One-Handed Leshkin and the Fearsome Fleas: A Mixed Bag of a Movie

I'm not a huge fan of Leskov's work, but 'Leshka' caught my attention with its trailer. The young Leshka was running around St. Petersburg searching for spies, which piqued my interest.

MY RATING: I went in with a positive attitude, and I'd say I enjoyed it to some extent, despite the relatively low rating of 6.8 on Kinopoisk. GENRE: this new 'Leshka' is in my favorite genre: fantasy, adventure, and detective.

It's a classic 'imperial detective' story, similar to early Fandorin or 'Anna-Detective'. Fans of those will love the atmosphere.

This is the part where I mention the infestation of fleas is a bit far-fetched, but despite the fantastical elements, it's still engaging at times and even truthful. Not when it comes to the homemade robot and the device for making 'cardoleks', though...

I've got to say, the director, Vladimir Bresedin, did a great job of keeping me engaged throughout the entire film. I mean, I was hooked from start to finish, and that's no easy feat, especially considering the runtime is a solid 117 minutes.

Now, I was a bit skeptical at first, but the pacing is really well done. It's one of those movies where you don't even notice the time flying by. Of course, there are moments where I wish they'd slowed down a bit to give the audience a breather, but overall, the tempo is spot on.

One thing that did bug me, though, was the lack of action scenes. I mean, we've got some intense fight choreography and high-speed chases, but it's not enough to keep me fully invested. And don't even get me started on the romance – it's basically nonexistent. I get that it's not the main focus, but a little more development would've been nice.

THE PLOT: I was surprised to find that the story from Leskov's novel is barely referenced. Instead, we get a completely new plot. Russia, late 19th century. Against the backdrop of an impending war with Britain, a mysterious device - a mechanical flea - is discovered in the imperial palace. Young officer Peter Ogarev is tasked with investigating the incident, and he's eager to earn the trust of Emperor Alexander III. In his search for the truth, he teams up with Levsha, a brilliant but forgotten master from Tula. Together, they delve into a world of intrigue and danger. To uncover the conspiracy, they'll have to challenge the system, unravel family secrets, and make a difficult choice between duty and personal feelings. The fate of the country and their own destinies hang in the balance.

From the original work, we're left with just the main character's nickname and a nod to the master as a composite figure of the Russian peasant - someone who'll drink a shot, eat a flea, and throw a punch. But that's about it. We've got Levsha, a bit of Fandorin in the form of Prince Peter Ogarev, who's weighed down by childhood traumas, a hapless cabinet of ministers, and a suspicious plot involving a 'flea-like' British weapon.

With Levsha and Ogarev on the case, our mission is to catch the spy and identify the mastermind behind the conspiracy. Of course, the action won't unfold in some remote Tula village, but on the streets of St. Petersburg.Visually stunning, bright, fast, and unfortunately, secondary. Objectively, I missed the freshness in "Lefty". If we talk about the characters, Ogaryov is like an early Fandorin, and Lefty is a familiar figure from the Sergey vs. Slavic Filth project. And if we talk about the image as a whole, it's hard not to recognize Guy Ritchie and his Sherlock Holmes.

CHARACTERS AND ROLES:

1) Lefty (Yuri Kolokolnikov). I've been convinced time and time again that this isn't my actor. I always feel like something's missing in his performance. He doesn't quite pull off a simple Russian guy, and he's definitely not Kuliabin.

I was really annoyed by Kolokolnikov's constant eye-rolling. It felt like a mannerism that didn't quite fit the character.

I've got to say, the creators tried to make the inventor look like a fish out of water, but it's clear he's a genius who just happens to be self-taught. I mean, after reading a few books, he's able to grasp the basics of electricity! You'd think they could've come up with some simpler technical solutions, and honestly, that shot of him running around shirtless was totally unnecessary!

Seriously, that shot in the background was completely pointless! 2) On the other hand, Petr Ogarev played by Fyodor Fyodorov was a real standout. He brought this character to life as a honest, smart, and fair detective who's also a bit too intelligent and naive at times.

It's no wonder Levsha and the girl fell for him - I was hooked on watching his adventures and trying to figure out the mystery of his family.

When it comes to acting and character portrayal, this show nails it - a solid 10 out of 10. 3) I've got to say, the character of Tatiana (Leonela Manturova) is a nice fit. She's not exactly blowing me away with her inner qualities or acting chops, but she's got a great character type going on. She's like a doll straight out of the 19th century.

I think if they'd dedicated more screen time to developing the romantic plotline, it would've been something to look forward to.

The scenes they did show with her were pretty entertaining: she's crying on cue, and her fingerwork is impressive. 4) Unfortunately, the director didn't have time to fully flesh out the character of Alexander III (Arthur Ivanov). I mean, that's a pretty interesting and complex figure.

It's a shame they didn't have the time to explore that character further.

5) To be honest, they didn't put much effort into the cabinet ministers either. The cabinet looks pretty rough around the edges, and they didn't really develop the characters at all.

The actors really saved the show. I mean, Yan Zaytsev and Alexei Guskov squeezed every last drop out of their roles, and I'm grateful for that.ATMOSPHERE: On the one hand, the visuals on screen were pretty engaging. All the chases, fights, and spy games looked super exciting.

But at the same time, there were moments when I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was watching a steampunk movie by Guy Ritchie.

However, some of the individual "decor" elements actually managed to balance things out.

But then there were the infamous "bugs". Ugh, they were terrible! These insects looked more like something out of a horror movie than a sci-fi thriller!

And to make matters worse, there were these strange, out-of-place graphical elements popping up in certain scenes that just didn't fit with the movie's aesthetic or atmosphere. Honestly, the only people I have no questions about are the costume designers - they've really nailed it and it's right on trend.

MUSIC: there was plenty of music and it was fitting, but I wouldn't say any of the tracks really stuck with me in terms of how well they matched the scene. That being said, there was no jarring dissonance either. So, in this regard, it's somewhere between satisfactory and good. MY IMPRESSIONS:

If I'm being subjective, I'd say I actually enjoyed the movie 'Levsha' more than not:

1. Acting was solid for the most part. The old guard didn't let me down, and Fyodorov was a pleasant surprise. To be honest, they were the ones who carried the whole film.

2. The visuals were pretty nice overall. The ballet, the royal chambers, even the rural scenery all looked great.

I also appreciated the little details, like that first self-propelled carriage.

3. Good humor. There are plenty of moments where I found myself smiling. I particularly enjoyed the butler of Count Ogarev - it's just hilarious. And the funny scenes are pretty well done too.

The jokes are actually pretty good, and some of them are even quite clever. I loved the scene with the clean and dirty shoes - it's just brilliant!4. Pacing. Although the director might have overdone it with the pace and the action, I still found it engaging. There's no feeling of it dragging on. I didn't feel like I wanted to switch it off because it was boring, not even once.

However, the positives come to an end, and there are some major drawbacks. And to be honest, I'd say the main ones are:

1. Plot. This is just a mess. And 'Levsha' is no exception. If the beginning of the story is a bit of a slog, at least it's somewhat understandable, but the 'Machine Uprising' is just ridiculous. By the end, it's just a jumbled mess of nonsense that makes you wonder what kind of substance they were smoking.

2. Lefty's image, created by Yuri Kolokolnikov. It's not a Russian self-taught artist, but a mix of a crazy professor and some cyborg. To me, the idea of the 'one-armedness' of the character looks funny at first, but in reality, it's overkill.

The character created by Kolokolnikov turned out not to be simple and naive, but rather awkward. There were moments where he reminded me of Captain Jack Sparrow, which is just unnecessary. To be honest, this trait was added by the actor, not the writers. And that's a big minus. He overacted!3. Bizarre decisions in terms of film styling. Honestly, they wasted their time with the scene featuring the tricolors. They could have left the idea with the flags, but with the image of the double-headed eagle, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire.

It would have been more original and fitting.4. Cardboard cabinet of ministers. If the tsar didn't have enough screen time, the ministers' characters are an outright mess. They're so generic and uninteresting that they completely ruin the intrigue. And yes, I figured out the twist almost immediately.5. The love story was a letdown. I was expecting so much more, but it was rushed and sometimes I had no idea what was going on. And the ending was a total mess - they just glossed over what happened to Peter and Tatyana. I would've loved to hear more about Tatyana's plans for the future, even if it was just a side note.

Overall, 'Lopushki' had a great idea, but it fell flat. I didn't feel like watching it again, and at 117 minutes, it felt like a chore. I think if I watched it again, the flaws would be even more noticeable. So, I'm giving it 3 stars, but I'd recommend watching it once.

POSITIVE POINTS:

- the acting was top-notch;

- the visuals were great;

- it had some nice humor.

NEGATIVE POINTS:

- the plot was a mess;

- those annoying, out-of-place bugs were a distraction;

- the cabinet of ministers looked like cardboard;

- the character of Lopushki was underdeveloped.