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Soviet cinema's most chaotic rookie cop fumbles his way through corruption, crime, and terrible life choices.
TMDB
61

The Detective (1979)

bureaucratic nightmaredarkly comicmelancholy satire

Overview

ComedyDramaMysteryCrime

A story about a rookie detective in the beginning of his investigative career.

Flag of SUSURussian
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Tashkov's physical comedy masks genuine tragic pathos.

Direction

Fokin balances slapstick with crushing systemic critique.

Writing

Dialogue that weaponizes dark humor against state machinery.

Best for:Solo: Late night when you want to feel existentially Soviet.·Rewatch: Catches new layers of bureaucratic absurdity each time.·Streaming: Perfect for Soviet cinema deep-dives with subtitles on.
Heads up:Disturbing: Sudden violence and systemic hopelessness throughout.·Drug Use: Casual alcohol abuse as coping mechanism, constantly.
Vladimir Fokin

Director

Vladimir Fokin

ReleasedDec 15, 1979
Runtime2h 9m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelheavy
Gorky Film Studios
First Creative Association

Top Cast

Andrei Tashkov

Andrei Tashkov

Zhenya Kulik

Igor Kvasha

Igor Kvasha

Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Klimov (polkovnik)

Boris Khimichev

Boris Khimichev

Kolya Palyonyi (bandit)

Nikolai Skorobogatov

Nikolai Skorobogatov

Arseny Petrovich Sorokin (nachalnik ROVD)

Larisa Luzhina

Larisa Luzhina

Taisya

Aleksandr Pashutin

Aleksandr Pashutin

Shpunko

Leonid Yarmolnik

Leonid Yarmolnik

Gnus

Vadim Zakharchenko

Vadim Zakharchenko

passagir "Zaporozhtsa"

Inga Budkevich

Inga Budkevich

mama Niny

Zinaida Sorochinskaya

Zinaida Sorochinskaya

Marya Sergeevna

Anatoliy Bystrov

Anatoliy Bystrov

bandit

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Released during Brezhnev's stagnation, the film's police corruption subtext was miraculously approved — audiences read it as broader systemic critique.

Trivia

Tashkov based Kulik's physicality on watching actual rookie cops — the way he holds his gun wrong was intentional and reportedly angered real MVD advisors.

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