What does does a Russian actor do after making his name in a couple of gangster movies? He writes and directs the third in the series. At least that's what writer-director Sergei Bodrov has chosen to do here.

To be fair Sisters is not Brother 3 (or Brat 3 if you prefer the monosyllabic Russian word for "Brother"), rather there is often a wink and a nod to the earlier films in which the Sergei Bodrov Jr. made his name. Bodrov makes a cameo appearance as a Moscow mob leader, but other than that Sisters is a new story with a new set of characters.

The main focus is on two step-siblings, thirteen-year-old Sveta, a sullen tomboy, and eight-year-old Dina, a spoilt little princess. When their gangster father, recently released from jail, refuses to handover stolen money to a rival gang, they threaten to kidnap his youngest daughter. The two girls find they must bury their differences and go on the run.

What follows is a cat-and-mouse game where dad hangs tough in gangsterland, his flat watched night and day, and the girls survive at large on their wits and good fortune. With no money and cut off from their family, life may be hard, but through their shared experiences with unsupportive relatives (afraid of repercussions with the mob), a raggletaggle group of gypsy children and a suspicious policeman, they soften towards each other.

Sisters is a more subtle story than Brother 2, where the brothers went on a shooting spree in Los Angeles and closer in atmosphere to the first Brother, with its gritty portrait of the St Petersburg underworld. The dilapidated locations, the deadpan humour and the sudden violence are also key ingredients here. There are also a couple of Bollywood numbers, Sveta teaches her little sister belly-dancing, that surprisingly don't seem out of place, and that add a splash of colour.

Clunky plot mechanics mean that there is less suspense than there might have been. However, the contrast between the world of the bullish gangsters and the vulnerable, but opportunistic girls works well. The Russia pictured here is also rich in atmosphere, a snapshot of a fallen giant still struggling out of the post Cold War era, which should appeal to those who enjoyed the Brothers 1 and 2.