15 Russian detectives you shouldn't be ashamed of

15. Mousetrap

• USSR, 1990.
• Detective.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.2.

Respectable guests gather in a boarding house not far from London. Heavy snow begins, and guests are cut off from the outside world. Soon a policeman arrives at them and informs them of the impending murder.

The film is based on the play of the same name Agatha Christie. And it’s not hard to understand from the outset: the viewer is shown a classic “closed detective story”, where guests are locked in the same house, and a criminal is hiding among them.

14. Black square

• Russia, 1992.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.2.

A young trainee of the Moscow City Prosecutor's Office, Alexander Turetsky, takes up the investigation of a domestic murder. But it turns out that the case is connected with the highest echelons of the country's leadership. The search for the perpetrators continues, and soon the operatives are being hunted down.

The film is based on the book by Friedrich Neznansky "Fair in Sokolniki". And now many have already forgotten that long before the start of the Turetsky March series, where the main character was played by Alexander Domogarov, Dmitry Kharatyan starred in this image.

13. The Mystery of "Blackbirds"

• USSR, 1983.
• Detective.
• Duration: 97 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

Under mysterious circumstances, the head of a wealthy family, George Fortescue, dies in his own house. At the same time, several dead birds were left on the table of the deceased. Inspector Neal and Miss Marple try to find the killer and find out that the death of this unpleasant man was beneficial to all his family.

Another film adaptation of the book by Agatha Christie. This time the authors have transferred the novel "A Pocket Full of Rye" to the screens. Estonian actress Ita Ever played the legendary Miss Marple. This role is considered one of the best in her career.

12. Petrovka, 38

• USSR, 1980.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 88 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

Criminal Investigation Officers are investigating a series of attacks by a gang of criminals wearing dark glasses. They manage to catch a couple of intruders, but the leader is still at large.

The story of the same name by Yulian Semyonov, on which the film was shot, made the author a legend of the detective genre, and not only in the USSR. The adaptation only reinforced the success of the original. Later in the same year, a sequel was released - "Ogareva, 6".

11. Two tickets for a day session

• USSR, 1966.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

Alexander Alyoshin, a young employee of the OBKHSS, is not too happy with his service. He is already submitting a letter of resignation, but the management asks him to deal with one more case. Cinema tickets for the same place were found on two persons involved in the crime, but on different days.

The plot of this movie may seem a little far-fetched. Still, the charming protagonist and excellent production make up for all the shortcomings. Later the picture was continued under the title "Circle".

10. Case number 306

• USSR, 1956.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 81 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

In Moscow, an elderly woman is hit by a car, and then a police officer who tried to stop him. The witness describes the car and the girl who was driving in sufficient detail. But investigator Mozarin doubts that the suspect found is guilty.

This picture was filmed by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to increase the prestige of the police among the population. Of course, it was not without the traditional theme of spies, but still the story came out really exciting. It is also easy to see that the standard plot moves from "Case No. 306" were parodied in the famous animated film "Spy Passions".

9. Trap for a lonely man

• USSR, 1990.
• Detective, comedy.
• Duration: 92 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

Daniel Korban goes to the police with a report about the disappearance of his wife. However, after a few days, the wife herself returns home. But Korban claims that this is a completely different woman, and they do not know each other. The hero tries to prove to the police that a swindler has come to him. The surrounding people declare him sick.

French writer Robert Thoma had an amazing talent for combining comedy and unpredictable detective stories in his stories. The authors of the film adaptations had only to carefully transfer his stories to the screen. And the bright cast of Nikolai Karachentsev, Yuri Yakovlev and Veniamin Smekhov makes the "Trap for a Lonely Man" great.

8. Village detective

• USSR, 1969.
• Detective, comedy.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

The rural district Aniskin does not at all look like a hero of cool stories. And he is investigating a simple matter: an accordion was stolen from the manager of the club. Nevertheless, the policeman will make every effort to solve the crime.

A kind and simple film with the magnificent Mikhail Zharov in the title role as if calls for a distraction from the world crime and observe life, where the theft of a musical instrument is “the crime of the century”. The humor of the central character only adds to the atmosphere. The picture has two sequels: "Aniskin and Fantômas" about the robbery, and "And again Aniskin" about the theft of exhibits from the Museum of Applied Arts.

7. Tavern on Pyatnitskaya

• USSR, 1977.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

The action takes place in the 20s during the NEP era. Zamoskvorechye is terrorized by a gang based in a tavern on Pyatnitskaya. To catch the criminals red-handed, an employee of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department is introduced to them. As a result, he conducts his own investigation, and the bandits - theirs, trying to figure out the impostor.

Great adventure a detective based on the story of Nikolai Leonov, the audience instantly fell in love with him. Only in 1978 saw the pictureTAVERN ON PYATNITSKAYA. X / F more than 54 million people.

6. Turkish gambit

• Russia, Bulgaria, 2005.
• Detective, action movie.
• Duration: 130 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Erast Fandorin, having gone to war as a volunteer, escapes from Turkish captivity. Soon he meets the girl Varvara, who has come to see her fiancé. Together, the heroes get to the Russian camp and learn that a certain spy is spoiling the plans for the offensive.

Boris Akunin is one of the main modern authors of detective stories. The Turkish Gambit differs from other novels about Erast Fandorin: it has a different environment and a war theme. But this is what allowed the authors of the film adaptation to make the film very bright and dynamic. And one plot move will surprise even connoisseurs of the original.

5. State Councillor

• Russia, 2005.
• Detective drama.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.1.

In the carriage of a courier train, an unknown person kills Governor-General Khrapov. At first, suspicion falls on Erast Fandorin, because this is how the criminal introduced himself. But then the real state councilor Fandorin gets down to business. He goes on the trail of a team of revolutionaries, which signs their messages "BG".

Another film based on the book of the same name by Akunin. The main role here was played by Oleg Menshikov, who perfectly fit into the image of Fandorin. But his partner Pozharsky has radically changed: instead of a young and energetic person, the audience was shown Nikita Mikhalkov.

4. Resident error

• USSR, 1968.
• Detective.
• Duration: 134 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.3.

The son of a Russian émigré and intelligence officer Mikhail Tulyev returns to the USSR, activating old agents to obtain secret information. But the KGB is already following his every step. As a result, a whole network of spies is exposed.

The TV movie, starring the magnificent Georgy Zhzhonov and Mikhail Nozhkin, launched a whole tetralogy. True, in three sequels, the main character has already gone over to the side of the Soviet intelligence.

3. Search a woman

• USSR, 1982.
• Detective, comedy.
• Duration: 152 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.9.

Once the telephone operator Alisa Postik stayed up late in the office. Suddenly, her boss entered the room with a knife in his back and fell dead on the table. The heroine lost consciousness, and when she woke up, she found that the corpse had disappeared. The arriving policeman does not believe that the murder happened at all.

Another film adaptation of the play by Robert Thom. This time the action takes place at all in the same room, and the detective more often resembles a comedy: the main character and the inspector constantly swear. Therefore, first of all, the film attracts with the incredible characters of the heroes Sofiko Chiaureli and Leonid Kuravlev. Still, those who are not familiar with the plot will find it very difficult to guess the circumstances of the incident.

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2. Ten little indians

• USSR, 1987.
• Detective.
• Duration: 130 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.9.

Eight strangers arrive on the island, where they are met by an elderly couple. Everyone waits for the host to appear, but instead, during dinner, a voice recording is turned on, accusing everyone of someone else's death. And then, one by one, the guests begin to die.

Stanislav Govorukhin directed the shivering adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel. The intricate "closed detective" here turns into a thriller: each of the heroes is in danger, and the killer is unknown. The film keeps in suspense until the very end, even after re-viewing.

1. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Dog of the Baskervilles

• USSR, 1981.
• Detective.
• Duration: 154 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.7.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are approached by Dr. Mortimer. He tells an ancient legend, and then asks for help to Sir Henry Baskerville, who has just moved into the family estate and is probably in mortal danger.

A series of films by Igor Maslennikov based on the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle is known not only in Russia. Many people even think Sherlock Holmes performed by Vasily Livanov as a reference image of the great detective. And The Hound of the Baskervilles is arguably the best part of the franchise.

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What Russian or Soviet detectives do you like? Do you prefer screen versions of foreign classics or stories about the domestic police? And if your favorite picture is not included in this list, write about it in the comments.