Sudya Reytan: An Old Escape Flick, If You're Into That Sort of Thing

Alright, so you’re wondering about Sudya Reytan. Is it worth tracking down today? For most people? Probably not, no. 😅

But if you’re someone who genuinely enjoys digging into older films, especially those from an era where storytelling felt a bit more straightforward, then maybe. It’s definitely not for anyone expecting slick pacing or modern thrills. You’ll probably hate it then.

The core idea is pretty neat, though. We’ve got Tom, a revolutionary locked up by the Sigurans, which sound like some pretty serious secret police. He’s facing the chopping block, you know?

Then, by some twist of fate, he realizes he looks just like Judge Reitan. So, naturally, the big plan is to swap places. Like, *really* swap places.

Vladimir Korsh-Sablin pulls double duty here, playing both Tom and the Judge. You can tell they tried to make the resemblance believable. Sometimes it works. Other times, you squint a bit and think, 'Hmm, okay, sure, I guess.'

The film opens with this kind of heavy, dramatic tone. All those dungeon scenes, very shadowy. But then the escape itself is… well, it’s not exactly a nail-biter.

One moment that sticks with me: there's this shot of Tom, after the swap, trying to act like the Judge. He’s got this intense stare, trying to project authority, but you can almost see the gears turning in his head. It’s less subtle, more like watching someone *really* concentrate on pretending.

The pacing is very much of its time. Things move slowly. You get a lot of lingering shots on faces, on doors closing. It really lets you soak in the moment. Or, if you’re impatient, it lets you check your watch. ⌚

There are these quiet stretches where not much dialogue happens. The visuals have to carry everything. Sometimes it does a decent job, especially with the use of light and shadow in the prison.

But when Tom is trying to navigate the outside world as Reitan, it feels a bit… clunky. You expect more close calls, more moments where he almost gets caught. Instead, it just kind of… happens.

And the guards? Bless their hearts. They are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. They seem to miss obvious things. Or maybe the Judge was just a very solitary man.

There's this one scene where a guard just *barely* misses seeing something crucial. It’s played for tension, but it just made me chuckle. Like, come on, buddy, pay attention! 👀

The supporting cast, people like Zoya Valevskaya and Boris Karlash-Verbitsky, they do their thing. They play their parts as the various officials or revolutionary contacts. Nobody really jumps out, but they serve the story.

It’s very black and white, obviously. And the way they frame some shots, it feels almost like a play sometimes. Very deliberate, very staged.

You can see the effort that went into it. The idea is there, the execution is… earnest. It’s a snapshot of early cinema trying to tell a dramatic story with what they had.

Ultimately, Sudya Reytan is a curiosity. It’s not going to redefine your understanding of cinema. But if you’re into the history of film, or just want to see how a simple, high-stakes premise played out almost a century ago, then maybe give it a peek. Just don't expect to be blown away. It's more of a quiet, historical nod. 👋

• That moment when Tom first sees the Judge and the gears click in his head.
• The uniforms of the Sigurans. Very official, very severe.
• The general lack of frantic running during the escape. More like a brisk walk.
• One guard’s very theatrical gasp.
• The way they use a simple cut to show the passage of time. So effective, for its time.