Some things I liked some I did not.

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This movie is a fairy tale. And like all classic fairy tales - it is grim, it is scary, and it teaches us about ourselves. It's a dark mirror, reflecting human nature, our relationship with power - and our desire for things to remain familiar, stable - the same, no matter what the cost. This movie is a grotesque view of a society - each human society. It is about a slave - and a dragon - in each and every one of us. In recent years fairy tales became mass produced sugar syrup for mass consumption, devoid of their original intent of being the lessons in life itself. We forget that Cinderella is not about pretty dresses, and Mermaid - is not about singing crabs. That the original folk tales are dark and scary - precisely because life is like that. "To kill a dragon" takes a fairy tale to it's roots - dark as human nature can be, exposing the scary side of humanity, so we can become better as a result.

I was expecting an average "rebellious" Soviet movie that shrouds its critique of communism in a critique of fascism. In truth, Zakharov, adapting a play by the legendary playwright Shvarts, takes the "critique" aboutthree or four layers deeper. This movie is a timeless examination of tyranny in all forms, and what effect this tyranny has on those who, willingly or unwillingly, submit to it. Ultimately, there is no clear answer nor a clean solution to any of this, even when the "dragon" is beheaded. The movie makes some great punches at our beloved soviet leaders while also examining, at great depth, a timeless and always pertinent issue. Highly recommended, hopefully an English (or any other language) subtitled version is out there for the uninitiated.

A brilliant movie, like most of Russian's movies. Based on the play "Kill the Dragon", by Evgeni Schwartz, it is mostly like theater, with strong accent on the characters, the plot, the acting.Director has not waisted his time and talent on special effects and such a marginal things. "Ubit drakona" is a beautiful story about freedom, and human disability to live freely; about beauty, nobility, and loneliness of beautiful and noble creatures in the world. It is done in the best manner of Russian literature, with strong influence of novels of Dostoevski, with plenty of dialogs freedom, love, violence, but, also, with brilliantly done scenes of duels, balls, and dialogs in the classical manner of Shakespeare.

And It's a shame nobody actually knows this miracle exists. "Killing the Dragon" is the only film Zakharov, a genious theatre director, made for the big screen after quite a few TV masterpieces. He talks about freedom and human nature using fairy tale motives. His voice is pure, rough, powerfull and totally amazing. I cry every time this film comes to its amazing ending. SO GREAT!!!