You don't know a friend without trouble. One day comes when long-term friendship is tested. Life is not a movie script, and there can always be trouble that will reveal the true faces of those whom you consider your comrades. The stigma of the plunderer of socialist property in the eyes of others immediately overshadows even the most positive characteristic. The principle of the presumption of innocence in everyday consciousness works with a terrible creak, especially in the old days, the police were still trusted, and once they were “swept”, then for the cause. The fate of the handsome driver-dahlnereysovik Saska Rumyantsev, set up by a thieving boss, became a good measure of relations in the team, where not only real comrades were found, but also those who are most important not to “stain the questionnaire”.
Such a number of episodes, revealing the meanness and baseness of individual people, can rarely be seen in Soviet cinema, and in many ways that is why the film of Joseph Heifitz became a pioneer in the genre. In itself, the case of a chauffeur who got into big trouble because of his indiscretion is not too long in the mainstream of the detective, but rather soon goes into the social plane, when here and there discussions begin in the spirit of “and we had such a good opinion about him.” As usual, decent people will be found, but no matter what kind words Rumyantsev addressed, and they are not able to pull a person out of trouble. Forced to look for ways out of the current situation, Sasha hears the legendary phrase about the Tambov wolf, which is like a burning inscription on the forehead of most individuals who are unable to think about someone’s fate. The film clearly draws a line between the hearty people and those whose hut is on the edge, but hints of an imminent positive outcome are not immediately detected, and for this reason, the Rumyantsev Case is distinguished by a first-class atmosphere of anxious anticipation.
Tightly inscribed in the then socio-cultural gut of the movie does not give significant development to the idea of censure of a stumbled person, reducing everything to issues of personal trust. The real drama of the situation of the arrested driver is clearly manifested in the scene of the excited discussion of his colleagues, during which the illusions that someone does not understand something are finally destroyed. Another thing is the punitive arm of the law, which appears before Rumyantsev by two directly opposite characters beyond the measure of a zealous captain and a judicious colonel. In our time, the deponent can only dream of such a sensitive attention to his person, but the production of Heifitz surprisingly does not give the impression of hopeless naivety. Rather, the truth is that everyone who stumbles should be given a chance. Alexei Batalov in the role of a man who, according to his bride "exactly the best of all", is far from a stereotypical impeccable image, but is able to stuff bumps and get the necessary qualities in a critical situation that would break anyone. At the same time, this movie is not a drama of one actor, but a voluminous picture of human relationships freed from pretense.
The art of opposition, which Joseph Heifitz uses so successfully in the emotional dialogues of his characters, helps to demonstrate an impressive set of qualities that sometimes manifest themselves in the most unexpected moments. Using the example of two fellow drivers Evdokimov and Snegirev, the director repeatedly emphasizes the indisputable truth that not everyone is capable of acting. To love someone else’s child as your own and extend a hand to a friend at the most important moment for that time – the heroes of Gennady Yukhtin and Yevgeny Leonov faced tasks of varying degrees of complexity, but they were united in the irreconcilable confrontation of honesty and meanness. The simple formulation “this is good and that is bad” does not reflect the whole essence, each person can be understood, but therefore fate does not want to wait until everyone around is ready for its trials. One wrong step, one bad word are as important as the willingness to dedicate your life to someone.
Behind all this criminal and social background it is not immediately possible to imbue with the modest romance of the difficult driver's share, but meanwhile it is a key detail of the film. At all times, truckers were a special caste among steering wheel and backstage workers. Spending a whole day on the road, harsh men do not know what complaints about fate are, and that is why Batalov’s hero, caught in the bind, looks anything: confused, discouraged, alarmed, but definitely not crushed. Hard work determines character, and although the demonstrations of the fraternity of chauffeurs Heifitz pays little attention, there is no doubt about their ability to endure any hardship, especially if in the crowd of angry and turned away there is a devoted bride and stubborn friend. Not the types, but living people by the efforts of a beautiful acting ensemble turned the pioneer of the Soviet detective into the history of a real comradeship, the postulates of which are not affected by time.
P.S. Dedicated to the memory of my grandfather.