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Cast
Vladlen Paulus
as Shark Dodson (segment "The Roads We Take")
Aleksandr Shvorin
as Bob Tidball (segment "The Roads We Take")
Viktor Gromov
as Mr. Williams (segment "The Roads We Take")
Vladimir Pitsek
as Train Driver (segment "The Roads We Take")
Viktor Uralsky
as Train Stoker (segment "The Roads We Take")
Lev Lobov
as Guard on Mail Train (segment "The Roads We Take")
Yuri Chulyukin
as Peabody (segment "The Roads We Take")
Rostislav Plyatt
as Landlord (segment "Makes the Whole World Kin")
Yuriy Nikulin
as Thief (segment "Makes the Whole World Kin")
Georgiy Vitsin
as Sam (segment "The Ransom of Redskins Chief")
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1963
Runtime1h 24m
LanguageRussian
CertificationNR
GenresComedy
Votes49
DirectorLeonid Gaidai
WritersLeonid Gaidai
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.3 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsStrictly Business
About Strictly Business
Three stories based on O. Henry novels. (1) Bob Tidball recovers $30,000 in pristine credit cards from a bandit’s sack and races across the plains until his horse breaks its leg. Forced to mount Dodson’s stallion, he’s ambushed and killed by “Shark” Dodson, who seizes the entire loot. (2) A thief slips through a third-floor window to steal a stack of bills from a sleeping gentleman’s dressing table. When the homeowner awakens and raises only one hand against the revolver—his other immobilized by a sudden rheumatic attack—the would-be robber reconsiders his plan. (3) Sam and Bill, two small-time grifters short $2,000 for their swindle, decide to kidnap Ebeneger Dorset’s young son. They demand exactly that sum as ransom, setting in motion a desperate bargain.
Directed by Leonid Gaidai, Strictly Business leans on a strong ensemble — Vladlen Paulus, Aleksandr Shvorin, Viktor Gromov — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1963.
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