History Film / MajorGromPlagueDoctor

The film was released on Netflix on May 5, 2021. It was followed by a prequel, ''Film/GromARoughChildhood'', which was released on New Year's Day, 2023. On January 28, 2023, the third film in the franchise, ''[[Film/MajorGromGame Major Grom: Game]]'', was [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9hQqnD7wK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= confirmed to be in production]]. Filming began in March, with a planned May 2024 release date.

** Philipp Zilchenko, the owner of a waste management company who poisoned a low-income community with his landfill, is tied to a gas vent in the middle of said landfill--with his wife and son--and set on fire.

* OffhandBackhand: On first seeing the Plague Doctor burning someone alive with his flamethrowers, Grom decides to forgo the heroics and play it safe, imagining a scenario where he throws a rock at the back of the Plague Doctor's head and knocks him out, then walks up and slaps the cuffs on. It's a good idea right up to the moment when the Plague Doctor catches the rock without even looking behind him.

* PatchworkStory: While the film is, first and foremost, an adaptation of the ''Plague Doctor'' comic arc, the plot also borrows elements from other ''Major Grom'' stories:
** Strelkov, the Federal Security Service officer in the film, is borrowed from ''ComicBook/TheGame'' arc; there, he's [[spoiler: an obnoxious associate of Razumovsky using a fake identity to hamper Grom's investigation]].
** "The Last Case"[[note]]the final arc of ''Major Grom'' before the sequel series, ''Igor Grom'', began publication[[/note]]: [[spoiler: Sergey, like Igor in the comic arc, spends the film unwillingly assisting a criminal in his endeavors for the "betterment of the city", only to discover that the person he's been talking to and interacting with was DeadAllAlong -- and that what he's been seeing is actually a hallucination representing his own malevolent SplitPersonality]]. Additionally, [[spoiler: similar to how a follow-up comic revealed that the man Grom claimed to have seen was RealAfterAll, the PostCreditScene of the movie reveals that Oleg Volkov is still alive in Syria.]]
** Olga Isayeva, the president of the Ros-Garant Bank who fancies herself an old school BlueBlood (and falls victim to the Plague Doctor), is loosely based on one of the villain protagonists of the story "Just Like A Fairy Tale", where she's the bank-robbing daughter of the president of the Ros-Garant Bank who disguises herself as Cinderella.
** The Plague Doctor's plot involving timed explosives and a VideoWill is borrowed from "The Game" arc, in which [[spoiler:Sergey plants explosives throughout the city and sends Igor clues as to their whereabouts via web videos]].

* RedFilterOfDoom: In Razumovsky's ImagineSpot at the start of the final act, [[spoiler: the Plague Doctor announces his [[SplitPersonalityTakeover takeover]] by causing the SnowyScreenOfDeath on Razumovsky's wall-sized office screen to turn blood red]].

** Another minor subplot involves Grom feeding a stray dog who hangs around the shawarma stand (which the owner of the stand dislikes, because it "scares away [his] customers"). The dog is shown grieving Grom's absence after [[spoiler: his arrest]], and later reappears to protect the shawarma stand operator from the Plague Doctor's followers during the climax. However, the dog never shown again after this, leaving its fate unknown. The storyboards for the film depicted the shawarma stand operator adopting the dog, but the scene [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was never filmed]].
* YouCannotKillAnIdea: ZigZagged. It's stated that the Plague Doctor [[spoiler:lost most of his followers after having his UriahGambit exposed]], but that was said on TV, so can we really believe it?
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: The ultimate plan of the Plague Doctor is to [[spoiler:have his followers (mostly gangsters and lowlifes) dispose of the corrupted rich people of the city, which would make the army dispose of the followers themselves, whom he also considers unsuitable for a perfect world.]]

** Far more blatant than Grom is Sergey Razumovsky. In the comics, Razumovsky is a flamboyant elitist [[spoiler: [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who "cleanses" society by murdering the city's lowlifes, and uses the equally flamboyant Plague Doctor persona to eliminate his accomplices (under the guise of "social justice")]]. By contrast, movie Razumovsky is a shy, nervous {{Geek}} [[spoiler: whose split personality adopts the flamboyant Plague Doctor persona out of a genuine desire for social justice, and he ''recruits'' the city's lowlifes to help him rid the city of its [[AristocratsAreEvil evil rich elites]] (though he plans to allow the military to dispose of his followers afterward)]].

* ConspicuousConsumption: Albert Bekhtiev is Russia's most successful land developer, and he isn't afraid to let the world know that he's filthy rich: he's hugely, unashamedly obese from a rich diet (to where he has to cart around an oxygen tank at all times), and rolls up to the grand opening of his casino in a massive limousine and gold-festooned wingtips, with a pretty woman on each arm. He also goes all out for the festivities, hiring a live band and themed, costumed dancers, popping bottle of expensive champagne, and sprinkling the crowd with gold confetti.

* FrameUp: [[spoiler:Razumovsky puts Grom in the Plague Doctor costume, leaves him in a crime scene, and plants evidence in his apartment.]]
* FriendsRentControl: As many Russian viewers noted, Igor would never be able to afford his giant loft apartment on a police officer's salary.
* HardWorkMontage: Or in this case a Hard Work and Drinking Coffee montage.

* KarmicDeath: Each of the Plague Doctor's victims is burned alive; yet, their deaths are tailored to correspond to fit their crimes against society:

** Olga Isayeva, a bank president who defrauded her customers, is tied to a pillar in her bank office, with piles of money set ablaze around her. As an added touch she has a bomb strapped to her chest, which destroys the bank and disperses her ill-gotten money over the streets.

* SplitPersonalityMakeover: [[spoiler: "The Doormat" has blue eyes and "The Bird" has yellow eyes; the trope is downplayed, as the difference is only seen by the character themselves. In the first post-credits scene, "The Bird" takes the shape of a humanoid, black-feathered bird with Sergey's face.]]

* FireBreathingWeapon: The Plague Doctor kills his victims with TrickedOutGloves that shoot flames. The fuel is held in a canister inserted in the gloves, apparently filled with AppliedPhlebotinum developed by the weapons corporation he's connected to, as they're far too small for actual flamethrowers.

* KarmicDeath: All of the Plague Doctor's victims receive this;
** Kirill Gretchkin is burned alive in the car he was driving when he ran down an orphan girl.
** Olga Isayeva, a bank president who defrauded her customers, is tied to a pillar in her bank and set ablaze over a pile of money. (As an added touch, she has a bomb strapped to her chest, which destroys the bank and disperses the money over the watching crowd.)

The film was released on Netflix on May 5, 2021. It was followed by a prequel, ''Film/GromARoughChildhood'', which was released on New Year's Day, 2023. On January 28, 2023, the third film in the franchise, ''[[Film/MajorGromTheGame Major Grom: The Game]]'', was [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9hQqnD7wK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= confirmed to be in production]]. Filming began in March, with a planned May 2024 release date.

** The first issue of the comic arc involves a sequence where Grom visits a brothel that Gretchkin frequented as part of his investigation, and ends up fighting the brothel's owners when he gets too aggressive while questioning Gretchkin's favorite escort. This is entirely absent from the film. Another investigation-related subplot, involving Grom getting a tip from a member of white supremacist group that runs a bare-knuckle boxing club (and subsequently having to fight a member of said group), was similarly removed; instead, Grom gets tips from his pal [[LoveableRogue Booster Ignat]], who ''owns'' a boxing ring.

** Most of Yulia's scenes from the comics (including a subplot about her investigation into political corruption in the city) were cut. She and Igor also aren't officially dating in the film, while in the comics they start dating in the second issue (and are shown going on at least two dates).
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the Bubble Comics story, [[spoiler: Razumovsky's SplitPersonality, The Bird, doesn't truly emerge--or [[SplitPersonalityTakeover take control]]--until the story's epilogue; prior to that,]] the "Plague Doctor" is just a fake persona that he uses to commit his public crimes. In the film, however, [[spoiler:The Bird emerges after Kirill Grechkin is acquitted of murder (though he initially takes the form of Oleg Volkov, Razumovsky's long-time friend), and fully takes over in the third act]].
** Speaking of Oleg, he isn't introduced in the comics until Issue #25, during the third story arc; in the movie, he's introduced in Razumovsky's first scene.

* PatchworkStory: While the film is, first and foremost, an adaptation of the "Plague Doctor" comic arc, the plot borrows elements from other ''Major Grom'' stories:
** "The Last Case"[[note]]the final arc of ''Major Grom'' before the sequel series, ''Igor Grom'', began publication[[/note]]: [[spoiler: Sergey, like Igor in the comic arc, spends the film unwillingly aiding in criminal endeavors for the "betterment of the city", only to discover that the person he's been talking to and interacting with was DeadAllAlong -- and that what he's been seeing is actually a hallucination representing his own malevolent SplitPersonality]]. Additionally, [[spoiler: similar to how a follow-up comic revealed that the man Grom claimed to have seen was RealAfterAll (having [[FakingTheDead faked his own death]]) the PostCreditScene of the movie reveals that Oleg Volkov is still alive in Syria.]]
** Strelkov, the Federal Security Service officer in the film, is also taken from "The Game"; there, he's [[spoiler: an associate of Razumovsky using a fake identity

The film was released on Netflix on May 5, 2021. It was followed by a prequel, ''Film/GromARoughChildhood'', which was released on New Year's Day, 2023. On January 28, 2023, the third film in the franchise, ''[[Film/MajorGromTheGame Major Grom: The Game]]'', was [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9hQqnD7wK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= confirmed to be in production]]. Filming began in March, with a planned March 2024 release date.

* AbortedArc: In the first act, Grom helps look out for Alexey, a troubled orphan boy whose sister was killed by Kirill Gretchkin in a hit-and-run. Grom takes the contact information of the woman who runs the orphanage, but is never shown contacting her or checking up on Alexey, visiting the orphanage only when he needs inspiration in the Plague Doctor case. Alexey is later unmasked as one of the Plague Doctor's followers at the Golden Dragon, and then joins their uprising, stopping just shy of murdering the judge who acquitted his sister's killer...after which he disposes of his mask and vanishes from the film, never to be seen or mentioned again.
* AdaptationDistillation: Many, many alterations were made to the comic book story arc in order to adapt it for the big screen -- most of them involving the Plague Doctor and his M.O.:
** In the comics, the villain's plan to "cleanse" St. Petersburg involves having an associate (a DirtyCop) bring him the city's criminals and low-lives (vagrants, drug addicts, etc), drugging them, and killing them in a maze of elaborate, ''Franchise/{{Saw}}''-style [[DeathTrap death traps]] called the "Garden of Sinners". He only kills the city's oligarchs to get rid of his accomplices, so that their criminal activities don't lead the authorities back to him; his ultimate goal is to become [[PresidentEvil president]], so that he can reshape society on a grand scale. In the movie, however, the Plague Doctor's vigilante activities are genuine and fairly straightforward (though he does plan to dispose of the city's riffraff alongside the elites after they've [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness served their purpose]]).
** In the comics, the Plague Doctor's high profile victims are all killed in a manner both befitting their crimes and referencing the Black Plague: Kirill Gretchkin is burned alive in his sports car, a DirtyCop who called protesters "rats" is eaten alive by rats, etc. In the film, he just burns them alive.
** Because the "Garden of Sinners" element is removed from the story, the Plague Doctor's emergence is spurned by the acquittal of Kirill Gretchkin, who killed an orphan girl while driving drunk; [[spoiler: said child lived in the orphanage where Sergei Razumovsky and Oleg Volkov grew up together -- and which Sergei personally helped to renovate -- making Kirill's crime highly personal for him]].
** The film's final act is also completely different: instead of Igor Grom being taken captive [[spoiler: by Razumovsky]] and forced to navigate a death maze alone, Grom faces the Plague Doctor [[spoiler:in the maze-like server rooms of Vmeste's headquarters, with the help of Yulia and Dima]].
** The first issue of the comic arc involves a sequence where Grom visits a brothel that Gretchkin frequented, looking for clues, and ends up fighting the brothel's owners when he gets too aggressive while questioning Gretchkin's favorite escort. This is entirely absent from the film. Another investigation-related subplot, involving Grom getting a tip from a member of white supremacist group that runs a bare-knuckle boxing club (and subsequently having to fight a member of said group), was similarly removed; instead, Grom gets tips from his pal [[LoveableRogue Booster Ignat]], who ''owns'' a boxing ring.

** Most of Yulia's scenes from the comics (including a subplot about her investigation into political corruption in the city) were cut. She and Igor also aren't officially dating in the film, while in the comics they start dating in the second issue.

** Speaking of Oleg, he isn't introduced in the comics until the fifth issue; in the movie, he's introduced in Razumovsky's first scene.

** Far more blatant than Grom is Sergey Razumovsky. In the comics, Razumovsky is a flamboyant elitist [[spoiler: [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who "cleanses" society by murdering the city's low-lifes, and uses the equally flamboyant Plague Doctor persona to eliminate his accomplices (under the guise of "social justice")]]. By contrast, movie Razumovsky is a shy, nervous {{Geek}} [[spoiler: whose split personality adopts the flamboyant Plague Doctor persona out of a genuine desire for social justice, and he ''recruits'' the city's lowlifes to help him rid the city of its [[AristocratsAreEvil evil rich elites]] (though he plans to allow the military to dispose of his followers afterward)]].

* PatchworkStory: While the film is, first and foremost, an adaptation of the "Plague Doctor" comic arc, the plot borrows many elements from other ''Major Grom'' stories:
** "The Last Case"[[note]]the final arc of ''Major Grom'' before the sequel series, ''Igor Grom'', began publication[[/note]]: [[spoiler: Sergei, like Igor in the comic arc, spends the film unwillingly aiding criminal endeavors for the "betterment of the city", only to discover that the person he's been talking to and interacting with was DeadAllAlong -- and what he's been seeing is actually a hallucination representing his own malevolent SplitPersonality]]. Additionally, [[spoiler: much like a follow-up comic revealed that the man Grom claimed to have seen was RealAfterAll (having [[FakingTheDead faked his own death]]), the PostCreditScene of the movie reveals that Oleg Volkov is still alive in Syria.]]
** Olga Isayeva, the president of the Ros-Garant Bank who fancies herself an old school BlueBlood (and falls victim to the Plague Doctor), is loosely based on one of the villain protagonists of the story "Just Like A Fairy Tale"; there, she's the bank-robbing offspring of the president of the Ros-Garant Bank, who disguises herself as Cinderella.

** Grom is assigned to investigate the disappearance of 12 refrigerators to get him away from the Plague Doctor case, but [[CowboyCop being who he is]] he doesn't performs this assignment (the closest he gets to it is telling [[{{Sidekick}} Dubin]] to do it). The refrigerators are referenced a few more times with Strelkov and [[DaChief Propokenko]] reminding Grom of his assignment and Dubin asking a few of Grom's criminal informants if they've seen them. The gag finally ends with the animated end credits showing Grom beating up his way through the film's production crew to find the refrigerators.

** Oleg compares [[spoiler:himself as]] the Plague Doctor to Franchise/{{Batman}}, "Only cooler." Sergei points out that the Plague Doctor just committed murder, something Batman doesn't do.

* SplitPersonalityMakeover:
** "The Doormat" has blue eyes and "The Bird" has yellow eyes; the trope is downplayed, as the difference is only seen by the character themselves. In the first post-credits scene, "The Bird" takes the shape of a humanoid, black-feathered bird with [[spoiler: Sergey]]'s face.

* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: In the comics, the Plague Doctor's mask is white with red lenses, and it's paired with a purple suit and a frock coat (which makes him look more like a Victorian dandy than a supervillain). In the movie, the Plague Doctor's costume is completely black, and features body armor and a BlackCloak; this serves to make him look [[DarkIsEvil more ominous]].

** "The Last Case"[[note]]the final arc of ''Major Grom'' before the sequel series, ''Igor Grom'', began publication[[/note]]: [[spoiler: Sergei, like Igor in the comic arc, spends the film unwillingly aiding criminal endeavors for the "betterment of the city", only to discover that the person he's been talking to and interacting with was DeadAllAlong -- and what he's been seeing is actually a hallucination representing his own malevolent SplitPersonality. Additionally, much like a follow-up comic revealed that the man Grom claimed to have seen was RealAfterAll (having [[FakingTheDead faked his own death), the PostCreditScene of the movie reveals that Oleg Volkov is still alive in Syria.]]

* TurnInYourBadge: Apparently this happens so often to Grom his fellow police officers have a SideBet on whether [[TenMinuteRetirement he really will get fired this time]]. He gets chewed out by [[DaChief Fedor]], who orders Grom to write out his resignation letter and hand in his badge. But after he leaves Fedor crumples up his letter and hands back the badge the next day. When Fedor is ordered to fire Grom for real halfway through the movie he's not happy, and Grom takes out the crumpled resignation from his drawer and signs it to spare him from having to do so.

The film was released on Netflix on May 5, 2021. It was followed by a prequel, ''Film/GromARoughChildhood'', which was released on New Year's Day, 2023. On January 28, 2023, the third film in the franchise, ''[[Film/MajorGromTheGame Major Grom: The Game]]'', was [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9hQqnD7wK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= confirmed to be in production]]. Filming began in March, with a planned 2024 release date.

** "The Last Case"[[note]]the final arc of ''Major Grom'' before the sequel series, ''Igor Grom'', began publication[[/note]]: [[spoiler: Sergei, like Igor in the comic arc, spends the film unwillingly aiding criminal endeavors for the "betterment of the city", only to discover that the person he's been talking to and interacting with was DeadAllAlong -- and what he's been seeing is actually a hallucination representing his own malevolent SplitPersonality.]] Additionally, [[spoiler: much like a follow-up comic revealed that the man Grom claimed to have seen was RealAllAlong (having [[FakingTheDead faked his own death)]], the PostCreditScene of the movie reveals that [[spoiler: Oleg Volkov is still alive in Syria.]]
** Olga Isayev, the president of the Ros-Garant Bank who fancies herself an old school BlueBlood (and falls victim to the Plague Doctor), is one of the villain protagonists of the story "Just Like A Fairy Tale"; there, she's the bank robbing offspring of the president of the Ros-Garant Bank who disguises herself as Cinderella.

The film follows the police major Igor Grom (Tikhon Zhiznevsky), a highly skilled and determined cop hunting down a [[SerialKiller vicious]] masked [[VigilanteMan vigilante]] called the Plague Doctor, who is murdering the wealthy elites of Saint Petersburg. Grom is aided in his investigation by his eager, earnest rookie partner Dima Dubin (Alexander Seteykin), feisty female journalist Yulia Pchelkina (Lyubov Aksyonova), and nervous, soft-spoken social media mogul Sergei Razumovsky (Sergei Goroshko), who may have a deeper connection to the Plague Doctor case than he's letting on.

** Far more blatant than Grom is Sergey Razumovsky. [[spoiler: In the comics, Razumovsky is a flamboyant, elitist [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who "cleanses" society by murdering the city's low-lifes, and uses the equally flamboyant Plague Doctor persona to eliminate his accomplices (under the guise of "social justice")]]. By contrast, movie Razumovsky is a shy, nervous {{Geek}} [[spoiler: whose split personality adopts the flamboyant Plague Doctor persona out of a genuine desire for social justice, and he ''recruits'' the city's lowlifes to help him rid the city of its [[AristocratsAreEvil evil rich elites]] (though he plans to allow the military to dispose of his followers afterward)]].

* AloneWithThePsycho: In the film's final act, Igor goes to [[spoiler:Vmeste's corporate headquarters]] alone to confront the Plague Doctor. [[spoiler: He manages to tackle the villain and flip him onto a table, damaging his flamethrower gauntlets...but not enough to stop them from working, resulting in the two playing a game of cat-and-mouse in the server room (until [[BigDamnHeroes Dima and Yulia show up]] with a fire hose)]].

** Kirill Grechkin loudly slurps an iced coffee in the courtroom during the witness testimony. In reality, no food or beverages are permitted in Russian courtrooms, and Kirill's rude behavior would get him removed immediately.

* BaitAndSwitch: The opening teaser shows a young {{Bookworm}} standing up to three bullies, [[FistOfRage fists balled]], after they threaten to burn a stray dog alive. The scene is painted as an origin story for Igor Grom: heroic, scholarly, likes to use his fists, has a soft spot for stray dogs, and works to prevent fiery deaths. [[spoiler: In the film's final act, it's revealed that the boy was Sergei Razumovsky, and he stopped the bullies by burning them alive. His book was a sketchbook -- full of drawings of raven-like creatures surrounded by flames. (The filmmakers make a point of having young Sergei wear a hat, which covers his telltale red hair.)]]

-->'''Grom:''' ''(handing him the keys)'' Case closed then.

** "The Doormat" has blue eyes and "the Bird" has yellow eyes; the trope is downplayed, as the difference is only seen by the character themselves.
** In the first post-credits scene, "the Bird" takes the shape of a humanoid, black-feathered bird with [[spoiler: Sergei]]'s face.