15 Russian thrillers you shouldn't be ashamed of

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Works by Yuri Bykov and Alexei Balabanov, dark detective stories and the first Soviet disaster film.

15. Loch - the winner of water

• USSR, 1991.
• Thriller, crime.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 3.

An intelligent engineer Pavel Gorelikov, together with his fellow disabled Afghan Kostya, opened a computer club. But they are being pushed by racketeers. The friend dies, and Paul takes revenge on the criminals.

This picture could have become a typical crime drama, of which there were many in the early nineties, if not for the talent of Sergei Kuryokhin. He not only played the main role, but also wrote an unusual soundtrack that adds mysticism to what is happening. And the whole action is accompanied by a voiceover retelling some ancient legends.

14. Watchman

• Russia, 2019.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

A middle-aged man works as a watchman in an abandoned sanatorium. Suddenly, a strange couple comes to him and asks to stay in one of the rooms. This gives rise to a chain of violent events.

After the not-so-successful release of Zavod, Yuri Bykov made perhaps the most personal film. He himself played the main role, and the intimate atmosphere of the picture creates incredible tension, balancing on the verge of life drama and thriller.

13. Text

• Russia, 2019.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 132 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

Ilya Goryunov spent seven years in prison on an unjust charge. Released, he dreams of taking revenge on the culprit of what happened to Peter. As a result, it turns out that Ilya gets his hands on the offender's phone, in which there are many photos, videos and correspondence.

The adaptation of the eponymous bestseller by Dmitry Glukhovsky caused a lot of controversy. Another abuse of the screenlife format and too explicit scenes were criticized. But nevertheless, the authors managed to convey the main thing: the one who got access to someone else's smartphone can find out almost everything about the owner.

12.72 meters

• Russia, 2004.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

The submarine "Slavyanka" is sent to the next training assignment. The crew must hit a simulated enemy, and then remain unnoticed for 24 hours. But a tragedy occurs: a mine from the Second World War explodes, and the submarine is wrecked. Given the task of the exercises, there is nowhere to wait for help, and the surviving crew comes up with rescue options.

The painting by Vladimir Khotinenko organically combines different moods: at the beginning of the film there are many jokes and funny scenes, and then everything turns into a hard thriller about survival. The similarity of the situation with the real crash of the Kursk submarine adds to the gloominess.

11. Tehran-43

• USSR, Switzerland, France, 1980.
• Thriller, drama, crime, military.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

In 1943, on the instructions of the Hitlerite leadership, terrorists are planning the assassination of Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Soviet intelligence manages to prevent the assassination attempt. In the seventies, this case comes up again, as the criminals managed to escape punishment.

Alain Delon, Claude Jade and other world stars played in this picture of Vladimir Naumov, along with Soviet actors. This combination provided Tehran-43 with unprecedented popularity. According to Alain Delon, he will perform with the director's creative evening in St. Petersburg; in the USSR alone, 100 million cinema tickets have been sold. It is also interesting that the assassination attempt described in the film seems to have been planned. The operation was called Operation Long Jump Long Jump.

10. Serpentine source

• Russia, 1997.
• Horror, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Dina Sergeeva comes to a small town for practice, where she wants to meet her lover at the same time. She discovers a dead girl in the water and immediately becomes the main suspect in the murder. Instead of looking for a real maniac, residents are willing to lynch Dinah.

The thriller by Nikolai Lebedev shows the danger of a crowd that is ready to judge on its own without understanding the true circumstances. And the ending of the picture looks more like a horror movie.

9. Wild Hunt of King Stakh

• USSR, 1979.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 139 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

In 1900, ethnographer Andrei Beloretsky came to the Belarusian Polesie. They tell him about the meanly murdered King Stach, who now returns with his cavalry and takes revenge on the descendants of the traitor. Beloretsky does not believe in legends, but then people around him start dying.

The mystical thriller is based on the story of the same name by Vladimir Korotkevich. However, in the film adaptation, the action was moved to a later era and made the plot more linear and darker.

8. Cargo 200

• Russia, 2007.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

USSR mid-eighties. In a provincial town, the brutal police captain Zhurov kidnaps the daughter of the secretary of the district party committee, killing a man in the process. He is charged with investigating these cases.

Alexey Balabanov has released a lot of tough films. But still "Cargo 200" turned out to be completely on the verge. Many actors refused to act after reading the script, but they did not want to let the film out until the very end. There are still controversies: some call this work the best of the director, while others call it black.

7. Needle

• USSR, 1988.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 76 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Moro returns to Alma-Ata and goes to his former lover Dina. He soon realizes that the girl has become a drug addict. He tries to cure her, but then decides to deal with the suppliers of the poison.

Of course, everyone knows this film by Rashid Nugmanov thanks to the bright role of Viktor Tsoi and the soundtrack from the songs of the Kino group.

6. Live

• Russia, 2010.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 72 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

An elderly hunter picks up a young stranger who escapes from his pursuers. They have completely opposite outlooks on life, but still the heroes decide to help each other.

Another gloomy film by Yuri Bykov. He showed very interesting how the worldview of people in a dangerous situation changes and how words differ from real actions.

5. The evil spirit of Yambuya

• USSR, 1977.
• Thriller, drama, adventure.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

In the late forties, geodetic surveys were carried out in Eastern Siberia. Suddenly, three people disappear in the Yambui Loach area. Locals believe that an evil spirit dwells there.

The film is based on the story of the same name by Grigory Fedoseev. Moreover, the authors of the film adaptation transferred the events to the screen rather close to the text. Still, the original was more like an adventure story, and the film has a dark atmosphere of suspense and danger.

4. Dear Elena Sergeevna

• USSR, 1988.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Pupils of grade 10 "B" come home to their teacher to wish her a happy birthday. But it soon turns out that they have completely different goals. And teenagers can be very violent when trying to get their way.

Many perceive Eldar Ryazanov exclusively as a comedy director. But his talent is much more multifaceted. For example, the director took an old play, adapted it for new times and made a dark chamber film. At first, it may seem that the action will unfold exclusively in the form of drama. But by the end, the cruelty has already crossed all boundaries.

3. Reed paradise

• USSR, 1989.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 93 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Tramp Kesha Bobrov ends up in an underground labor camp in the steppe of Kazakhstan. It turns out that his old friend runs everything. But Kesha tries to escape, and he is sent to work along with everyone. Inhabitants of the camp chop reeds all day, and any offense is severely punished.

This eerie story is based on real events told to the authors by a policeman from Kazakhstan. As a result, a picture came out about the preservation of dignity in the most difficult conditions.

2. Crew

• USSR, 1979.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 135 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

A passenger plane lands at the airport, but suddenly an earthquake starts. The crew manages to lift the car into the air and escape. But the transport is seriously damaged, and it is not known how to safely land it now.

Alexander Mitta conceived the first Soviet disaster film against the background of the popularity of the American "Airport" based on the novel by Arthur Haley. And he really did come up with a large-scale and gloomy picture, which is still breathtaking.

1. Ten Little Indians

• USSR, 1987.
• Detective.
• Duration: 130 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

In a mansion on the island 10 people who do not know each other gather. During dinner, a voice on the tape accuses everyone of a crime. And then the guests begin to die one by one.

Agatha Christie, on whose book this film is based, is a renowned master of detective stories. But in the film adaptation, director Stanislav Govorukhin added more fear, creating an oppressive atmosphere of hopelessness.