The STV film company has repeatedly confirmed its ability to produce commercial and auteur cinema at the same time, for example, “Brother”, “Kukushka” and other films of major significance for the Russian film industry. If the film “The Night Salesman” (front-end actors: P. Barshak, V. Sukhorukov, I. Dapkunaite, A. Krasko) weren’t in the experienced hands of the specialists of this company, he could remain in the history of modern Russian cinema another debut project. But the picture was lucky, she fell into competent producing hands, receiving professional support. In the movie "Night Seller" the actors and roles were personally compared by producer Sergei Selyanov.
Typically low budget
Significant budget funds were clearly not invested in the filming process. From a technical point of view, the picture is typical of low-budget projects, it lacks action, there are no original special decorations, all the action takes place in the walls of a peripheral store. The film is built on close-ups and dialogues, the emphasis is on semantic load and acting. It is not surprising that in the film "The Night Seller" the roles of famous domestic actors appear. The picturesqueness of the situation and the brilliant acting ensemble constantly push the main story about the student who decided to earn extra money into the background, diverting the viewer’s attention with killer solo numbers.
Plot
In the crime comedy “The Night Salesman”, the actors told the audience a story exciting to the imagination. Events are unfolding in a provincial town, which has recently been terrorizing a maniac. Especially the thirst for blood wakes up in the killer at night during the rain. On one of these rainy nights, the main character, a student of Dan, intervenes to replace the seller in a convenience store. The owner of the store goes to the casino to have fun, his wife tries at all costs to seduce the student. And the investigator pursuing the maniac patrols the area in the hope of detaining the murderer and preventing his next atrocity. As a result of a strange set of circumstances, all the characters will be destined to meet, and the main character will be in an extremely ambiguous situation.
Extremely charismatic cast
The actors involved in the production of the film raised the comedy “Night Salesman” to a decent level: Ingeborga Dapkunaite flaunts in intriguing golfs, Viktor Sukhorukov is unsurpassed in the image of a canonical and unshakable psycho, Andrei Krasko as an investigator with a full set of traumatic childhood memories and only Pavel Barshak, somewhat lost, wanders among this acting cabaret.
As it becomes clear, exclusively famous and beloved performers were invited to participate in the tape, even for secondary and episodic roles. Thus, three goals were achieved at once: the film was provided with the interest of the audience in advance, the director-debutant — the support of actors wise by experience, the creative product — the independent value of each individual episode and the game richness. It is no coincidence that the producer Sergei Selyanov collected in the comedy "Night Seller" the roles known in all the vast expanses of the former USSR.
Partly a parody
In many ways, the comedy of director-debutant Valery Rozhnov is a parody, but this did not become a drawback of the picture. The director creates his own mood and knows how to work with actors. And in the movie "The Night Seller" the actors are magnificent.
Outwardly similar to Detochkin, the maniac performed by Sukhorukov moves ballet, plays so penetratingly, looks into his soul with his bright eyes, that the audience involuntarily joins his performance, in his madness.
The Ingeborg Dapkunaite, who had to reincarnate as the store owner’s wife, provokes a contradictory perception of her character. A radiant smile, a charming European accent of the actress, combined with obscene thesaurus and vulgar character manners create a unique mix that catches the attention of the viewer.
Pavel Barshak, who has similarities with young Abdulov, despite his minor acting experience, plays accurately and sincerely. Here is his character - the night seller Dana, the viewer clearly sympathizes and worries about the fate of the hero, rejoices when he all in spite manages to get out of the water dry. Of course, the scriptwriters came up with problems for the protagonist. And the cherished key in the stomach of a maniac is far from the main one.
Summary
This project can be recommended for viewing at least because of the presence in it of such an impressive number of stars of the domestic film industry. However, you should not expect from the film tricks, scandalous eroticism and an inexhaustible amount of funny moments. The film is dominated by theatrical minimalism, but it is interesting to watch. There is some kind of thrilling poetry in this post-Soviet noir.