Vysoká hra

To make a TV film not difficult to understand while everything in it makes sense and is arranged in some sort of logical order seems to be a supernatural feat. The two-part Vysoká hra already spoiled everything by the content of its first part. Richard Krajčo plays a disagreeable inspector who goes through women like candy, which I only realized after an hour, after finally making sense of what I’ve just seen. I had to force myself to watch the second part, but it was actually more action-packed and a lot better. The premise is still rather vague, not addressing anything in particular or offering anything new. (05.02.2020)

A political mix of thriller and crime—such a sub-genre is really not something I'm used to in the Czech region, so I have to commend director Jiří Svoboda for taking the plunge and creating a film over three hours that approaches Western standards in terms of its execution. Sure, the budget didn’t stretch to action scenes (and let’s be thankful; we know how disastrous action sequences often turn out in Czech films), but that’s not a problem at all. Richard Krajčo is immensely likable. Maybe it’s because I don’t see him often as an actor, but he nailed his role as an anti-corruption police officer with flying colors. Vetchý was, as always, brilliant, and Donutil delivered a perfect performance in a supporting role. The chosen ending was just a logical culmination of everything that had happened on screen before. I also have to praise the musical score... All in all, surprisingly high quality for a local production. For me, it’s 7/10. P.S. The only thing that struck me was the ubiquitously planted cameras. Personally, it seemed a bit over the top... But maybe that’s how it works :D (05.03.2022)