Beware of the Car

Beware of the Car (Russian: Береги́сь автомоби́ля, US titles Uncommon Thief, or Watch out for the Automobile) is a Soviet 1966 crime comedy-drama film directed by Eldar Ryazanov, based on a screenplay by Emil Braginsky and produced by the Mosfilm. The film stars renowned Soviet actors Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Oleg Yefremov, Anatoli Papanov, Andrei Mironov, Georgiy Zhzhonov, among others.

Beregis' Avtomobilya is recognized for its noir genre satire as uncommon part of the Brezhnevist society. It is credited to have given Ryazanov a start in depicting Soviet political structure satire as a class of comedy cult films.

Plot
The movie plot evolves around Yuriy Detochkin (Smoktunovsky), a humble Soviet insurance agent suffering from a minor mental disorder. Detochkin applies great resourcefullness and exceptional driving skill to stealing cars from corrupt Soviet officials in a Robin Hood way, disappointed by the Militsiya (Soviet police) being unable to fight them efficiently. One of the Detochkin's un-innocent victims is Dima Semitsvetov (Mironov), a retail embezzler hilariously trolled, but still tolerated by his colourful father-in-law Sokol-Kruzhkin (Papanov), a retired Soviet Army officer.

Detochkin sells the stolen cars and anonymously transfers the money to the accounts of various orphanages. Detective Maxim Podberyozovikov (Yefremov) investigates his crimes and tries to prosecute him, but faces a serious moral problem in doing that, partly because the suspect appears to be his amateur theater mate and friend.

Cast

 * Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Yuriy Detochkin, former taxi driver, now an insurance agent and a fighter for justice
 * Oleg Yefremov as Maxim Podberezovikov, detective, working on Detochkin's Cause
 * Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya as Detochkin's mother
 * Olga Aroseva as Lyuba, a trolley-bus driver, Detochkin's bride
 * Andrei Mironov as Dima Semitsvetov
 * Anatoli Papanov as Sokol-Kruzhkin, father-in-law of Dima Semitsvetov
 * Tatyana Gavrilova as Inna, wife of Dima Semitsvetov
 * Georgiy Zhzhonov as a patrol policeman
 * Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev as an acting coach
 * Donatas Banionis as a priest, buyer of Detochkin's Volga car
 * Lyubov Sokolova as a judge
 * Vyacheslav Nevinny as a car mechanic
 * Gotlib Roninson as Yakov Mihailovich, Senior Insurance Agent, Detochkin's boss
 * Galina Volchek as a customer
 * Sergey Kulagin as Philippe Cartuzov, a pub manager
 * Yakov Lents as Tobacconist's shop salesman
 * Nikolay Parfyonov as a prosecutor
 * Victoria Radunskaya as Tanya, criminalist
 * Boris Runge as a man with suitcases
 * Author's narration read by Yury Yakovlev