From the Life of a Chief of the Criminal Police

From the Life of a Chief of the Criminal Police (1983) is a Soviet crime drama you can watch online on iFILM. Director Stepan Puchinyan tells a slow-burning story about two men on opposite sides of the law who keep circling each other. The detective chief, played by Kirill Lavrov, and a former career thief share nothing but mutual suspicion at first.

Then a dangerous case forces the issue. To crack it, the investigator has to lean on a man with a criminal record, and to his surprise the ex-convict actually plays along. Leonid Filatov, Elena Proklova and a young Igor Livanov round out the cast. The film leans on conversation and character rather than car chases; who trusts whom matters more than who catches whom. A good fit for viewers who like their Soviet detective stories quiet and people-driven. Stream the film online on iFILM.