Edinburgh International Film Festival

Bigga Than Ben: A Russian’s Guide to Ripping Off London, directed by S. A. Halewood, is an exciting and fun film about two young Russians who want to defeat the London financial system and make a few thousand dollars to help jumpstart their band. Cobakka and Spiker, played by Ben Barnes and Andrei Chadov, give us a look at the London rarely seen in film and by tourists, filled with drugs and run down apartment complexes. Ben Barnes (Caspian in the new Chronicles of Narnia film) delivers a stellar performance that gives us a new and different look at his acting abilities. Bigga Than Ben is humorous without being silly, and has a very serious side where the characters skirt danger on a 24-hour basis. It is based on true events.
Bigga Than Ben is a fun adventure for adult audiences. Its set up as a home made documentary, shot entirely in 16mm film and showing what the characters think is practical advice for ripping off the system. There are many laughs, especially when America is mentioned, or when they use the subtitle button as a gag. This movie does have a serious side, which helps control the humor, and leaves you with a somewhat bittersweet ending. The laughs are worth the sadness, however, and I give this film 4 stars.