The Rooks

The Rooks (Грачи) is a Soviet crime drama film directed by Konstantin Yershov, filmed in 1982 in the USSR. Based on real events.

Plot
The Grachi Brothers are a family gang that specializes in robbery.

After another criminal episode, as a result of which the driver of the car was killed, as well as a traffic police inspector, the police managed to detain the gang members. The younger brother, Alexander Grach, was involved in criminal activities under the pressure of the authority and personality of his middle brother Viktor. The brothers' son-in-law, Leonid Osadchiy, also participated in the plot to kill the Zhiguli driver Usov. Victor was sitting in the car to the right of the driver Usov, Leonid Osadchiy was sitting behind the driver, and Alexander was next to him. After the murder, the Rook family decides to move to Krasnodar. However, the police are on their trail, and Viktor has already noticed the surveillance, after which they decide to temporarily “scatter” with Osadchiy. Viktor and Alexander run together, but are soon blocked in the restaurant. Alexander is detained on the street while he was waiting for his brother, and Victor, noticing this, tries to sneak out through the service room, but they manage to block all the exits there and Viktor is quickly caught. When trying to detain Rrach's accomplice Leonid Osadchiy, he shoots back and tries to escape along the roofs of houses, but they use weapons on him, and the wounded Leonid falls from the roof and dies. At the trial, Victor states that he allegedly sat behind Usov, while Leonid Osadchiy was sitting next to the driver, but this statement is refuted by presenting direct physical evidence of the murder  the knife with which it was committed. Viktor is sentenced to death, Alexander to five years in prison to be served in a maximum security colony. And the judge, having arrived at the old house of the Rooks, tries to understand how they turned into criminals.

Cast

 * Aleksei Petrenko as Igor Anatolyevich Stavrasov, judge
 * Leonid Filatov as Viktor Grach
 * Yaroslav Gavrilyuk as Alexander Grach
 * Vitaly Shapovalov as Leonid Osadchiy
 * Yuri Grebenshchikov as Andrey Grach
 * Maria Vinogradova as Evdokia Grach, mother
 * Zemfira Tsakhilova as Vera Zagoruiko, Viktor Grach's mistress
 * Anatoli Romashin as Beloded, investigator
 * Konstantin Linartovich as Malik, traffic police sergeant
 * Alexander Anurov as prosecutor
 * Olena Chekan as Akchurina

Critical response
Alexander Fedorov noted: "'The Rooks' was filmed in a strict, laconic manner. Events are recreated almost documentary, with protocol precision. In the natural range of seaside landscapes and ancient Taganrog streets, in the few retrospectives there are also no stylistic delights. True, in rare cases this principle is violated, and the actor’s strain and intonation falseness are noticeable. Having revealed the ins and outs of the psychology of adult criminals, the authors do not provide a deep analysis of the reasons that led Viktor to an irreversible moral decline."

According to Mikhail Trofimenkov, "Yershov made his directorial debut with the film 'Viy' (1967), which enjoys the reputation of the first Soviet horror film. 'The Rooks' is also a horror film. Yershov found a new intonation in the conversation about everyday, everyday evil, indistinguishable from the norm, living nearby and always ready to manifest itself."