Excellent, a Must See

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

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

The original novel has been a breakthrough for the time and, in many of its aspects, remains relevant nowadays. I am a Russian speaker, but hopefully anyone can appreciate the superb rendering of the ambivalent protagonist. Another powerful performance by Oleg Yankovsky - a reason already good enough to recommend the film.

When I read the gut-wrenching book of Tolstoy I got totally influenced. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Though I did not love the movie still I find myself lucky at least I saw the adaptation. Chop off thirty minutes and trim the background scenes to the storyteller it could have been a great movie. Actually the first 45 minutes is totally öloyal to the book. On a train a couple of people starts discussing family life,women,sexuality, marriage etc.. When a woman told "the underlying reason for the plight of women is because they marry not for love" the story-teller gets involved in the story and he tells how he killed his wife and all the lateral process.. Actually a small novella which describes a discussion on a train so it could be more of theater than a movie but what is really worse the director made it tediously long!For example when the story-teller says "But in this same honeymoon there came a period of satiety, in which we ceased to be necessary to each other, and a new quarrel broke out. It became evident that the first was not a matter of chance." the movie doesn't have to reflect a similar scene in the background but everywhere detailed background scenes! Unfortunately I see once again that Soviet motion-pictures cannot cinematize their own literal products! I say you should not watch the movie before reading the book