Crime and Punishment (2002 Russian film)


Crime and Punishment is a 2002 American-Russian-Polish drama film written and directed by Menahem Golan and starring Crispin Glover and Vanessa Redgrave. It is an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1866 novel of the same name. The film was filmed in 1993 but not released until 2002.

Plot

Though the story of Crime and Punishment was written and set in the 19th century, this film version takes place in the then-future setting of the late 20th century. Rodion Raskolnikov, a student in his twenties who lives in Moscow, has published a paper in which he argues that certain superior individuals can legitimately ignore laws, even those against murder. He acts out this arrogant theory by murdering an old woman, a pawnbroker and her sister, who accidentally witnesses the crime. In the aftermath, Raskolnikov is increasingly tortured by his conscience.

Cast

The release of the film has been restricted by legal matters that left it seized in a bankruptcy lien.
Eventually released in the UK on DVD by Prism Leisure Corporation.