Directed by:
David OndříčekCinematography:
Adam SikoraCast:
Ivan Trojan, Sebastian Koch, Soňa Norisová, Jiří Štěpnička, Marek Taclík, Filip Antonio, Norbert Lichý, David Švehlík, Martin Myšička, Miroslav Krobot (more)Plots(1)
The movie pictures a friendship and bravery at the times when courage was a ticket to the execution ground. Framed by a criminal story, the movie takes us to the spring of 1953, shortly after the death of the communist boss Klement Gottwald. He is replaced by Antonin Zapotocky who follows the tough course of repression and strengthening the communist regime. We see Captain Hakl pass through the dusky streets in his gray overcoat. A tenacious and somewhat choleric detective full of emotion and intuition, with whiskers and a hidden pain. Hakl has been with the police for 25 years having gone through service during the First Republic, Nazi occupation and now working for the communist National security. His apoliticalness and craving for partial truth bring him across more and more new facts implying that the seemingly simple case with an only suspect starts to twist. All the circumstantial evidence are heading to the Jewish community. He is followed by Major Zenke like a shadow, who is invited from East Germany as a specialist on Jewish crime. The story deals with a fabricated mugging orchestrated by the communist secret service in order to divert attention from the impending national disaster – monetary reform. This crime committed on a nation, having gotten out of control of the initiators, is one of the greatest robberies in Europe's modern history. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
I decided to go to the cinema to see In the Shadow because I believe such efforts at good filmmaking simply deserve my money. It surprised me that David Ondříček was able to make such a great film. The actors were amazing. I have to praise Sebastian Koch, who had the desire to star in a Czech film. He definitely succeeded. Still, I must not forget Ivan Trojan in the leading role, who was absolutely amazing. But the others were good as well. And even though they only appeared in the film for a few scenes, it was a pleasure to see them, whether it was Martin Myšička, Miroslav Krobot, Simona Babčáková or Jiří Štěpnička. As for the story, I admit that I was expecting a complicated riddle with an interesting ending. But the essence is far simpler than you would expect. Nevertheless, for the great atmosphere of the fifties, the landscape and the set designs, which I still don’t understand where the filmmakers found them, and especially how they managed to adapt them so well, but also for the great production... this film simply deserves the attention.
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A detective storyline lost under a layer of ideological cleansing, and it’s not even saved by the fact that the extras are familiar faces and that Ondříček sells it visually as a sovereign European film. The cool façade is more likely to bear a jolly contemporary comedy than a period reckoning with a dark chapter of national history. A missed opportunity whose superficial glitz was only cemented by the movie award.
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Very solid. The atmosphere is excellent, dark and depressing, and thanks to the perfect sets, the tense 50s are literally palpable in every shot. The story unfolds like many classic crime thrillers and can't really surprise with anything, but the execution is almost flawless, from the cinematography, the aforementioned "rainy" atmosphere, the continuity of the twists and turns to the excellent performances. Ivan Trojan excels, confirming his reputation as the best Czech actor of our time, and much of the film relies on his heartfelt performance. Something similar can be said of Sebastian Koch, whose Major Zenke may not talk much, but he has charisma to spare. It's not a five-star treat, the story is still very hackneyed and lacking in emotion, but it has at least significantly restored my pride in Czech cinema after a long time. 80%
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Three and a bit. As a detective or crime drama this was a very weak watch with the most obtuse plot and the shallowest characters possible. As a period film it was better, the atmosphere seemed believable and it was clear that the filmmakers had played around with it. However, the "message to mankind" and "honoring the memory of the brave" is similar to the crime storyline - poor (although the idea of making something "about that" is certainly commendable). Thanks for the excellent performances by Ivan Trojan and Sebastian Koch and the pleasant, almost noir cinematography, but no thanks for the rest and the overly long runtime.
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Although Ondříček is once again working with his favorites Taclík and Trojan, his latest retro detective film does not remind us in the slightest of his older films. Which is a very good thing. Overall, the atmosphere, sets and costumes reflect the year 1953 very well. Moreover, the drama works and it is a pleasure to perceive the great acting performances of Jiří Štěpnička or Soňa Norisová next to the giant Sebastian Koch.
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