A flawless metamorphosis on the part of Mironov.
Aleksei Chernov
Courtesy of nashfilm.ru
These days Mironov is considered just about the brightest Russian star.
... Woven into a canvas of biblical motifs, the role of a soul-searching martyr seems to have been custom-made for [him].
Sergei Ilchenko, Jr.
Courtesy of fontanka.ru, 2008
Yevgeny Mironov's virtuoso acting
... saves the film.
Dmitry Danilov
Courtesy of pravaya.ru, 2008
Yevgeny Mironov is not merely good. He is phenomenally natural and congruous. He penetrates into his multiple characters to the point of complete submersion.
... Next to Mironov, everyone else looks like a bit player.
Yekaterina Barabash
Nezavisimaya gazeta, 2008
The perfect authenticity of Yevgeny Mironov: what a feast of emotional nuance, what a subtle study of the hero's psychophysics in a situation of perpetual peril!
... Mironov is a magnificent actor, his abilities appear to be limitless. Whatever a part calls for, he can deliver.
... Yevgeny Mironov and Nikolai Fomenko forge a dazzling partnership.
Yekaterina Salnikova
Vzglyad, 2008
All the
... shortcomings and long shots are redeemed by the superb team of Mironov and Fomenko, which holds the film together.
Boris Sokolov
Courtesy of grani.ru
A highly accomplished effort by Yevgeny Mironov. [He] and Nikolai Fomenko carry the picture. Of course, we didn't need
The Apostle to tell us that Mironov is the number-one actor today.
Viktor Raspopin
Courtesy of raspopin.den-za-dnem.ru
I doubt that even a low-budget soap could elicit a bad performance out of Mironov. His Pyotr and Pavel are two completely different people, and they are fascinating to watch.
Tatiana Rekshe
Vechernii Novosibirsk, 2008
The movie's creators have lucked out big time with their star. Yevgeny Mironov plays different – really different – people, and is entirely convincing as he grapples with the meat grinder of the prison camp and the spy racket, transmogrifying from a benign intellectual struggling through a collision with a Kafkaesque state into something monstrous but not without humanity.
Semyon Kvasha
Courtesy of yarsk.ru, 2008
Yevgeny Mironov's performance keeps you watching the inane goings-on. That's because what we have here is not just a great actor but a powerful personality.
... The fairy-tale ending is shockingly phony.
... But – it's the darnest thing! – a closeup of Mironov saves the day. The actor portrays emotions so subtle that it's hard to find words to describe them.
... Mironov manages to breathe life into the screenwriters' wildest contrivances.
Nikolai Rasheyev
Telekritika, 2008
The film is carried by outstanding performances of our leading actors – the consummate professional and celebrated star Yevgeny Mironov, who takes on what amounts to three roles, [and others].
... It's no secret that Mironov's acting can rescue even a mediocre script, let alone a big-budget megaseries with claims to blockbuster status.
Kareliya, 2008
Yevgeny Mironov is pure genius. His acting is staggeringly truthful, furious and unconventional.
Aleksandr Prokhanov
Zavtra, 2008
Yevgeny Mironov and his magic genuinity are the backbone of this movie.
Tatiana Mamayeva
Vremya i dengi, 2008
Sign up Yevgeny Mironov and you've got yourself a movie. Any movie, because there is no role that Mironov could not bring off with inspiration. As need be, he is Prince Myshkin,
Piranha's albino sadist, Bumbarash on the stage... He is any man, and feels at home in every character's shoes. He's incredible, that Yevgeny Mironov. He's one of a kind, the only one we've got.
... That's why he's been dispatched on a mission impossible – and carried it off brilliantly.
Kirill Privalov
Rosbalt, 2008
[Translated by Vlada Chernomordik for the Yevgeny Mironov Official Website]
