The Russian Mafia (Documentary)
Lords of the Mafia - Russian Mafia (Documentary)
Thieves by Law is a 2010 documentary film charting the rise of Russian organized crime in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. In the film several noted crime figures are interviewed, a number of which are currently wanted by Interpol.
Russian Mafia: Documentary on Russian Organized Crime (BBC)
Marked - Russian Prison Tattoo (Documentary)
Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols which can give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too. The initiation tattoo of a new gang member is usually placed on the chest and may incorporate a rose. A rose on the chest is also used within the Russian Mafia. Wearing false or unearned tattoos is punishable in the criminal underworld, usually by removal of the tattoo, followed by beatings and sometimes rape. Tattoos can be removed (voluntarily, in the case of loss of rank, new affiliation, "life style" change, etc.) by bandaging magnesium powder onto the surface of the skin, which dissolves the skin bearing the marks with painful caustic burns. This powder is gained by filing "light alloy" e.g. lawnmower casing, and is a jailhouse commodity.
The Mark of Cain (Documentary)
Stars, sailing ships, death - Russian Criminal Tattoos.
Captured in some of Russias most notorious prisons the film traces the animus of the flowers of this carnal art by way of the brutality of its origins- the penitentiary and the criminal environment.
Incisive interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists reveal the secret language of the mafia. The prisoners of the Stalinist Gulag developed a complex social structure that incorporated highly symbolic tattooing as a mark of rank. The very existence of these inmates at prisons and forced labor camps was treated by the state as a deep secret, and their tattoo art was considered a forbidden topic.In Russian prisons, tattooing emerged as a visual mode of communication linked with social division.
The Mark of Cain tells the story of a fading art form and how that practice's death reflects transition in broader Russian society.
Vitaly Dyomochka. A Romantic from the Underworld
In 2004, incredible news was announced in the art world. For the first time in the history of cinema, a film was shot by real gangsters. The head of a crime family, acted as producer, director and male lead. How was the most criminal film in the history shot? The most talented of all serious offenders. And the most dangerous of all talented persons. Vitaly Dyomochka. Who is he in reality? A documentary film. 2011.
Want more coverage of the Russian Mafia? If you understand Russian language, watch these 10 documentaries (13 videos - 10 hours playlist) on the Russian organized crime.
