Katala

Katala (, also known as The Gambler) is a 1989 Soviet crime film directed by Sergei Bodrov and Alexander Buravsky.

==Plot== In a small seaside town lives Aleksei 'The Greek' Grekov, a former katala, a slang term in the criminal circles meaning professional gambler. He is retired and now serves as a sailor on a pleasure boat of the semi-criminal businessman named Shota. Life goes on smoothly, but suddenly a terrible event occurs. Shota, having lost a lot of money to the criminal boss named "Director", tries to hide, the boat is burned right in the port, and Anna, Shota's girlfriend, is taken hostage by the bandits. Despite various efforts Shota falls into the hands of the criminals and they brutally kill him, but The Greek helps Anna and her young daughter escape to Moscow. Aleksei understands that while the Director does not receive all the debts of late Shota, he will go after Anna. And so The Greek who is in love with Anna decides to return to his former "craft" in order to "earn" money with a card game in order to save Anna.