AllMovie

If Russian filmgoers happened to have a yearning for a musical prize-fighting picture, their appetites could be satiated with 1947's The Winner. Siberian pugilist Nikita Krutikov (Ilya Perevetsev) is being groomed for the championship by manager I. V. Privalov (played by musical-comedy favorite Vladimir Volodin). As Krutikov prepares for a return match with the reigning champ, he falls in love with the intimidatingly healthy female swimming star Nina Grekova (Irina Cheredniachenko). It all boils down to the old cinematic dilemma of the Big Time versus Home Town Values. Though laid low by a few dull stretches, The Winner springs back to life during the boxing-ring finale.