Spy thriller. If we are to plunge into the world of intelligence and espionage in full, then we must not forget about this multi-part spy thriller of domestic production, from which I am delighted every time I revise it. As you understood - this is a series from childhood, which I adore along with "Special Forces", and since now I have this topic, then this spy thriller just "came to court" so to speak, and here is my brief opinion - Best Russian TV series about scouts. To my great regret, despite my undisguised sympathy, I will have to cancel not only the pros, but also the cons. Now, let your humble servant finish with the introductory part and get down to the point.
So the pros:
1. Scenario - the terrorist group "Gyurza" is going to commit a number of major terrorist attacks around the world, one of the targets is Moscow, so Viktor Bystroletov, an experienced SVR officer, is sent to the Middle East with the task of finding and neutralizing "Gyurza" the influential Mr. Shaibani, a retired ex-terrorist. Viktor will be assisted by experienced and proven operatives, as well as a newcomer to the group coordinating actions. The task will take our heroes not only to the Middle East, but also to Europe. The ending is too obvious here, but that doesn't make it bad. All the components of a good spy thriller are available here and their concentration sometimes even goes off scale beyond all unthinkable limits, so the whole series will be overcame in one breath and will not let you get bored even for a minute. The basis of the scenario is simple, but given that we are talking about an intelligence operation, where an accident can happen at any moment, this does not in the least prevent you from enjoying it. By the way, the scriptwriter here was Oleg Pogodin, who was simultaneously responsible for directing this series - and he coped with it brilliantly! If you are tired of endless and boring soap series on TV, then this dynamic spy thriller is definitely for you.
2. Fights, chases, shootings - everything is there and looks great, even cooler than in the much-praised "James Bond". Their staging and acting out are at a high level and do not allow them to relax, because at this moment the viewer, like the characters, begins to ooze adrenaline plus endorphin. The series can be proud of these scenes and even now they are not outdated for a minute.
3. Music - exactly what you need in a dynamic spy thriller. Part of the pleasure of watching fights, chases and skirmishes is precisely well-chosen music. And the composer here unambiguously coped with this task. The music turned out to be driving, mysterious, intense, dynamic and finally cool!
4. Humor - ballroom and unpretentious (although sometimes philosophical) Russian humor, which dilutes the routine and tense atmosphere. There is not a lot of him here, otherwise he would ruin the atmosphere, so - I praise. He laughed heartily!
5. Excellent actors - the old guard in the person of Yuri Solomin and Lev Prygunov and the young generation in the person of Valery Nikolaev, Pavel Derevyanko, Vladimir Turchinsky and Maria Kivva did an excellent job with their roles and just fit perfectly into their images. Here's another reason for you to watch or revisit this show.
So the cons:
1. Bloopers and inaccuracies - I noticed a couple of jambs that unsettled your humble servant a little, but they are insignificant, so I will not concentrate your attention on this.
2. A strong blunder in the final episode - but he gets out of this row and asks uncomfortable questions to which no one will give answers.
A little about the main characters:
1. Viktor Bystroletov performed by Valery Nikolaev is an experienced employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, sent to the Middle East in order to prevent a terrorist attack. Memorable, damn charismatic, with a good sense of humor, which simply cannot be defeated in an open battle, he is also smart, which is important in intelligence. And the surname perfectly conveys the character of our scout. Valery Nikolaev is just a perfect fit. Bravo!
2. Rita Novoselova performed by Maria Kivva is a new employee in Victor's team, who has just finished training. Yes, she got the first task, but this is a chance to demonstrate her skills "in the field" so to speak and learn to instantly adapt to a rapidly changing environment. I can only congratulate Maria, because she was able to show not only a scout, but also an intelligent and beautiful girl. Bravo Maria!
3. Ivan Kovchugin performed by Vladimir Turchinsky (I hope they still remember him?) - an operative who covers Victor during the operation, who fights well, shoots well and jokes perfectly, without slipping into a walking parody, whose role was perfectly played by Vladimir "Dynamite" Turchinsky ...
I would like to know about the further operations of the heroes, but apparently the series did not have much success, so we can only dream of a continuation, and it's a pity, the potential was great, but there were few reviews, so I decided to correct the injustice.
As a result, we have an excellent series about Russian intelligence officers, with excellent dynamics, an excellent script, heroes, humor, atmosphere, fights, pursuits, shootings, and of course, with excellent acting work that perfectly fits the characters.
My rating is 9/10 and my hot recommendation for viewing!
