It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

First I saw this film , consists of 5 parts, when I was 19 and was impressed by surrealistic and well-done alchemic sequences. The action of this great movie takes both in the past (in midieval times, as the scientists' hallucinations) and in the days of Perestroika. We can see at the genius and unknown forgotten scientist Lygin, who created a powerful drug against fear. Some bandits stole that drug and started to rob people using its' strength and secret abilities. The smart and intelligent detective is after the whole syndicate of cheaters and career-oriented bastards. step by step he finds the steps of the most bizarre and cruel struggle for possessing the secret of making that chemical. Lygin managed to get metaproptezol in very cheap and primitive conditions. His ex-friend is trying to steal Lygin' s work in order to get Nobel prize .What impressed me most of all is the hallucinative dreams of Lygin about the life and philosophy of a great midieval scientist and alchemist Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus.Finally both scientists became one serving the noble and respectful laws of alchemic tradition.I really do not understand why this fantastic effort was never reviewed and got no prizes. Shame on you criticswww.myspace.com/neizvest