Studio Mosfilm’s 1972 comedy Dzhentlmeny udachi was a massive blockbuster on release. Now a Russian classic, it deals with the shenanigans of a group of thieves - gentlemen of fortune - who must relocate an object that their gang leader has hidden away.
A bunch of small time crooks steal an artifact – a helmet belonging to Alexander the Great - from the site of an archeological excavation. They are captured by the police who have a tough time getting the leader to reveal any information about the priceless artifact. They send in a doppelganger of the leader to impersonate him and extract information from his henchmen regarding the whereabouts of the stolen object. The imposter, who is really a soft spoken kindergarten teacher, must adopt the mannerisms and language of petty criminals in order to successfully find the relic. He pretends to have lost his memory and stages a jailbreak. On the way he realizes that ‘his’ henchmen are really simple folk who don't necessarily relish a life of crime and sets about to reform and rehabilitate them.
The movie is primarily a comedy but there are a few dark moments – the most of serious of which occurs when the troubled Gavrila realizes he has let his family down and attempts suicide believing he is beyond redemption. The distinguished looking Georgy Vitsin, who plays Gavrila, brings the despair of the character to the surface. It is an uncomfortable scene for the viewer.
Yevgeny Leonov plays the dual roles of the nasty gang leader and the genial school teacher. He transforms from a kindly character to a sneering, scheming brute with aplomb. He must constantly struggle to maintain the façade of the tough criminal for his increasingly suspicious henchmen and these situations make for funny sequences.
Yet again, this is a movie where familiarity with the native language will make or break the deal. There is little slapstick and only Russian language speakers will appreciate the slang and street language that is generally lauded as the highlight of this film.
Even if you must resort to the subtitles to understand it, this is a pleasant, old fashioned entertainer to while away an afternoon with.
