The Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik (Russian: Жизнь и приключения Мишки Япончика, romanized: Zhizn i priklyucheniya Mishki Yaponchika) is a crime television series, based on real events. Directed by Sergey Ginzburg.
Internationally language title is a Once Upon a Time in Odessa.
The film tells the story of the legendary Odesa's Robin Hood, Mikhail (Moshe-Yaakov) Vinnitsky. He came out of prison, returned to Odesa and cobble together their own band. Mishka Yaponchik becomes king of thieves. His raids become more wittier. The storyline of the series love story woven thief to a local rich man's daughter. The film is based on real events.[1]
The authors of the series did not pursue the goal to create a thoroughly historically tied now, their goal, a love story based on the works of Isaak Babel.[2]