I first saw "Ko mne, Mukhtar" when I was a kid and still living in Russia. I must have seen it at least ten times and never got tired of it! But then, I've always loved dogs, and this is a movie about dogs - working police dogs, and one dog in particular - Mukhtar, who comes to live and work at the police kennels through rather unusual circumstances. Together with his handler, Glazychev (played by the excellent comedic actor Yuri Nikulin, also known for having been a brilliant circus clown), Mukhtar helps solve crimes large and small.
Recently I rented a video of this film from a Russian video store and was delighted to be reacquainted with an old friend after so many years. From a distance of twenty years (not to mention a HUGE culture gap) the film looks different, certain details are rather jarring (like the portrayal of women) and at times I found myself laughing out loud during moments which weren't supposed to be funny, like
**** SPOILER AHEAD ****
At a particularly nerve-wracking moment,the veterinarian advises Glazychev to drink a couple of shots of straight rubbing alcohol - to calm his nerves.
**** END SPOILER ****
But mostly, you'll want to watch it to look at dogs - beautiful German Shepherds of the old Soviet type, the kind you don't see around too often nowadays. So if you are a dog lover (even if you don't speak the language, though it helps) - watch "Ko mne, Mukhtar" - you won't be disappointed!
Recently I rented a video of this film from a Russian video store and was delighted to be reacquainted with an old friend after so many years. From a distance of twenty years (not to mention a HUGE culture gap) the film looks different, certain details are rather jarring (like the portrayal of women) and at times I found myself laughing out loud during moments which weren't supposed to be funny, like
**** SPOILER AHEAD ****
At a particularly nerve-wracking moment,the veterinarian advises Glazychev to drink a couple of shots of straight rubbing alcohol - to calm his nerves.
**** END SPOILER ****
But mostly, you'll want to watch it to look at dogs - beautiful German Shepherds of the old Soviet type, the kind you don't see around too often nowadays. So if you are a dog lover (even if you don't speak the language, though it helps) - watch "Ko mne, Mukhtar" - you won't be disappointed!
