Viktor Kosykh Movies

A group of escaped criminals hides out in the remote wooded area of Siberia in this grim drama set in the summer of 1953. Although Josef Stalin was already dead, the shadow of his oppressive rule still hangs over the country. The gang makes their way to a small village where political prisoners Luzga (Valeri Priyemykhov) and Kopalich (Anatoli Papanov) wait to escape by boat. Luzga is a former Army scout who can barely hide his contempt of Josef Stalin, while Kopalich is a noted archaeologist. When the village is attacked by the marauding gang, the two political prisoners help defend the townsfolk against the bloodthirsty mob. The last feature for the popular actor Anatoli Papanov, Kholodnoye Leto Pyatdesyat Tretyego was seen by over 40 million people in the Soviet Union, making it the third most popular feature of 1988. This is one of the first perestroika films that showed political prisoners in a sympathetic light. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This last film in the trilogy of the "Elusive Avengers" finds the gang ready for one last adventure as, even after the Russian Civil War has come to an end, there are still those who wish to reinstate the monarchy. These loyalists to the old empire will need the emperor's big crown in order to complete the coronation ceremony, however, and the Elusive Avengers are tasked with protecting it. More action follows as these mere teenagers once again keep their country from falling into the wrong hands. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Angel, was made in 1967 by Andrei Smirnov and is based on a short story by Yuri Olesha. It was shelved by censors for unknown reasons until 1987, when it was paired with another film and exhibited under the combined title Natshalo Nevedomogo Veka. It concerns the 1920 journey of a group of refugees fleeing the disruptions of the fighting between the White and Red Russians in the civil war. In the story, when the train runs off the tracks, a group of determined survivors get it running again with a great deal of pluck and daring. When they are captured by the White Russian calling himself "Angel of God," despite their sufferings at his hands, they somehow maintain their dignity. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi