Vysotskiy. Spasibo, chto zhivoy

I thought this movie was great - but I accept that some people may find it underwhelming, in particular those who don't know much about Vysotski. The film never intends to be a comprehensive overview of Vysotski's life and legacy - people who criticise it for this reason are missing the point. You don't learn much about the man from the movie - it describes an isolated episode from his life, and not the most flattering one. Greatness and significance of Vysotski is never explained and is shown only indirectly, through the way people around him treat him, including his friends, colleagues, KGB, etc. For me this was never a problem though - I grew up with Vysotski's songs, my grandparents had a "self-published" booklet of his poems, and for me he is a key part of the Soviet existence. The movie appropriately underscores and highlights this - and hence is highly enjoyable, but only if you have context!