This film is a classic. Period. Great actors. Great acting. Great story. Also timely as it holds up a mirror for us to see our current (post Soviet) selves in.
But wait a minute --- the journey homeward --- the perils encountered --- why does it all seem so mythic? Because this is a retelling of the tale of Ulysses (Homer) who is homeward bound (a perilous journey after the wars) to resume life with his beloved Penelope.
For those who have heard that this is a violent and racist film --- forget that. D-Fens comes into several threatening circumstances as he wends his way home and he reacts to protect himself, acting with violence when he is threatened with violence. I admit one must consider what seems violent to him. The toughs with the baseball bat or machine guns are clear enough examples. The McDonalds and Korean shopkeeper scenes require empathy --- the violence here is that nothing is as it should be (to him). Remember the Bazooka? The pawn shop episode shows D-Fens expressing moral outrage.
Nothing about this film suggests Violence Exploitation to me. It is all organic to the story. I think this film is an example of everything clicking together resulting in brilliance.
Uh, I liked it. A lot.