Adventure thriller, Eastern. The continuation of the first picture, shot by the Mosfilm film studio at the numerous requests of workers, which I personally love even more than the original. Of course, I watched this part countless times as a child, and this review was a great reason to review this golden classic of Soviet adventure cinema. And here's my brief opinion for you - The favorite part of the trilogy. And I'll note right away that you won't find a single minus in the picture, except for combined filming and primitive effects, but it's not customary to scold the classics for this (it's the sixties, damn it), so I'll draw your attention only to the pros of this eastern (although most of them already know, but nevertheless).
So, here they are:
1. Scenario - four friends, former Red partisans, known as the "Avengers" are now fighting in the ranks of the Red Army and smashing Makhnovists and white men, until the heroes, by chance, capture a captive white man with important documents, on the basis of which the command sends the guys to Yalta occupied by white men with an important task - to get an important scheme from the safe of the head of the Wrangel counterintelligence Colonel Kudasov. The task is extremely dangerous, but friends undertake its execution. Ahead of them are again diversions, ambushes, a game for life and a fight with smart opponents. Again, the plan will be disrupted in an unexpected way, there will be fights, shootouts and chases again, favorite characters again, and of course the finale. The dialogues and the elaboration of the script remained at a high level, you still empathize with the characters, because they are shown by real people, even the whites are shown by cunning and dangerous opponents who are not so easy to outwit. And in the final you see and believe that the victory went to the guys deservedly, although it was not without a taste of bitterness.
2. Songs and music - the legendary "Chase" (from which adrenaline begins to be produced in the body, one has only to hear the beginning), the romance "Russian Field" (performed by actor Vladimir Ivashov, played the role of adjutant Kudasov), and of course "I am an Odessan" performed by Buba Kastorsky (Boris Sichkin), and cheerful gypsy song. And although that's all, but without these songs, this picture is simply impossible to imagine, and these songs still live, and more than one generation of viewers has been singing them.
3. Chases, fights, shootouts - yes, now they don't look as cool as in the late sixties, but I simply have no right not to mention them, because people's efforts are visible, the actors performed the tricks themselves, without stuntmen. These scenes directly reek of the spirit of adventure and the difficult era of the civil war. The initial and final chase is the quintessence of the local action movie (which nowadays can be called a "blockbuster"). Everything looks spectacular, sometimes dramatic (not without a kind of fantastic element, but the laws of the genre, you know).
4. Humor - and humor was brought to the second part, only here the object of ridicule will no longer be Makhnovist bandits, but Baron Wrangel's white men. This is especially noticeable in the obese officer, who tries to kiss all the ladies' hands. The hero Savely Kramarova has returned, which looks more like a reference to the first part, but even here he amused the viewer.
5. Characters - in addition to the already known ones, I can cancel Staff Captain Ovechkin, Colonel Kudasov, Adjutant Perov, and the chief of staff of the Army. They all have different amounts of screen time, but each is memorable, each has a story behind it that made them what they are. Even Ovechkin. By the way, in just one episode (the performance of "God save the Tsar"), the director showed why the whites lost the war.
A little about the main characters -
1. "The Avengers" performed by Viktor Kosykh, Valya Kurdyukova, Misha Metelkin and Vasya Vasiliev - four former red partisans, and now fighters of the Red Army. It is these guys that the command sends on a dangerous mission, knowing about their experience, ingenuity, courage and beliefs. The guys will have to demonstrate all these qualities again in the enemy rear, because they are being searched for, which means the risk of failure is extremely high. It was precisely on such people that the Soviet power was held, it was they who became the first Komsomol members who turned the backward Empire into the great and mighty Soviet Union. The young actors did not disappoint this time either, they are clever and well done!
2. Staff Captain Ovechkin, played by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, is Colonel Kudasov's right-hand man, intelligent, but can also be rude. A cunning counterintelligence agent who intends to catch the "avengers" alive. An insidious opponent, but not without his charm. My favorite character after the four friends, the role of which was played by a great actor Armen Borisovich. Bravo!
3. Buba Kastorsky, performed by Boris Sichkin, is an Odessa artist who became an assistant to the Avengers in the first part. He is very talkative, but in his heart he hates the Belyaks and Makhnovists. The most charming character of the whole trilogy, I think no one will argue with this, and Boris Mikhailovich's role was just great, bravo!
The second part about the elusive avengers was also liked by Soviet viewers, therefore, a couple of years later, the third part about the adventures of the beloved heroes was released, which became the final one, and we'll talk about it another time.
My rating is 10 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
