Crime and Punishment (1970): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1970, Crime and Punishment is a drama film directed by Lev Kulidzhanov, running about 221 minutes.

What it’s about. Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-law student, kills an old pawnbroker and her sister, perhaps for money, perhaps to prove a theory about being above the law. He comes to police attention through normal procedures (he was the victim's client), but his outbursts make him the prime suspect of the clever Porfiry. Meanwhile, life swirls around Raskolnikov: his mother and sister come to the city followed by two older men seeking his sister's hand; he meets a drunken clerk who is then killed in a traffic accident, and he falls in love with the man's daughter, Sonia, a young prostitute. She urges him to confess, promising to follow him to Siberia. Will he accept responsibility?

Who’s in it. Crime and Punishment stars Georgi Taratorkin as Raskolnikov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy as Porfiry Petrovitch, Viktoriya Fyodorova as Avdotya Romanovna and Yevgeni Lebedev as Marmeladov, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Crime and Punishment has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

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

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