Confrontation

Confrontation (1985) is a Soviet television crime drama you can watch online on iFILM — six and a half hours of investigation directed by Semyon Aranovich, with Oleg Basilashvili and Andrei Boltnev leading the cast.

The case opens in a northern Soviet city in 1979: a man killed on his way home from the gold mines. Detectives zero in on one Grigory Milinko — then learn the real Milinko died in the war. Somebody borrowed a dead man's name and used it for decades. A nationwide manhunt begins, but the killings carry on.

Aranovich is in no hurry. The long format lets the case breathe: each false lead gets room, each witness opens a new thread, each document matters. For viewers who want Soviet-era detective fiction at the pace of real investigation rather than a sprint to the answer, this is a rare example of the form done properly. Stream Confrontation (1985) online on iFILM.