Dzhentlmeny udachi

Those who share an experience with others generally develop mutual empathy and a willingness to help and support one another. When living on the margins of society, crime is often an obvious choice, but sometimes, by associating with polite and empathetic people, a criminal feels the need to redeem himself and fit into a society that has shown him the possibility of accepting them.

The dangerous criminal San Sanych Belyy (Evgeniy Leonov), along with his two unlikely accomplices Gavrila Sheremetyev (Georgiy Vitsin) and Fyodor Ermakov (Saveliy Kramarov), steal the precious helmet of Alexander the Great from the excavations of archaeologist Nikolay Grigoryevich Maltsev (Erast Garin), managing to hide it before being captured by the police. The archaeologist and the police convince kindergarten teacher Evgeniy Ivanovich Troshkin (also Evgeniy Leonov), a lookalike of the gang leader, to fake a prison escape in order to recover the precious helmet. Things immediately get complicated, as the two thieves and the teacher are joined by Vasiliy Alibabayevich (Radner Muratov), a common prisoner who immediately joins the group.

Director Alksandr Seryy adopts a slow pace, but balances comical and thoughtful moments; the screenplay, a collaboration between Georgiy Daneliya and Viktoriya Tokareva, manages to avoid melodrama, and entertain thanks to lively and original dialogue; Evgeniy Leonov gives a great performance, masterful in both roles.

Best moments: the entire sequence with the Russian Olympic cross-country team was truly hilarious. A must-see for those who enjoy smiling, even with bitterness, while reflecting on the human condition.

The Soviet prison system might not be high on many people's lists of good starting laces for humor, but this comedy winds up being often very funny nonetheless.

This basis is a classic fish-out-of-water premise, wherein a kindly kindergarten teacher happens to look uncannily like a a notorious criminal who has collaborated in stealing a priceless Macedonian gold helmet. The authorities' plan -- only just past the boundary of realism -- is to give him a wig and some false tattoos, and enlist him to help find the helmet. And this, of course, leads to all sorts of awkward situations, which are played for a deadpan absurdity that sets a great tone.

It's also interesting for its view (through a comedy lens) of the Soviet prison system and criminal life at this time, as well as its central Asian setting. Apparently, a good amount of actual contemporary underworld slang from the time was included (which our hero has to learn like a second language). Through the humor, criminals are nonetheless treated as human characters, who are wistful at having been divorced from a normal life and family, rather than completely villainous reprobates.

A very entertaining picture in all, with both likable cops and largely likable robbers as its characters. Recommended.

This is my favorite Russian comedy, and although it is 30 years old, people still enjoy it more than most other comedies today. A satiric and witty movie that revolves around an adventurous plot. The plot is basically that a convict (Dotsent) escapes from prison and the militia (Russian police) find the criminal's lookalike, a kindergarten teacher. He goes undercover and pretends to be a criminal to help the militia find the where the real convict has hidden a stolen mask. He makes a phony escape from the prison with two others, who think he is the real Dotsent. He eventually befriends with them and they become attached, but I won't reveal the rest. From my plot review it might seem as a violent movie or something like that, but actually it is good for the entire family. The movie is entertaining throughout and if you want to see a comparison with an American equivalent, it's like a lot like Seinfeld because it's a situational comedy. If you are a fan of Russian cinematography and haven't seen this one, watch it right away because this is a true classic with some of the greatest Russian actors (see cast).

As soon as the New Year comes, this film is immediately shown on all TV screens in Russia, and I have a strong association with this holiday. As for the plot, it is very interesting and even a little adventurous. The convicts in this witch are presented not as villains, but as simple and even good people. Of course, such an image would not have been possible without the brilliant performance of the actors playing the main roles. Alexey Leonov, Savely Kramarov and Georgy Vitsin brilliantly coped with their work. So, it's great soviet comedy.

Aleksandr Sery's "Dzhentlmeny udachi" ("Gentlemen of Fortune" in English) is one of those movies whose purpose is to be silly. Yevgeny Leonov plays a kindergarten director who get hired to pose as the leader of a criminal gang to find out the location of a stolen helmet. I understand that Sery had previously been in jail, and so he knew what the jail scenes should look like. But mostly, the movie consists of over-the-top acting and a couple of scenes that made me think "Wait...what?!" Some of the cast members also starred in Leonid Gayday's 1967 comedy "Kidnapping, Caucasian Style" (one of the zaniest movies that I've ever seen). Basically, any one of these movies is a good time. You're sure to love it.

PS: Savely Kramarov (Fedya) eventually moved to the US where he appeared in movies such as "Moscow on the Hudson".