"Beware of the Car" aka "Uncommon Thief" or "Watch Out for the Automobile" is the comedy directed by one of the most famous and talented Soviet directors Edgar Ryazanov in 1966. Eldar Ryazanov, the master of the comedies, one of the most beloved Soviet and Russian directors, had directed many masterpieces, and I am not afraid to say so. I've seen his films when they were first released, and I've seen them many times since and they just don't get old or outdated. They are brilliant, they are sparkling, they are not slapstick laugh-out-loudly comedies, they are rather lyrical delicate dramedies and they are fabulous. The writing is always first class. Ryazanov often wrote the screenplays for his movies, and his best ones were the result of his cooperation with Emil Braginskiy - just like in "Beregis' avtomobilya". One of the most talented Russian film composers, Andrei Petrov who had written music scores for over 80 films and worked with Georgi Daneliya, George Cukor, Daniil Khrabrovitsky, Leonid Menaker, and Aleksei German among many others, had written his most beautiful melodious and recognizable scores and songs for Edgar Ryazanov. If I start talking about the actors who played in Ryazanov's B/W early comedy, "Beregis' Avtomobilya", someone would have to stop me. Who is who of the Soviet big screen and drama stage took the roles, even the small cameos in his funny and sad comedy/mystery/satire/crime/romance and every actor/actress is perfect.
The timid, shy, modest and sweet insurance agent, the loving son and diligent employee of an insurance company, the actor of amateur theater (where his next role will be a coveted Hamlet in Shakespeare's tragedy) Jury Detochkin (the genius Innokenty Smoktunovsky. If you don't believe me, watch any of his movies, just the one. "Hamlet" aka "Gamlet",1964 would be more than enough to convince you) has a hidden site nobody is aware of. He is an irreconcilable fighter for justice who proves to be a clever, creative and mysterious car thief that steals the personal automobiles from those whom he considers as dishonest people. He sells the cars, and donated the money to his favorite charity, the children's homes. Detochkin never takes any money for himself and acts like a modern Robin Hood. However, for the justice represented by his good friend, the actor of the same theater, and in the real life - police inspector Podberezovikov (Oleg Efremov), this Robin Hood is nothing but the dangerous, smart, inventive and imperceptible criminal who has to be stopped, brought to justice, and put to jail.
In this film Detochkin (Smoktunovsky) plays Hamlet in amateur performance. It is remarkable, that Innokenty Smoktunovsky by then had already played brilliantly Hamlet in the film directed by Grigoriy Kozintzev in 1964 that was based on the translation by Boris Pasternak with the music written by Dmitriy Shostakovich. Smoktunovsky's Hamlet is considered one of the best interpretations of the tragic Prince ever made.
