Product Details

• Actors: Paddy Considine, Oscar Isaac, Valeriu Pavel Dan, Kenneth Bryans, Radha Mitchell
• Directors: Scott Z. Burns
• Writers: Scott Z. Burns, Ken Kalfus
• Producers: Armyan Bernstein, Ben Cosgrove, Charlie Lyons, Dmitry Shutko, Elena Jacobson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• DVD Release Date: March 25, 2008
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0010YPT7Y
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,173 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "PU-239" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Gloomy but soulful, PU-239 is the story of a Russian nuclear plant worker, Timofey (Paddy Considine), who is exposed to a lethal level of radiation due to general incompetence at the facility. When a cover-up ensues, Timofey is forced to go on unpaid leave with little time left to care for his wife (Radha Mitchell) and son. Stealing a portion of weapons-grade plutonium from the plant, he smuggles it to Moscow and meets up with a black marketeer, Shiv (Oscar Isaac), who hopes to sell the material and pay off a debt to a powerful gangster. The simplicity of the idea, however, is undercut by a series of misunderstandings and bad intentions, leaving both Timofey and Shiv dangling and increasingly endangered. The moody feature is helped a great deal by colorful performances from Jason Flemyng as a loose-cannon associate of Shiv's, and Nikolaj Lie Kaas as a criminal baron who has to suffer the foolish likes of Shiv until he's quite had enough. Mitchell is very good as the spouse who gradually figures out how bad off Timofey is, watching helplessly as anonymous authorities dismantle her life to obscure evidence of their nuclear irresponsibility. Writer-director Scott Z. Burns gracefully captures the tragic cycle of events and manages to inject a trace of humor here and there (especially around Flemyng's character). He also catches some extraordinary, nighttime images of Moscow's busy streets, a look that perhaps hasn't been seen quite this way in a movie before. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

A gripping, dramatic thriller infused with a twist of dark humor, PU-239 reveals the lengths to which a man will go to secure his family's future. While working at a nuclear power plant in Russia, Timofey (Paddy Considine) is exposed to a deadly dose of radiation while trying to aver a plant disaster. Instead of rewarding Timonfey for his efforts, the plants treats him as a scapegoat, offering no compensation to him or his family. Desperate to provide security for his wife and son, Timofey steals a small amount of Pu-239 - weapons-grade Plutonium- and head to Moscow to sell it on the black market. Caught up in the "new Russia" of hoods and hookers, Timofey struggles to make the sales; his efforts resulting in deadly consequences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Do you want to buy some Pu?", May 1, 2008

By	Aaron Gutsell (Clementon, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A film with such an unusual title is bound to be interesting, and "Pu-239" certainly delivers. Timofey (Paddy Considine) is a worker at a Russian nuclear plant who receives a lethal radioactive dose and sets about providing for his family in the few days he has left to live. He does this by purloining Plutonium, chemical symbol Pu-239, not quite as well known as it's cousin U-238. Shot on location, "Pu-239" is an English-language foreign film, with some familiar faces such as Rhada Mitchell as Timofey's wife, and the usual cast of colorful but unknown Russian gangsters. Least expected is the fact that Plutonium is hilarious! Paddy hooks up with Shiv, a small-time crook, and his two out-of-control associates who resort to stealing windshield wipers and dog-napping as sources of income. Laced amidst the dark humor are startlingly insightful meditations on light's wave/particle duality, or the substance of a mushroom cloud consisting of fear. Facts sprinkled throughout the movie are all accurate, such as an interesting sidebar about the painters of radium-dial watches in West Orange, New Jersey who began to die from hideous oral cancer, as they tended to moisten their paint brushes with their mouths. The combination of story, dark humor, nuclear fact, and philosophy render "Pu-239" an intelligent and worthwhile film.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good movie...., July 13, 2008

By	BJ "Brett Starr" (East Peoria, IL United States) - See all my reviews

PU-239 is a relativately unknown movie. I came across the preview on some other movie a few months back and was intrigued by it.

The other reviews have summed up the plot pretty well, so I won't bore you with more of that.

PU-239 is a dark suspense Russian gangster movie, with alot of comedy mixed in. The acting in the movie is pretty good, considering the mostly unknown cast.

A great dvd to check out if your looking for someting a little out of the ordinary!

Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid HBO film, June 1, 2009

By	P.K. Ryan "The Ryan Identity" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Set in 1990's Russia, this compelling drama follows a scientist (Considine) who suffers severe radiation poisoning on the job. His employers claim the incident was his fault and refuse compensation, even going so far as to produce a false radiation test that downplays the extent of his exposure. Out of work, dying, and with a wife and son to look after, the desperate scientist steals a vial of plutonium with the intention of selling it on the black market. He subsequently becomes involved with some dangerous criminal types, the type that became so common in this time period in Russia, and his life becomes intertwined with theirs. The tragic drama unfolds as the man desperately seeks to make some money for his family before his inevitable death. The film, although sad and serious, is laced with dark humor throughout. Considine's character also narrates the story, and I enjoyed the rather poetic element that this adds to the film. This movie is good for both the individual story and as a glimpse into this turbulent time period in Russia in general.