Driver Panachuk, who took «left» passengers, is in a hurry to Gorsk. Panachuk tells the policeman who stopped him that he saw a murdered doctor in a crashed «Moskvich» car on the way.
Direction
Two directors, one seamless nightmare of escalating dread.
Acting
Yuriy Tolubeev's sweaty desperation is physically uncomfortable to watch.

Director
Aleksandr Abramov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during the Khrushchev Thaw, when Soviet cinema briefly flirted with moral ambiguity before Brezhnev slammed the door.
The 'Moskvich' car crash was staged with a real vehicle; budget constraints meant only one take — the actors' genuine tension is partly real fear.