After the failed attempt to produce Ostrovskij’s Wolves and Sheep, the last project of Protazanov that Barnet was invited to participate in, Barnet was assigned a script about a Soviet agent sent on a mission in Nazi occupied Ukraine. It was during the “epocha malokartin’ja”, a period of minor productions influenced by strict rules about subject matter and when absence of conflict, solemnity and patriotism were the parameters for measuring a film’s adequacy. In addition to the established genre of the historical biography, lesser known heroes of the recently ended war also appeared on screen.
Despite initial resistance to the film due to little interest in the story and the financial straits of the studios, Barnet tried to instill life into the rigid and static format of the script, creating in the end a thrilling adventure film acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and today considered a classic. With a meticulous set design and seamless transitions between different settings, Barnet makes the characters more realistic, fleshing out their psychology and contradictions, saving them from being stereotypes. The title features the successful debut of Pavel Kadočnikov (who had played various roles in Ivan the Terrible) as an action film hero and the outstanding figure of General Kühn, a part taken on by Barnet after filming had already begun.