Stalker (Russian: Сталкер) is a 1979 Soviet science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. The film tells the story of an expedition led by a figure known as the "Stalker", who guides his two clients—a melancholic writer and a professor—through a hazardous wasteland to a mysterious restricted site known simply as the "Zone".
Upon release, the film garnered praise in the Soviet and Warsaw Pact press, but only mixed reviews in the West. However, in subsequent years it has been recognized as one of the greatest films of all time.
The film is the direct inspiration of the video game series of the same name.
