SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
In 1937, Russia is going through “The Great Purge” as Joseph Stalin is imprisoning, torturing and killing people on the wrong side of his political fence. Many proud Old Bolsheviks are being systematically removed from society, with many writing letters to the government desperate for help. One of those letters, from a prisoner named Stepniak (played by Aleksandr Filippenko), actually gets through the prison walls and into the hands of a young lawyer, Kornyev (Aleksandr Kuznetsov). Just three-months removed from law school, Kornyev tracks Stepniak down and insists on meeting with him privately. Prison leadership tries everything from making him wait over five hours simply to meet the Governor to trying to scare him off with stories of a contagious illness. Intimidated but not backing down, Kornyev perseveres and Stepniak shares how he’s refused to sign legal confession documents condemning innocent citizens despite being constantly beaten. After hearing this information, Kornyev doesn’t trust the powers that be, even in his own precinct. He decides to go straight to Moscow and share the information directly with Procurator General Andrey Vyshinsky (Anatoliy Beliy). Vyshinsky encourages Kornyev to return to the prison, gather more evidence and come back with enough to put investigative wheels into motion.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
In a historical drama like this, there’s very little score, very little action and very little momentum. Basically, the strength of the film comes down to the strength of the performances (and that’s especially true if you’re unfamiliar with the real life history being told). Luckily, TWO PROSECUTORS features two brilliant performances by Kuznetsov and Filippenko.
Kuznetsov’s ability to convey fear, intimidation and resolve is outstanding but the real star is Filippenko. Having filmed his scenes when he was 79 years old, the acting ability exhibited here makes you wish he had been discovered by American audiences decades ago.
Directed by Sergei Loznitsa, the cinematography, the use of 4:3 aspect ratio and the incredible set design trigger a complete buy-in from the audience. Within minutes you feel like you’re watching found footage from the 1930’s, not something that was shot in 2024 made to look like the 1930’s.
Thespian students everywhere studying their craft should be required to watch Kuznetsov in TWO PROSECUTORS. As a fresh-faced lawyer taking on the intimidation machine that is the Russian government, his fear — and bravery — speaks volumes despite having very few lines to verbally convey those emotions. A while back on the podcast, we discussed great performances without much dialogue. You can now add Kuznetsov to that short list.
While this isn’t a film for mass audiences, it is a film that mass audiences would benefit from seeing.
JKG SCORE: 8.0
Untitled Film Project 