Stylish Kazakh neo-western about a cynical bodyguard who takes on a cunning assassin.
At the airport, a broken man awaits his next assignment. Bek, an alcoholic bodyguard, arrives in the bleak Karatas winter to work for corrupt mob boss Baylat. But his plans are soon derailed by a mysterious assassin known as ‘The Fox’ and her taciturn son.
Turgaud – named after a traditional Kazakh bodyguard with absolute loyalty to his employer – is a Quentin Tarantino-style neo-western laced with Central European cynicism. Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov brings back several characters from his equally genre-bending Steppenwolf (2024) for a film once again brimming with pitch-black humour, tightly choreographed action sequences and bursts of brutal violence. Bek (Berik Aitzhanov) carries his dombra (a traditional Kazakh lute) wherever he goes, providing a simple yet effective soundtrack. Anna Starchenko, Yerzhanov’s regular collaborator, plays the femme fatale. A dark portrait of the deep scars left by corruption.
