Confrontation 1985

Crime

Mystery

Runtime

More mins

Language

Russian

Directed by

Semyon Aranovich

Made by

Lenfilm

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Confrontation Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Confrontation (1985). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Two interwoven narratives unfold across decades: one set in the late 1970s in the USSR, the other during the Great Patriotic War across Poland and Nazi Germany.

In the present-day thread, a dismembered body is found near the road to the airport of Nardyn. Police colonel Vladislav Nikolaevich Kostenko travels from Moscow to lead the investigation into this brutal and unusual crime. At first, a taxi driver named Grigoriy Milinko seems tied to the case, but the trail soon pushes the investigators backward in time as deeper connections emerge.

With the aid of his assistant, Kardava, the team discovers that the man identified as Milinko is not the real Milinko—the Red Army Marine who bore that name was killed in 1945 near Wrocław. Forensic clues from the Nardyn case are sent to East Germany, and a Berlin archive starts to reveal the person behind the fingerprints and the deceit.

The archive points to a dark past: Nikolai Ivanovich Krotov, a traitor who defected to the German side in the summer of 1941. In a brutal bid to prove his loyalty to the Nazis, Krotov even carries the wounded political leader George Kozel, who is later shot. Krotov operates as a provocateur, and through his denunciations a large group of Soviet prisoners of war attempting to organize underground resistance in a concentration camp are executed. After his temporary release, German authorities send him to a hospital for an experimental treatment for his stutter, then to the Abwehr’s commando school, and finally back into rear areas of the USSR for sabotage assignments. He also attempts to rob a German female jeweler with whom he resided, and is sent to a concentration camp again; after a year, the German Security Service assigns him to secret and dirty missions, his past crimes seemingly forgotten.

In 1945, as part of Vlasov’s Army, Krotov fights in the defense of Breslau but deserts. He kills Grigoriy Milinko and steals Milinko’s documents and military uniform, then slips into the ranks of the Red Army and, after the war, goes north to the USSR, taking up work as a taxi driver in Nardyn.

Years pass, and Krotov, ever wary of exposure, schemes to escape to the West with a cache of gold. He partners with Anna Petrova, an organizer of a gold-minding operation, and the two embark on illegal plundering. They murder Michael Gonchakov and fail to seize a massive gold nugget, and Krotov ends up killing and dismembering his former mistress when Petrova becomes pregnant. With the help of relatives in Smolensk, Krotov robs a jewelry store, accumulating gold and jewels in his eyes for one final break to a foreign country.

But the net tightens as the police close in. Kostenko and Kardava shadow Krotov in Adler; surrounded on all sides, Krotov seizes a hostage and attempts to hijack a plane. The operation is halted by the courage and professionalism of a specialized forces unit, and the savage criminal is stopped and arrested.

Confrontation Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Confrontation (1985) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Discovery of a dismembered body near Nardyn's airport road

A dismembered body is found in the bushes along the road to the airport of Nardyn, triggering a high-profile investigation. Colonel Kostenko travels from Moscow to lead the case while investigators begin linking the crime to a local taxi driver. The case immediately suggests a serial-like pattern rather than a single motive.

Late 1970s Nardyn, near the airport road

Milinko linked to murder; a web of leads forms

As the probe unfolds, taxi driver Grigoriy Milinko is fingered as a person of interest in the murder. Kardava’s in-depth work begins to peel back the connections and shows how the case may hinge on Milinko’s fate. The investigation grows more complex as the trail stretches back across decades.

Late 1970s Nardyn

The real Milinko and the wartime culprit revealed

Forensic work links Milinko to a dead man from 1945; the identity is traced through fingerprints found in Nardyn and sent to East German records. Berlin archives reveal that the real Milinko was a Marine who was killed and dismembered in the Wrocław area. The archive points to Nikolai Krotov as the true culprit behind the wartime crimes.

1945; archival lead in the 1970s Nardyn; Wrocław (Breslau); Berlin

Krotov’s defection to the Germans (summer 1941)

Nikolai Krotov defects to the German side to prove loyalty, carrying the wounded political leader Kozel and acting as a provocateur. His denunciations cause the shooting of a large group of Soviet prisoners of war. This marks the start of a long, dual life that will thread through the war and beyond.

Summer 1941 Soviet-German front, then Germany

Hospital treatment and Abwehr training

After his early acts, Krotov is released and taken to a hospital where he receives experimental treatment for stuttering. He trains in the Abwehr’s commando school and is deployed into the USSR rear on sabotage missions. The man is built as a professional saboteur for the Nazi regime.

1940s Germany; USSR rear

Time in a concentration camp and forgotten crimes

Krotov is imprisoned in a concentration camp for a year after an incident, and the German Security Service later uses him on a secret assignment. His earlier crimes are officially forgotten as he is repurposed for new tasks. This marks a murky chapter in his wartime career.

1940s Concentration camp; Germany

1945 Breslau defense and his desertion

In 1945, Krotov fights with Vlasov’s Army in the defense of Breslau but deserts to avoid returning to the Nazis. He kills Grigoriy Milinko, steals his documents and uniform, and then slips into the Red Army. After the war, he travels north to Nardyn and begins a quiet life as a taxi driver.

1945 Breslau (Wrocław); Northern USSR; Nardyn

Postwar life and a plan to flee West with gold

Years pass as Krotov lives in the north, hiding his past. He resolves to escape to the West with a fortune of gold and jewels, and recruits Anna Petrova, a partner in a shadowy organization that controls gold mines. Together they begin a new, illegal hunt for wealth.

Postwar years Nardyn; north of USSR

Gonchakov murder and the failed gold grab

Krotov and Petrova kill Michael Gonchakov in a bid to claim a huge gold nugget, but their attempt ends in failure as the prize slips from their grasp. The crime deepens their criminal enterprise and tightens their hold on the loot. The incident escalates the scheme to flee abroad.

Postwar years Nardyn

Petrova’s pregnancy triggers another murder

When Petrova becomes pregnant, Krotov does not hesitate to kill and dismember his former mistress, securing his secrets and remaining steps toward departure. The violence underscores how far he will go to protect his plan. The body count grows as he consolidates his criminal empire.

Postwar years Nardyn

Jewelry store robbery with Smolensk help

Krotov, aided by relatives in Smolensk, robs a jewelry store to further swell his hoard of gold and jewels. The heists demonstrate his willingness to cross lines and expand his network. The haul increases the pressure of a possible escape.

Postwar years Smolensk; Nardyn

Final plan and pursuit in Adler

Having accumulated enough loot, Krotov prepares for one last break to a foreign country. The investigators Kostenko and Kardava close in on him, tracking him to Adler where he seizes a hostage and attempts to hijack a plane. A trained special forces group stops him, arresting the traitor.

Late 1970s Adler

Confrontation Characters

Explore all characters from Confrontation (1985). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Владислав Николаевич Костенко

A seasoned police colonel who arrives from Moscow to lead the investigation. He is methodical, calm under pressure, and adept at connecting disparate clues across timelines. His disciplined approach and integrity push the case toward its resolution, even as the truth becomes increasingly complicated.

🧭 Strategic 🕵️ Investigator 👮 Police

Реваз Кардава

A sharp-minded police major and Kostенко’s assistant. He observes carefully, follows tight leads, and provides critical insights that help link wartime crimes to modern-day evidence. He remains steady and loyal under escalating danger, playing a key role in unraveling the mystery.

🧭 Assistant 🗺️ Insight 🛡️ Loyal

Николай Иванович Кротов

A traitor who defected to the German side and led a double life as a provocateur. His past actions in 1941–45 ignite a chain of killings and betrayals that haunt the present investigation. He is calculating, resourceful, and dangerous, shaping much of the tension in the narrative.

🗡️ Traitor 🧩 Cunning 🕷️ Dangerous

Confrontation Settings

Learn where and when Confrontation (1985) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Late 1970s; 1941–1945

The film interweaves two eras: a late-1970s USSR investigation into a dismembered murder, and flashbacks to the 1941–1945 period in Poland and Nazi Germany. The historical segments reveal how loyalties, betrayals, and wartime violence echo into the present. Time shifts intensify the sense that past actions haunt contemporary justice.

Location

Nardyn, Breslau (Wrocław), Adler

The murder investigation unfolds in a border-spanning setting that begins in a Soviet town near the Nardyn airport and reaches into wartime Poland and Germany. The story moves between tense, war-torn locales and a modern Soviet city, shaping a atmosphere of suspicion and hidden histories. The places serve as a backdrop for the clash between past crimes and present pursuit of justice.

🌍 USSR 🇵🇱 Poland 🇩🇪 Germany 🏙️ War-torn 🧭 Cross-border

Confrontation Themes

Discover the main themes in Confrontation (1985). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕵️

Duty & Betrayal

The narrative tests how personal loyalties collide with professional duty. Investigators must weigh moral complexities as clues from the past surface in the present case. Betrayal emerges not only as a personal failing but as a consequence of wartime choices that ripple through decades.

⚖️

Justice

A relentless pursuit of truth drives both timelines. Evidence lies in archives, memories, and silent witnesses, challenging the investigators to stay objective amid pressure. The story probes whether justice can be fully served when history itself is a web of deception.

💎

Greed

The pursuit of gold and wealth motivates multiple actions, driving murders and cover-ups across time. Greed tests the characters’ ethics and resilience as danger closes in. The lure of treasure becomes a catalyst that reveals true motives.

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Confrontation Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Confrontation (1985). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a stark Soviet landscape where the shadows of the past linger in every street, a sudden, unsettling discovery draws the attention of the state’s finest investigators. The case is framed by the unsettling notion that a murderer has slipped into society by assuming another man’s identity, a premise that sets a tone of quiet menace and relentless curiosity. The narrative shifts between the late‑1970s, with its cold‑war anxieties, and the turbulent days of the Great Patriotic War, suggesting that the roots of the mystery run deep through history.

The central figure of the investigation is Vladislav Nikolaevich Kostenko, a seasoned police colonel summoned from Moscow to steer the inquiry. He brings a methodical, almost austere approach to the puzzle, relying on meticulous forensic work and a keen understanding of Soviet bureaucracy. Assisting him is Kardava, an eager and resourceful aide whose fresh perspective helps bridge the gap between modern police work and the archival material that may hold the key to the truth. Together they sift through dusty records and faded photographs, hunting for a single thread that can tie a present‑day enigma to a wartime past.

The film’s mood is one of measured tension, the kind that hums beneath every conversation and every footstep on ancient cobblestones. The interplay between the two eras creates a layered atmosphere, where moments of quiet investigation are punctuated by the lingering weight of forgotten betrayals and concealed loyalties. The concept of stolen identity fuels a pervasive sense of unease, prompting characters—and the audience—to question how much of a person’s past can truly be erased or reshaped.

As the investigation deepens, the dynamic between the disciplined colonel and his inquisitive assistant becomes the story’s emotional core. Their partnership, marked by mutual respect and occasional friction, reflects the broader struggle to reconcile official narratives with hidden truths, promising a thriller that is as much about the search for facts as it is about the fragile nature of memory itself.

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