Assassin of the Tsar

Assassin of the Tsar

Obsessed with the past. Condemned to repeat it.

1991 · 98 min · ★ 5.6 · History, Drama

A new doctor from Moscow arrives at a provincial mental institution. His interest is the peculiarities of the psyche of a patient who believes that he is Yakov Yurovsky, the man who assassinated the last Russian tsar. In the course of their conversations it transpires that the patient is a kind of philosopher, not without a gift for suggestion. In a while the doctor himself falls under his patient’s influence: he tends to relive that fatal night of June 16-17, 1918 when, without any investigation or trial, Tsar Nicholas II, who had recently abdicated, was murdered, together with his wife, daughters and incurably ill heir. Soon the doctor realizes that the tragedy of the last Russian tsar is in part his own tragedy, too...

Directed by Karen Shakhnazarov · Written by Aleksandr Borodyanskiy

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

PhiloOVIDFandor Amazon ChannelMidnight Pulp Amazon Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreFandango At Home

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 6m together

Assassin of the Tsar

Messenger Boy

Both from Karen Shakhnazarov.

More from Karen ShakhnazarovSee all →

FuseFuse · 1962
Fuse
7.61962
SeriesComedyDocumentary
Fitil is a popular Soviet/Russian television satirical/comedy short film series which ran for about 500 episodes. Some of the episodes were aimed at children, and were called Фитилёк, Fitilyok, Little Fuse. Each issue contained from the few short segments: documentary, fictional and animated ones. Directed by various artists, including Leonid Gaidai who presented his famous trio of Nikulin, Vitsin and Morgunov into the cast. It was called in USSR as "the anecdotes from the Soviet government".
Messenger BoyMessenger Boy · 1986
Messenger Boy
7.41986
MovieDramaRomance
Ivan Mirosnikov, a cheeky young man in the Gorbachev era, is trying to figure out what to do with his life (he's not in college, and the 2-year mandatory military service is looming large ahead of him). Meanwhile, he lives with his divorced mother, and works as a courier at a Russian newspaper. Through his job, he meets patronizing Professor Kuznetzov and his rebellious daughter Katya. To annoy the professor, Ivan claims to have an affair with Katya. To his surprise, Katya backs his story up.
We're from JazzWe're from Jazz · 1983
We're from Jazz
6.81983
MovieMusicComedy
A music student is expelled from school because he loves jazz, a kind of music that represents the US capitalism. He hires two street musicians to form a dixie band, and goes from one city to another trying to gain fame.
ZerogradZerograd · 1988
Zerograd
6.71988
MovieComedyMystery
Going on a business trip, the hero of the film suddenly finds himself in a fantastic city. It is very similar to our world, only the hidden absurdity of everyday life here has become apparent.
A House ‎for Rent with All the InconveniencesA House ‎for Rent with All the Inconveniences · 2016
A House ‎for Rent with All the Inconveniences
6.52016
MovieComedy
An adventurer rents out someone else's house by the sea to several women with children at once. So, the truth-loving salesman Antonina, the modest translator Sonya and the wife of Dr. Ira find themselves under the same roof. The vacation promises to be difficult, especially since the owner of the house suddenly appears.
Winter Evening in GagryWinter Evening in Gagry · 1985
Winter Evening in Gagry
6.31985
MovieComedyDrama
A young romantic loves step dance but there is only one person who knows this forgotten art. Beglov was a step dance super star back in 50s but as step became unpopular he lost everything. He hates even this word - 'chechotka' (step dance). But somehow the young man convinces him to become his coach and manager.
On the Road to BerlinOn the Road to Berlin · 2015
On the Road to Berlin
6.22015
MovieDramaWar
Based on a novella by the well-known Soviet writer, Emmanuil Kazakevich "Two in the Steppe" and the war diaries of Konstantin Simonov. It's the summer of 1942, communications officer Ogarkov and private Dzhurabaev are fighting their way through the German encirclement. Finding themselves in difficult situations, they learn to trust one another, becoming true friends in the process.
The StarThe Star · 2002
The Star
6.02002
MovieWarDrama
In the summer of 1944, the Nazi Armies prepare a massive Tank Division named 'Viking" for the offensive on occupied Russian land. The Russian Army's special group of seven snipers named "Zvezda" is sent for a reconnaissance operation behind the enemy lines in the back of the Nazi Tank Division. Two previous Russian groups never came back. The seven Russians know that they are going to an almost certain Death for the sake of Victory.
Ladies Invite GentlemenLadies Invite Gentlemen · 1981
Ladies Invite Gentlemen
6.01981
MovieRomanceComedy
Anna Pozdnyakova is already over 30 years old and, despite the fact that she is kind and pretty, she cannot find herself a man with whom she could find family happiness. Already it seems like a suitable candidate in the person of a prominent military man, Viktor, has taken a liking, but at first sight he falls in love with Anna's friend Raisa and marries her. Then Anya takes out a vacation at her own expense and goes south to Sochi.
Who, If Not UsWho, If Not Us · 1998
Who, If Not Us
5.91998
MovieDramaFamily
This movie deals with two friends, 13-14 year old boys. One comes from a more or less stable home (although he is growing up with single mom) and another comes from a broken up family. One day the kids break into a store to pretty much have fun and get something to eat, short time after they get caught and one kid is sent to juvenile prison (14 year old) and another one is released to his being too young to be tried (13 years old). The younger kid feels bad about such decision, feels guilty and tries to help his friend in any way possible. While trying to help he is meeting a guy, who is ex-cop and now down-on-his-luck drunk(played by Priyomykhov himself)... the two become friends. In the finale, the ex-cop has to go one of the PTA meeting at school (his mother could not get away from work and knows nothing about the ex-cop) where suddenly his mother appears and meets the "father"...
In the Moscow SlumsIn the Moscow Slums · 2023
In the Moscow Slums
5.82023
MovieMysteryAdventure
Moscow, 1902. The famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky, in search of inspiration for staging a new play, decides to get acquainted with the life of the city "bottom". He turns to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a recognized expert on the Moscow slums, for help.
White King, Red QueenWhite King, Red Queen · 1993
White King, Red Queen
5.81993
MovieRomanceDrama
Aleksey and Katerina separated twenty years ago. He left for the West, she stayed in the East. They will meet again in Switzerland under troubling circumstances.
Kind MenKind Men · 1980
Kind Men
5.71980
MovieComedy
Gordei Kabachkov, a professional con man, decided to pursue a career in science and was very successful. Having settled in a certain Institute of Ancient Culture, he easily wraps his finger around the numerous "kind men" - members of the academic council - and defends his thesis. Using his "talents" and the kindness of the staff of the Institute of Ancient Culture, Kabachkov makes a rapid take-off on the career ladder...
American DaughterAmerican Daughter · 1995
American Daughter
5.71995
MovieDramaComedy
A lonely Russian man is trying to see his daughter, who lives with her mother far away in the USA.
White TigerWhite Tiger · 2012
White Tiger
5.72012
MovieActionAdventure
WWII, 1945. After barely surviving a battle with a mysterious, ghostly-white German Tiger tank, Red Army Sergeant Ivan Naydenov becomes obsessed with its destruction.
Anna Karenina. Vronsky's StoryAnna Karenina. Vronsky's Story · 2017
Anna Karenina. Vronsky's Story
5.62017
MovieRomanceDrama
There is no single truth in love. Each treads their own path. Which should take precedence – passion or duty? How do we choose? And who gets to judge? These are the eternal questions, remorselessly thrust upon us by life. Anna Karenina made her choice, leaving her son Sergei to grow up struggling to understand why his mother took such a tragic and terrible path, and Count Vronsky haunted by the memory of the woman for whose death he still blames himself 30 years later. In 1904, in the aftermath of one of the battles of the Russo-Japanese war, Sergei Karenin and Alexei Vronsky find themselves thrown together in a remote Manchurian village, where fate offers them a chance to return to the events long past and, finally, to find the answers both have long been seeking.

More Like This

Doctor ZhivagoDoctor Zhivago · 1965
Doctor Zhivago
7.51965
MovieDramaRomance
The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.
Animal FarmAnimal Farm · 1999
Animal Farm
5.71999
MovieDramaComedy
Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.
GlassGlass · 2019
Glass
6.72019
MovieThrillerDrama
In a series of escalating encounters, former security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities. Meanwhile, the shadowy presence of Elijah Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
FrancesFrances · 1982
Frances
6.91982
MovieDrama
The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.
Girl, InterruptedGirl, Interrupted · 1999
Girl, Interrupted
7.61999
MovieDrama
Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.
Shutter IslandShutter Island · 2010
Shutter Island
8.22010
MovieDramaThriller
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
Titicut FolliesTiticut Follies · 1967
Titicut Follies
7.31967
MovieDocumentaryDrama
A stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and documents the various ways the inmates are treated by the guards, social workers, and psychiatrists.
The Last CommandThe Last Command · 1928
The Last Command
7.41928
MovieDramaHistory
A former Imperial Russian general and cousin of the Czar ends up in Hollywood as an extra in a movie directed by a former revolutionary.
Captain ConanCaptain Conan · 1996
Captain Conan
6.61996
MovieDramaWar
The last days of World War I, Eastern front. Captain Conan, a lone wolf, a true warrior, leads a band of ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat; they are not fit for peacetime, they only feel really alive in the chaos of the battlefield.
HowlHowl · 2010
Howl
6.52010
MovieDrama
It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Howl, the film, recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist, society's reaction (the obscenity trial), and mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself. All three coalesce in a genre-bending hybrid that brilliantly captures a pivotal moment-the birth of a counterculture.
Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra · 1971
Nicholas and Alexandra
7.01971
MovieDramaWar
Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.
The Soul KeeperThe Soul Keeper · 2003
The Soul Keeper
6.62003
MovieDramaRomance
Zurich, 1905. Nineteen-year-old Russian Sabina Spielrein is put by her parents in a psychiatric hospital, suffering from a severe form of hysteria and refusing to eat. A compassionate doctor, Carl Gustav Jung, takes her under his care and, for the first time, experiments with the psychoanalytical method of his teacher Sigmund Freud. Thus is born a sweeping story of love and passion, of body and soul, soaring to the utmost heights, but also plunging to the darkest depths of the 20th century.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter