
Banned in the Soviet Union for its "negative" content and never released, Kalatozov was forced to retreat from filmmaking for seven years because of this film. The film sets out to illustrate the old adage, "For want of a nail, the battle was lost," showing how the inferior quality of something so trivial as a nail in a soldier's boot leads inexorably to the capture of an armored train. Kalatozov had intended to demonstrate the crucial and universal importance of efficiency in Soviet industry, but the government decided that his fable gave a negative impression of the Red Army's capabilities.

Aleqsandre Jaliashvili
Worker

Siko Palavandishvili
Red army soldier

Akaki Khorava
Chief of the train

Arkadi Khintibidze
Prosecutor

Kirile Macharadze
Chairman of the court (uncredited)

Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket

The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator

Golgotha
Golgotha

Etopirika: A Bird That Spins Thoughts
Etopirika: A Bird That Spins Thoughts

The Rothschilds
The Rothschilds

American Nazareth
American Nazareth

An Unusual Exhibition
An Unusual Exhibition

Who will die today?
Who will die today?

I Am Cuba
I Am Cuba

White God
White God

Tunisian Victory
Tunisian Victory

Glimpses of the Outskirts
Glimpses of the Outskirts