Tetris
A high-stakes biographical thriller pulsating with retro energy. It transforms a simple puzzle into a breathless Cold War dance, where colorful cascading blocks mirror the fragile, high-risk geopolitics of a crumbling empire.
Tetris
Tetris

"The game you couldn't put down. The story you couldn't make up."

15 March 2023 United Kingdom 118 min ⭐ 7.6 (1,661)
Director: Jon S. Baird
Cast: Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle, Ben Miles
Drama History Thriller
Capitalism vs. Communism The Unifying Power of Play Greed and Corporate Espionage Artistic Integrity and Recognition

Tetris - Characters & Cast

Character Analysis

Henk Rogers

Taron Egerton

Archetype: The Entrepreneurial Hero
Key Trait: Relentless determination

Motivation

Initially driven by the need to provide for his family and save his failing business, his motivation shifts to protecting his friend and the integrity of the game.

Character Arc

Henk evolves from a desperate, debt-ridden salesman focused purely on profit into a loyal friend willing to risk his life and livelihood to ensure Alexey receives the recognition he deserves.

Alexey Pajitnov

Nikita Efremov

Archetype: The Creator/Ally
Key Trait: Quiet genius

Motivation

To create pure, elegant puzzles that bring people joy, while protecting his family from the dangerous political consequences of his invention.

Character Arc

Living in fear of the KGB and the state, Alexey transitions from a guarded, paranoid state employee to a bold collaborator willing to subvert his own oppressive government for the sake of his art and friendship.

Robert Maxwell

Roger Allam

Archetype: The Corporate Antagonist
Key Trait: Arrogant entitlement

Motivation

Absolute power, financial dominance, and maintaining his status among the global elite.

Character Arc

A static representation of arrogant, imperialistic greed, Maxwell uses his media empire and political connections to bully his way into the deal, only to ultimately face bankruptcy and defeat.

Valentin Trifonov

Igor Grabuzov

Archetype: The Corrupt Official
Key Trait: Menacing opportunism

Motivation

Personal enrichment and survival at the expense of both communist ideals and human lives.

Character Arc

As a ruthless KGB agent, he initially serves the state with an iron fist, but his arc reveals him as a hypocrite attempting to extort Western capitalists for his own personal fortune as he senses the impending collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cast

Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers
Nikita Efremov as Alexey Pajitnov
Sofia Lebedeva as Sasha
Anthony Boyle as Kevin Maxwell
Ben Miles as Howard Lincoln
Ken Yamamura as Minoru Arakawa
Igor Grabuzov as Valentin Trifonov
Oleg Stefan as Belikov
Ayane Nagabuchi as Akemi Rogers
Rick Yune as Bank Manager
Roger Allam as Robert Maxwell
Toby Jones as Robert Stein
Mara Huf as Tracy
Miles Barrow as Dennis Jackson
Alexey Shedko as Alexey's Lab Chief