I rented this because the box said "Czech version of Fargo". I loved Fargo and liked this one quite a bit.
Colin is an insecure man who depends entirely on his wife to keep his life moving forward. In the few (two?) scenes he has with her he relies on her to direct everything and encourage him. They are even in Prague at her suggestion. I got the impression that he might have just been released from some kind of therapy. It just seems that anyone who is that dependent would need some kind of professional help.
His wife dies in a startling way. I sat open mouthed for a full minute trying to wrap my head around it. It was very well done. Colin then realizes that his life is completely rudderless. He has no idea how to proceed and decides to end it all. After a painful attempt at suicide that fails, he decides that he'll need someone else to off him.
Enter Pavel who is an honest very hard working man with multiple jobs, one of which is driving hotel guests at Colin's hotel to the morgue when they need it. (It's not really clear how this was arranged.)
Colin asks Pavel to kill him painlessly, quickly, and so that Colin won't see it coming.
If you liked the part of Fargo or Crackers where the criminal's plans keeps going wrong, you are going to like this movie too. (But this is not like Burt Reynold's The End (1978).) Nothing goes perfectly for Pavel and Colin. Every situation ends up in some way they didn't expect, or even consider. As Pavel's life spins out of control, Colin slowly regains his composure. Although neither gain any real control over the events that they have started to unfold.
The actors do a great job. Andy Nyman is very convincing as Colin, who depends on everyone making decisions for him about everything. He doesn't even enter the morgue office until Pavel directs him to. Andy also portrays the shock of Colin's situation very well. Colin doesn't cry over Maggie's death until very late in the film.
Karel Roden is also outstanding. He does a great job of convincing us that while he wants the "thousands of pounds" that Colin is offering to kill him, he is very far out of his comfort zone. Pavel is a hard working man who loves his wife very much and will do anything to keep her. It's pretty clear that he has never complained about his situation or her.
The duo cross paths with a gangster and his girlfriend. Those actors are great also.
My only dings on this movie is that it is a little slow in places, mostly with Pavel's wife's scenes. But they pass, so with a little patience this is a very enjoyable movie.
Also, in the first lake scene it's not clear that they are alone on the ice.
The cinematography is excellent, but there's no solid reason to see this on a huge screen. It mostly takes place in enclosed spaces.
Colin is an insecure man who depends entirely on his wife to keep his life moving forward. In the few (two?) scenes he has with her he relies on her to direct everything and encourage him. They are even in Prague at her suggestion. I got the impression that he might have just been released from some kind of therapy. It just seems that anyone who is that dependent would need some kind of professional help.
His wife dies in a startling way. I sat open mouthed for a full minute trying to wrap my head around it. It was very well done. Colin then realizes that his life is completely rudderless. He has no idea how to proceed and decides to end it all. After a painful attempt at suicide that fails, he decides that he'll need someone else to off him.
Enter Pavel who is an honest very hard working man with multiple jobs, one of which is driving hotel guests at Colin's hotel to the morgue when they need it. (It's not really clear how this was arranged.)
Colin asks Pavel to kill him painlessly, quickly, and so that Colin won't see it coming.
If you liked the part of Fargo or Crackers where the criminal's plans keeps going wrong, you are going to like this movie too. (But this is not like Burt Reynold's The End (1978).) Nothing goes perfectly for Pavel and Colin. Every situation ends up in some way they didn't expect, or even consider. As Pavel's life spins out of control, Colin slowly regains his composure. Although neither gain any real control over the events that they have started to unfold.
The actors do a great job. Andy Nyman is very convincing as Colin, who depends on everyone making decisions for him about everything. He doesn't even enter the morgue office until Pavel directs him to. Andy also portrays the shock of Colin's situation very well. Colin doesn't cry over Maggie's death until very late in the film.
Karel Roden is also outstanding. He does a great job of convincing us that while he wants the "thousands of pounds" that Colin is offering to kill him, he is very far out of his comfort zone. Pavel is a hard working man who loves his wife very much and will do anything to keep her. It's pretty clear that he has never complained about his situation or her.
The duo cross paths with a gangster and his girlfriend. Those actors are great also.
My only dings on this movie is that it is a little slow in places, mostly with Pavel's wife's scenes. But they pass, so with a little patience this is a very enjoyable movie.
Also, in the first lake scene it's not clear that they are alone on the ice.
The cinematography is excellent, but there's no solid reason to see this on a huge screen. It mostly takes place in enclosed spaces.
