Great Film overall

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Pavel Kadochnikov stars as an agent of Soviet military intelligence during World War II. The film is one of Soviet cinema's first forays into the World War II spy thriller, which was to reach its climax with the "17 Moments of Spring" miniseries made in 1973.The film is fairly typical of the Stalin era war films, with a a slight cartoonish aspect to the characters, but pleasantly there is lack of blatant communist/Stalinist propaganda.The director, Barnet (who plays a Nazi general in the film), favors static wide shots which do not always translate well on television, especially if you are watching a mediocre transfer from an old print. The performances are pretty good, particularly Kadochnikov's. The plot does keep you on the edge although the end is a bit rushed, it almost feels as if Stalin commanded the editor to shorten the end by 50%.Overall the film is enjoyable for those who like old war flicks.