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Painful Hold

1992 · 83 min

A grim, punchy post-Soviet crime brawl where martial arts kids get caught between ruthless gangs, tense and violent but lean and direct.

Genres
Action, Crime
Overview
Almost immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the era of "market relations"begins. Capitalism is re-emerging in the country. It is time for redistribution of property and spheres of influence between criminal groups. War breaks out between gangs, in the ranks of which are often former athletes. Especially appreciated are those who have the skills of martial arts. At this time, a group of children who profess a rare kind of hand-to-hand fighting, called "Russian style", comes to one provincial city. Their appearance greatly alarmed the leaders of the two rival gangs controlling the city. They are trying to get these valuable fighters into their ranks. In the course of going any means, and the guys are forced to defend themselves.
How it feels
Dark, tense, bleak and cynical. Brisk and needs your attention.
About
Violence, crime, power, survival
Content
Strong violence. Mild gore, sexual content and language.
Note
Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Genres
Action, Crime
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown
Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 1 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action7
Horror2
Humour1
Realism7
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity4
Emotional weight5

Cast

Where to watch in the US

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No streaming, rental or purchase options are known in the US.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details