The Burglar (1987): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1987, The Burglar is a drama film directed by Valeriy Ogorodnikov, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. With a brother dedicated to punk rock stardom at any cost and a drunken father who chases skirt between robotic dancing lessons from the TV, young Senka stands as much chance of nurture as the hero of Truffaut's 400 Blows. The amazing thing about Ogorodnikov's film is that it was made in Russia. Clearly, plenty of Soviet teenies share the nihilistic feelings of their Western counterparts, and the extensive footage of safety-pin chic at concerts perhaps points to a sound export instinct on the director's part. Senka's brother Kostya is under pressure from Howmuch, a very heavy rocker, to steal a synthesiser from the Community Centre, so to protect him Senka steals it himself. The story occupies little more space than the music, but the performances are splendid enough to lodge Senka's predicament in the heart.

Who’s in it. The Burglar stars Oleg Yelykomov as Senka Laushkin, Konstantin Kinchev as Kostya Laushkin, Yuriy Tsapnik as Yuri Laushkin and Svetlana Gaytan as Sveta Ivanovna, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.4/10, The Burglar has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Burglar page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Burglar tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.