My Friend Ivan Lapshin
Seen it?1985 | 95 min | Drama
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (83% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 35 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Russian provincial town in the middle of the 1930s Stalin's Great Purge. Ivan Lapshin, the head of the local police, does what he has to do. And he does it well.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
83% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 10K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
F.I.S.T. Sunday Safe BetAnother drama, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
Hardball
Weeknight WatchAnother drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Blue Chips Weeknight WatchAnother drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Above the Rim Weeknight WatchAnother drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks
Cast & crew
Directed by Aleksei German
- Andrei BoltnevIvan Lapshin
- Nina RuslanovaNatasha Adasova
- Andrey MironovKhanin
- Aleksei ZharkovOkoshkin
- Aleksandr FilippenkoZanadvorov
- Yuriy KuznetsovSuperintendent
- Semyon FaradaDzhatiev
- Valeriy FilonovPobuzhinskiy
- Zinaida AdamovichPatrikeyevna
- Anatoly SlivnikovBychkov