Vor

In the icy wastelands of Yaroslavl in Stalin's Soviet Union, a young woman, Katja (Ekaterina Rednikova), gives birth on the side of a dirt track. The year is 1946, the war has left the country stricken with poverty, her husband will soon die and everything is ever so slightly grim.

Six years later Katja and her young son, Sanya, are still wandering, looking for a place to settle and someone to take care of them. On a crowded train travelling across country, Katya exchanges steamy glances with a vigorous young army officer, Tolyan (Vladimir Mashkov), and by the next stop, she, the officer and Sanya have become an instant family. Only one problemo. Tolyan is, in actual fact, a thieving scoundrel with more than hint of brutality mixed in with his charm.

Of course, from there on in everything goes from bad to worse. Let's face it have you ever seen a Russian slapstick comedy or even, for that matter, an Eastern European one. The Thief doesn't try to imitate the romanticism of Hollywood's more famous tales of con men - Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting. No, this is stark reality, beautifully shot and faintly reminiscent of the masterpiece Ashes and Diamonds or indeed something from Charles Dickens. Except without the happy ending.

The Thief is always watchable mainly because of its two male leads. The wide-eyed scared little boy played by Misha Philipchuk possesses a wonderfully expressive face and Vladimir Mashkov revels in playing the violent rogue, who rolls razor blades in his mouth for light kicks. The relationship between these two serves as the core of the film. At first the boy, who is haunted by images of his dead father, refuses to give in to Tolyan's stern demand that he address him as "Daddy," yet hesitantly grows fascinated by Tolyan's slick manner and tyrannical brutality.

As for Katja? Once the lust departs and she realises Tolyan is no soldier, but a liar and common thief, she is bitterly disappointed, yet her inability to leave him taints Sanya and eventually leads to tragedy for them all. Their plight is only worsened by the tyranny of communist Russia, where Josef Stalin pervades his people and the landscape, like, of course, Big Brother. Tolyan wears a tattoo of 'laughing boy' Stalin on his chest. Everyone toasts to Comrade Stalin. We become privy to Stalin's Russia in documentary footage. In fact as a harsh, relentless father figure for the uncertain young Sanya, Tolyan also serves as an emblematic double for Stalin and his ruthless domination over a deluded nation. However, Tolyan may be brute, but he comes off lightly in relation to the procession of vicious, corrupt soldiers who claim they're "not moved by whimpering or by kids" and in one unforgettable scene force "criminals" to run in the snow past bloodhounds, on the way to the trucks that will eventually take them to Siberia.

The Thief is moving, without being overly sentimental. It is no surprise that this stunning Russian movie was the nominee of that country for a 1997 American Oscar.

• Ben Walsh

Pavel Chukhrai does not belong to any list of "Notable" film directors of Russia,nonetheless he has shown some amount of flair through his meek direction and screenplay in drama"vor" a.k.a."The Thief".

The movie is centered upon three characters- a widowed woman, with her little child who envisages his father every now and then and a charming but rakish officer to whom material gain matters most.Like some other hailed Russian movies it deals with grim picture of reality with no magical finishing touch.It certainly won't make you cheer or applaud but will move you a bit that's for sure.

Both acting and cinematography has been brilliant,Though editing and sound mixing could have been better. Acting of Misha Philipchuk as 6 year old sanya is priceless. Flying colors of European cinemas with highest possible proximity to realness are depicted through the wonderfully done cinematography.

Watch it,it won't cost you much !

For those of us who are interested in Russian life and film this is a must see. It provides an inside view of life in Stalinist Russia where people are forced to live in communal apartments and struggle to survive. A single mother with a young son becomes enamoured of a man she believes to be a soldier. He turns out to be a burglar preying on the unfortunate. The story is told by the son who first hates, then loves, then hates the thief. Amazingly, the viewer experiences the same shifting emotions. This is a film that will involve you and really play on your emotions. It's as though Dostoyevsky wrote the screenplay. No stereotypes or two-dimensional characters here but complex individuals who will draw you into their fear and pain. It is an unforgettable film; well worth seeking out!

This is one of the most ambitious films I have ever seen done; it is an extremely painful movie to watch in places, beautifully photographed, with understated direction that does not get in the way of the story.

A lot will be lost on the small screen, but if you enjoy foreign films (or films in general) you will not find a better one than this. If you are in the mood for lighthearted entertainment, do not rent this film; you will feel sad for a long time after it ends. (It is a Russian story, after all.) Images from the film are guaranteed to haunt for a long time; it reminds the viewer of the power film can have to affect an audience.

Nine stars for me.

What a movie Very well written shot and directed by Pavel Chukhray This 90 min drama is so engaging and what makes it that much engaging is the story,the cinematography, its amazing cast and their strong performances especially the child who played sanya

Truly a well made russian tragic,emotional and beautiful drama that takes place in a Stalin era Russia I strongly reccomend to all the movielovers out there to watch this movie and be touched by it.