The Hunt For Red Mercury
In a country in shambles, red mercury is in hot demand. But when no one wants to talk about it for fear of what might happen, how easy is the hunt to find it?
"When the iron curtain came crashing down the world said it would sleep better, but should we feel so secure, should we feel so content?"
In the Soviet Union, everything is for sale. From guns and hand grenades, to tanks and aircraft; the military bases have become supermarkets since the fall of the KGB. "In the west they launder drug money, here they launder communist money," explains a police commander. Soldiers who can no longer afford to house and feed their families have turned to trading stolen goods in order to carve out a decent living. For one space scientist, "just one bottle of black market perfume is worth more than his monthly salary designing some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world."
But there is one product even more profitable than Russia's weaponry and it's one that many Russian's are afraid to talk about. It is the elusive red mercury, which many suspect is controlled by the KGB. Not surprisingly, the hunt to find it is a dangerous one.
As the filmmakers meet KGB contacts, and arrange meetings with middlemen, the scale of the operation is uncovered. From an auction selling nuclear material to the military plants that could be the source of red mercury. Everyone is afraid to talk; no one wants to be on the wrong side of the KGB.
As we travel deeper into this undercover world the filmmakers are faced with greater danger. Their hidden camera is always rolling, even when KGB members come alarmingly close to discovering it. When the supposed 'red mercury' they purchase is revealed to be powdered paint, and the men doing business with them begin to doubt their cover story, the trail looks like it might go dead. But eventually they find the man they're looking for. However this is a serious business. And these men don't mess around.
Shotlist from DVD
0:02:02 Train arriving at platform
0:02:34 Man walking across train platform with silver briefcase.
0:03:00 Briefcase exchange while sat on bench.
0:03:27 Shots of tanks in parade, incl. Weapons.
0:04:37 Buying night vision goggles and loading onto car. Shot through night vision lense.
0:06:20 Small group of soldiers (Russian) marching at army base and chanting.
0:07:31 Five Russian pilots in underwear in stream fishing with a net.
0:07:48 Misha (Space Shuttle Scientist, Zhukovsky) discusses Boran space shuttle project. Shows black market perfume.
0:09:06 Space shuttle launches. Big fire cloud.
0:12:09 Founder of KGB, Felix Dzerzhinsky, statue being pulled down, crowds cheering.
0:16:21 Russian air show.
0:18:35 A show of men and women dancing in a prostitution house.
0:19:35 Casino. Men and women gambling.
0:19:49 Latvian squad team training in camouflage gear, fighting.
0:24:51 Auction. Red Mercury for sale. Documents showing red mercury.
0:26:27 Small tube of supposed red mercury in powder form being tested in lab. Shows sample is not radioactive.
0:27:34 Budapest police officer handling various bottles and tubes of red substances, some with skull and crossbones on the bottles.
0:29:06 Nuclear weapons factory. Everyone in white lab coats. Very old computers.
0:38:36 Shot of crowd gathered and chanting/ banging drums/clapping/dancing.
0:39:16 Russian businessmen exchanging wads of money in diner.
0:41:05 Footage of red mercury deal. Shots inside and outside of apartment.
0:42:57 Three cars pull up alongside busy road for red mercury deal. Shots in and out of car. Men with blurred out faces.
0:44:19 Small bottle of red mercury liquid being handled. More blurred out faces haggling over price in back of car.
0:44:57 Formulae for red mercury written on container.
0:45:42 Small bottle of powdered red mercury (orange), director explaining how heavy it is in comparison with cartons from fridge. Explains not radioactive.
0:47:21 Scientist explaining that jar was just powdered paint.
0:52:44 In car, doing red mercury deal. Deserted road in countryside. Three cars pulled up on road.
0:27:24 Presenter speaking to camera in Moscow.
FULL SYNOPSIS
0:02:34 Man walking across train platform with silver briefcase.
0:03:00 Briefcase exchange while sat on bench.
0:03:27 Shots of tanks in parade, incl. Weapons.
0:04:37 Buying night vision goggles and loading onto car. Shot through night vision lense.
0:06:20 Small group of soldiers (Russian) marching at army base and chanting.
0:07:31 Five Russian pilots in underwear in stream fishing with a net.
0:07:48 Misha (Space Shuttle Scientist, Zhukovsky) discusses Boran space shuttle project. Shows black market perfume.
0:09:06 Space shuttle launches. Big fire cloud.
0:12:09 Founder of KGB, Felix Dzerzhinsky, statue being pulled down, crowds cheering.
0:16:21 Russian air show.
0:18:35 A show of men and women dancing in a prostitution house.
0:19:35 Casino. Men and women gambling.
0:19:49 Latvian squad team training in camouflage gear, fighting.
0:24:51 Auction. Red Mercury for sale. Documents showing red mercury.
0:26:27 Small tube of supposed red mercury in powder form being tested in lab. Shows sample is not radioactive.
0:27:34 Budapest police officer handling various bottles and tubes of red substances, some with skull and crossbones on the bottles.
0:29:06 Nuclear weapons factory. Everyone in white lab coats. Very old computers.
0:38:36 Shot of crowd gathered and chanting/ banging drums/clapping/dancing.
0:39:16 Russian businessmen exchanging wads of money in diner.
0:41:05 Footage of red mercury deal. Shots inside and outside of apartment.
0:42:57 Three cars pull up alongside busy road for red mercury deal. Shots in and out of car. Men with blurred out faces.
0:44:19 Small bottle of red mercury liquid being handled. More blurred out faces haggling over price in back of car.
0:44:57 Formulae for red mercury written on container.
0:45:42 Small bottle of powdered red mercury (orange), director explaining how heavy it is in comparison with cartons from fridge. Explains not radioactive.
0:47:21 Scientist explaining that jar was just powdered paint.
0:52:44 In car, doing red mercury deal. Deserted road in countryside. Three cars pulled up on road.
0:27:24 Presenter speaking to camera in Moscow.