It’s hard to scold movies that you’ve been watching for years from the first shot to the last, and you get real pleasure. And even the address came into use along with Petrovka. Moreover, the script is based on the novels of Julian Semenov, a master of political detective. And the roles are played by the favorites of the Soviet audience Yumatov and Lanova, and play perfectly, I must say. And the dynamism is present, which gives the detective a kind of adventure film. But it is necessary to scold, or rather, to chew.
Paradoxical, but it is in the adventure status that the problem lies. In an attempt to keep up with the viewer, many useful novels of Semenov were sacrificed. Of course, Yulian Semenov is the author of detective stories, but he builds not monosyllabic characters and certainly not propaganda ones. But Boris Grigoriev either followed the lead of consultants, or censors, and even the audience and the images of our Sherlock Holmes (conditionally, of course, because they are from the Englishman are very different and not only nationality) simplified. And although the director falls into the physiognomic and detective types, an adequate history of psychologism clearly failed to come up with. Employees of UgRo turned out to be too perfect – high-moral, that neither a hero, then a wonderful family man, and even a professional – in general, everywhere the policemen have strong armor and tanks are fast. But that’s why the lyrical and psychological lines from the films completely fall out, remaining unconvincing. And the criminals came out somewhat flat - there are no real motives. In addition, the social criticism that is in the books, again, from the film almost completely cleared. And without this ideological component, it is very difficult to understand the psychology of crime, and the intellectual duel comes out crummy and uninteresting.
In general, there is a suspicion that the director fell under the ideological press and editing scissors. Having acquired the dynamism of the detective, the tapes lost in the drama of life. the kaleidoscope of events does not allow you to look at the faces of the participants in detail.
However, not every director manages to create a good detective. And Grigoriev succeeded. Thank you for that.