21 Soviet detectives that are still interesting to watch
Miscellaneous / / December 21, 2021
Stories about the stolen accordion, spy games and the British ancestral curse await you.
The best Soviet detective films
1. Case from investigative practice
- USSR, 1968.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 87 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 6.5.
Prisoner Makartsev, who has almost served time for theft, suddenly admits that as a teenager he committed murder in front of witnesses. Then they were also young, but now they have become prosperous, respected citizens. Investigator Sukhareva engages them in the investigation. It turns out that these people are involved in the crime.
Black and white legal drama by Leonid Agranovich will surprise you with an unexpected roundabout and outstanding cinematography. The latter is simply amazing here, especially the play with light and shadow. It is also unusual that the film does not draw a clear line between good and evil, and even the goodies have no final confidence that they are doing a good deed.
2. Long, long business
- USSR, 1977.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 92 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 6.7.
Investigator Mikhail Petrovich Luzhin is a gentle, good-natured person. He treats suspects with understanding and tries to protect them from false accusations, for which he often receives from his superiors. One day another case falls into his hands. It seems simple, but later the hero realizes that he hastened to conclusions, because an innocent person may suffer.
Such well-known Soviet actors like Yevgeny Leonov, Oleg Yankovsky and still very young Nikolai Karachentsov in the role suspect.
We'll warn you right away that the film ends as if suddenly, ending in mid-sentence. It is difficult to say whether this is a deliberate move by the directors or an accident, but such understatement even gives the picture a zest.
3. Mine
- USSR, 1969.
- Drama, crime.
- Duration: 88 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 6.9.
Investigator Tatyana Vasilyevna Sergeeva is entrusted with the case of her colleague and former lover Pavel Romanovich Koshelev, accused of bribery. It all started with a noble deed that turned into a series of troubles for the man.
Another interesting work by Leonid Agranovich. Like Case from Investigative Practice, it stands apart from other Soviet production dramas due to its disturbing atmosphere and controversial characters.
The main roles were played by Oleg Efremov and Alla Pokrovskaya - the parents of the well-known Mikhail Efremov. At that time, the actors were married, and there is a specific chemistry between their characters.
4. Case number 306
- USSR, 1956.
- Crime, detective, adventure.
- Duration: 81 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.0.
In Moscow, there is a double accident: an unknown car first knocks down an elderly woman, and then a police officer who tried to stop him. Student Lyudmila falls under suspicion, but investigator Mikhail Mozarin doubts that she is guilty. Gradually, a criminal investigation develops into an espionage case.
The picture was filmed by order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, in order to clear the image of the police from gloomy associations associated with mass repressions. Director Anatoly Rybakov coped with his task: the film became a hit with viewers, despite the slightly "poster" relationship between the characters and some naive moments in the script. For example, a policeman goes on an important operation alone, although he knows that he is dealing with a whole gang.
5. Two tickets for a day session
- USSR, 1966.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 98 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.1.
A young Komsomol member named Alyoshin is sent to work in the police, but he does not feel a vocation for this work. The hero is already ready to quit, but the authorities ask him to finally deal with a small case about currency shenanigans. The bottom line is that two persons involved in the crime were found with movie tickets for the same place, but on different days. The investigation into this seemingly insignificant incident is growing to an unprecedented scale. Now Alyoshin will have to infiltrate the gang and expose the group of speculators.
Nowadays, the plot of the plot looks a little naive, and the images of the villains are too caricatured. But all these shortcomings are more than compensated for by a talented production and a charming protagonist performed by Alexander Zbruev. The picture blew up the rental and subsequently received two sequels: "Circle" (1972) and "It Doesn't Concern Me" (1976).
6. First meeting, last meeting
- CCCP, 1987.
- Detective, drama, comedy.
- Duration: 92 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.1.
1913, St. Petersburg. Engineer Kuklin turns to the young private detective Pyotr Chukhontsev. The client claims that his inventions are being hunted, and they want to kill him. Soon, the scientist is actually found dead, and all the evidence points to the German Scholz, who is buying up patents of Russian craftsmen at a cheap price.
Decadent detective Vitaly Melnikov is sometimes mistakenly referred to as perestroika cinema, although the tape came out a little earlier. Probably, the fact is that the film is full of dark forebodings about the upcoming collapse of the USSR. Ironically, the action in the cinema itself takes place shortly before the October Revolution and the collapse of the Russian Empire.
The director fancifully mixed elements of detective story, tragicomedy and farce into one cocktail. And all this is spiced up with mysticism in the spirit of "Mister Designer", which was released on screens around the same time.
7. Petrovka, 38
- USSR, 1980.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 88 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.1.
A group of daring raiders, wielding black glasses, rob the city's savings banks. The investigation of the case is entrusted to experienced investigators of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department (MUR). They manage to arrest two intruders. But the leader of the gang named Prokhor is still at large.
Director Boris Grigoriev was discouraged from taking on the adaptation of the novel of the same name by Yulian Semyonov. Indeed, at that time it was technically difficult to transfer to the screen many of the chases and shootings described in the detective story.
Nevertheless, the authors did an excellent job. They were not even prevented by the ban on blocking the streets: the scene of the chase through the streets of Moscow was filmed at their own peril and risk right in automobile stream.
"Petrovka 38" became a hit with the audience, and even now the film is interesting to watch. Although there is no particular intrigue here, you can guess who the villain is from the very first frames. But the charm of wonderful actors more than makes up for this small flaw.
8. The Mystery of "Blackbirds"
- USSR, 1983.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 97 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.2.
The millionaire industrialist George Fortescue dies under mysterious circumstances. And right before the tragedy, someone threw a bunch of dead thrush into the office of the deceased. Then his wife and maid are killed. The investigation is complicated by the fact that all family members, to one degree or another, benefited from the death of the rich man.
The first Soviet film based on the novel by Agatha Christie (originally the book is called "A Pocket Full of Rye") was filmed in Estonia, and Andrei Makarevich wrote the song What Is A Love especially for the picture in the style of the early The Beatles.
The incomparable Miss Marple was played by Estonian actress Ita Ever. This role has become one of the best in her career.
9. Village detective
- USSR, 1969.
- Comedy, detective.
- Duration: 87 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.4.
The good-natured rural district Fyodor Ivanovich Aniskin is investigating the case of the theft of a club accordion. It would seem a trifle, but for a village this is a real incident of the century.
The highlight of Ivan Lukinsky's detective comedy is not in the intrigue, which is quite simple here, but in the characters' characters. The plot is as far as possible from the crime, besides, there will be no spectacular chases or shootings. But the atmosphere turned out to be incredibly kind and sincere.
Later, two more sequels were released: “Aniskin and Fantomas"About the robbery of a rural cashier, as well as the painting" And Again Aniskin "about the theft of exhibits from the Museum of Applied Arts.
10. Tavern on Pyatnitskaya
- USSR, 1977.
- Crime, detective.
- Duration: 90 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.5.
The action takes place in the capital in the 20s. In the area of Zamoskvorechye, a brutal gang is declared, which has already committed several robberies and raids in a row. Almost nothing is known about the leaders of the group, except that they appear from time to time in a tavern on Pyatnitskaya Street. Then the management of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department decides to introduce their own person to them.
This bright adventure The detective story is based on the novel by the Soviet writer Nikolai Leonov "Wait for my call". The tape turned out to be so successful that later the author renamed his work “Tavern on Pyatnitskaya”.
11. A trap for a lonely man
- USSR, 1990.
- Comedy, crime, detective.
- Duration: 92 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.6.
French millionaire Daniel Corban reports missing wife. The local priest suddenly appears and reports that he has brought the fugitive. Only here Daniel does not recognize his wife in the girl. It won't be easy to prove that this is an impostor.
The script was written by the director Alexey Korenev himself based on the play of the same name by Robert Thom. The original piece itself contains a great story. In addition, it was played by excellent Soviet artists: Nikolai Karachentsov, Yuri Yakovlev and Veniamin Smekhov. The film was not even spoiled by the fact that "France" was filmed in the vicinity of Koktebel.
12. Resident error
- USSR, 1968.
- Detective.
- Duration: 134 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 8.0.
Early 1960s. The son of a Russian émigré, intelligence officer Mikhail Tulyev, returns to the USSR to obtain secret information about developments in the nuclear industry. But the KGB is already following his every step. They send officer Pavel Sinitsyn to the command of the resident under the guise of a criminal. This is how difficult things begin between two men. spy games.
The psychological detective by Benjamin Dorman became so popular that the filmmakers subsequently shot three more sequel films. True, in them the main character has already gone over to the side of Soviet intelligence.
13. Ten little indians
- USSR, 1987.
- Crime, detective, thriller.
- Duration: 130 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 8.1.
Eight strangers arrive on an island cut off from civilization, where they are greeted by an elderly couple. There, death overtakes them in turn. And about how exactly they will die, the children's counting room warns.
This film adaptation The eponymous novel by Agatha Christie was watched, probably, by every Soviet viewer. By the way, the writer herself composed on the basis of her own book the play “And there was no one,” replacing the tragic ending with a happy one.
But the director Stanislav Govorukhin ("The meeting place cannot be changed") decided to stick to the canonical ending. The atmosphere of anxiety and confined space is chilling, and it is almost impossible to guess who the killer is the first time.
14. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Dog of the Baskervilles
- USSR, 1981.
- Detective, crime, adventure.
- Duration: 154 minutes.
- "KinoPoisk": 8.6.
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson must unravel the mystery of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville. His death is somehow connected with the ancient curse that haunts the family. The problem is that the deceased's nephew, the naive Sir Henry, had just moved into the family estate and was probably in mortal danger.
The cycle of Soviet films about the famous British detective starring Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin is known and loved not only in Russia, but also abroad. The authors carefully treated the original source of Arthur Conan Doyle and at the same time added chemistry to the characters that was not in the original.
And although the shooting took place not in the UK, our Sherlock Holmes still has an English flavor. And even the British themselves stayedExclusive interview with Vasily Livanov / YouTube happy with the adaptation of their classics.
Watch on Google Play →
The best Soviet detective series
1. Cross the line
- USSR, 1985.
- Detective, crime.
- Duration: 2 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.1.
Investigator Vladimir Sazhin is investigating the theft from a pensioner of an old watch that once belonged to Pushkin himself. A certain Anna Sergeevna Klyazina, known for her abilities, falls under suspicion. psychic. Sazhin is sure that Klyazin, with the help of hypnosis, forced the old woman to give her a valuable thing. But it won't be easy to prove it.
The extraordinary detective Julia Koltun was not appreciated by the audience, and the project did not receive the fame it deserved. Tatiana Vasilyeva is especially magnificent here, and the music of the rock band "Alisa" gives the film "Cross the Line" a touch of counterculturalism.
2. Vertical racing
- USSR, 1982.
- Detective, crime, adventure.
- Duration: 3 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.2.
Investigator of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department Stanislav Tikhonov catches recidivist thief Alexei Dedushkin, nicknamed Baton. But due to lack of evidence, the perpetrator is released. On the loose, the villain is not going to improve at all.
Based on the story of the same name by the Weiner brothers, the film tells an extremely tense story of the confrontation between two very different heroes. The first is an intelligent police officer played by Andrei Myagkov, and the second is a thief with a difficult fate, played by Valentin Gaft.
3. Charlotte's necklace
- USSR, 1984.
- Detective, crime.
- Duration: 3 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.3.
KGB officers Vladimir Vladimirovich Seregin and his assistant Anton Pavlov are investigating the murder of a speculator. It turns out that he was associated with a gang of dangerous criminals selling valuable antiques abroad.
Director Yevgeny Tatarsky by the time of the release of this TV movie had already become famous thanks to psychological detective "Golden Mine" and the series "Suicide Club, or the Adventures of a titled person."
This time he took as a basis a short story by Anatoly Romov "Customs inspection". The film adaptation does not literally follow the original source in everything, but is distinguished by lively dialogues and excellent acting.
4. Entrance to the maze
- USSR, 1989.
- Detective, crime.
- Duration: 5 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.4.
Detective Muromtsev is investigating the case of poisoning of a policeman by an unknown science substance. At the same time, there is a story about the difficult life of Paracelsus, the famous medieval physician and alchemist.
A cozy series based on the Weiner brothers' book will appeal to all fans of retro detectives. By the way, in 1978 the film "Cure for Fear" was released based on the same novel. Still, the TV version directed by Alexander Muratov turned out to be more successful.
5. And it's all about him
- USSR, 1977.
- Detective drama.
- Duration: 6 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.5.
A young worker, Zhenya Stoletov, dies at a logging site in Siberia under strange circumstances. Investigator Alexander Matveyevich Prokhorov arrives to understand the circumstances of the incident. Gradually it turns out that dark things were going on in the settlement, and Eugene was too "uncomfortable" person.
Another image of the Soviet investigator in the filmography of Yevgeny Leonov, whom everyone usually remembers for his comedic roles. This project by director Igor Shatrov perfectly combines an interesting detective story and a drama about a broken human destiny.
6. Profession - investigator
- USSR, 1982.
- Detective, crime.
- Duration: 5 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 7.7.
Police Colonel Boris Ivanovich Antonov is investigating a case of embezzlement of state property. It all starts with finding a suitcase with a large sum of money at a pensioner. Trying to find out their origin, investigators go to gang.
The five-part project directed by Alexander Blank is based on real events. Then the criminals organized a fake procurement base and drove empty trucks, which, according to the documents, were carrying spices. But all this was arranged to divert eyes, so that the bandits could calmly steal government money.
7. Search a woman
- USSR, 1982.
- Detective, comedy, crime.
- Duration: 2 episodes.
- "KinoPoisk": 8.2.
On New Year's Eve, a successful man is killed right in the office Parisian notary. At the sight of the boss's corpse, the telephone operator Alisa Postik, who has sat in the office, faints. When she wakes up, she realizes that the body has disappeared without a trace.
And one more screen adaptation of the play by the French playwright Robert Thom. This time the action does not go beyond the four walls at all, and the main roles were played by the audience's favorites Sofiko Chiaureli and Leonid Kuravlyov.
Watch in iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →
Read also🎥🎥🎥
- "Volga" for the elite, club jackets and speculators: how Ryazanov's films reflect the Soviet attitude to property
- 20 tense and confusing robbery movies
- TEST: Lanfren-lanfra, lan-tati-ta! Do you recognize a Soviet film from the song? Check it out now!
- How filmmakers create an attractive criminal image and why it's dangerous in real life
- How did advanced Soviet films develop cinematography? We tell in the "Caretaker" podcast
Cover: still from the film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Dog of the Baskervilles"
5 reasons to include the beyosa enjoy hug pillow in your list of gifts for yourself and your loved ones