characters: this is a dark and difficult chronicle of those who find themselves drawn into a world that leaves no hope for something better.

The directors take the action through two timelines: the 90s, when Likhovtsev begins his criminal activities, and the present, when his son is released from prison and is forced to adapt to the life he lost. This allows Bykov to draw a parallel between that time and the current country, to create a sense of the inextricability of social problems. The Likhovtsevs are not shown as “tough bandits” – they are just people, broken by circumstances and made by their own mistakes. And this is the main feature that distinguishes the project from the original.

Visually, “Dashing” is based on the typical images of crime series. Bykov shoots gray, lifeless landscapes, allowing for an atmosphere of hopelessness, as if emphasizing that this is a story not only about the past, but also about how far the roots of the problems from the 90s have grown. There are no spectacular shootouts or bright scenes – everything is gloomy, ordinary and almost glamorous. In each case, such a story is told in the first four episodes.

However, there are downsides.

The series “Simply replete with secondary things”

In some places it seems that “Dashing” is repeating original plots and images that are often found in the genre. The storyline, and be that as it may on any events, does not foreshadow anything radically new. We’ve seen this ten times under different sauces. So there is no need to expect any revelations yet.

Bykov remains true to his style and emphasis on the psychological drama of the “little man.” However, sometimes it looks too conservative, the image of the “dashing 90s” is already familiar and slightly tiresome.

Separately, I would like to praise the work of the cameraman for the dark and realistic shots that literally immerse you in the local atmosphere from the first minutes. However, sometimes the image leads to turning into a kind of retro template.

Musical accompaniment helps enhance the nostalgic effect. The series features melodies and compositions characteristic of the era, including an emotional background and enhancing the drama of the scene. It’s clear that composer Ryan Otter tried to emphasize authenticity, and this subtle innovation was an additional depth.

Still worth watching

Ultimately, Dashing is an honest and difficult drama that makes you think about the social and moral legacy of the 90s.

The series may not appeal to everyone for various reasons. However, he definitely found his audience, and we are already among them. We recommend viewing.