The Tavern on Pyatnitskaya (Russian: Трактир на Пятницкой, romanized: Traktir na Pyatnitskoy) is a 1978 Soviet crime film.

The best manpower of the Moscow Criminal Investigations Department (MUR) is involved in an operation to dismantle a gang of repeat offenders led by Igor Rybin, nicknamed as "The Grey", who are based in the tavern on Pyatnitskaya.

Employee of MUR, Nikolai Panin (Victor Perevalov) goes undercover into the gang, gets hired as a waiter (introducing himself to the mistress as her lost half-brother), he is now "The Red".

But then the unexpected happens - from the camp a bandit runs away who has the same name which he himself used for cover... At the same time a romantic side-plot develops between "Pashka-America" (the famous bazaar pickpocket) and newcomer from the countryside Alyona, whom he rescued when she was in trouble.

The Grey's partner in crime Mikhail Lavrov, dubbed as "The Frenchman" undertakes the task, who is in possession of great intelligence and powers of deduction.

Head of Criminal Investigation Klimov suspects his deputy Zaitsev, a gentleman by birth and a former employee of the tsarist police.

As the film progresses it becomes clear that Klimov is mistaken: the true agent is not Zaitsev, but Vanya Shlyonov, former Makhnovist and longtime accomplice of the restaurant hostess, who is beyond suspicion.