The Cage

Almost like Hitchcock, but only almost... It's got the fear in hand, and it takes very little to lead the characters in the right direction, the actors give it their all, and the basement apartment of an anonymous Prague apartment building reduces the play area with passing minutes amazingly. It is therefore surprising that everything is subject to a completely retarded screenplay, where Epstein forcefully pushes all those worn-out motifs of "home invasion" genres, but he wades in the mud of clichés and logical nonsense (MacGyver wouldn't be needed for those keys on the window frame!), while luxuriously burying it Kryštof Hádek's character, who turns a cunning brat into a violent scumbag with the snap of a finger, but without a real transformation, without the willingness to work more on the motivations. It's all downhill from there, with Bohdalová riding, Hádek flirting with the border of parody (but somehow holding it together), and the sophisticated ending, which is supposed to be a tough catharsis, you expect and kind of smirk at it... foolishly, ironically, and with relief. PS: I understand that Jiří Strach is a devoted Catholic, but he and Marek didn't say their "yes" in church, so it wouldn't be a sin to use another writer's text. (2019-06-10)

Greatly directed, greatly written, and greatly acted. It has almost theatrical overtones, I could imagine Klec as a one-act play. And for these reasons, it is essential for the success of the film that the two main actors can carry off the semi-theatrical film. We don't need to talk about the acting qualities of Jiřina Bohdalová, at most I would mention that the makeup artists had to play with her because she looks much younger than she actually is. And I have been saying for years that Kryštof Hádek is the best actor of his generation, who can play both a nice guy, as his kind and boyish appearance suggests, but also handsome villains, which we have also seen a few times. And in the case of Klec, his potential to master both contradictory positions was fully utilized. The overall impression is complemented by the suitable choice of supporting roles - Preiss, Švehlík, Dulava, Etzler, and Cibulková. I was also pleased with the small role of Karel Smyczek. (2020-07-31)

Jiří Strach chose a great psychological theme and together with the quality filmmaking it even overcame the fact that I am not really a fan of Jiřina Bohdalová after her political escapades, which would probably even involve shaking hands with Gustav Husák, if he were still alive. She performed excellently in this film and was complemented by Kryštof Hádek, although I have had higher expectations for his performance than for Bohdalová’s. The cute Kryštof has demonstrated what a great actor he is, and I have to admit that at times he was really scary. I have had a bit of an issue with how he, spoiler alert, in one scene suddenly changed into the good and mature one. Nevertheless, he left a great impression. A nice psychological small-scale film and another proof that this director can make even a TV film into a great experience. (2019-05-22)

One of the best Czech psychological dramas in recent years! I’m glad that films are still being made in our region that have something to offer! The film primarily relies on two aspects: the acting performances of Jiřina Bohdalová and Kryštof Hádek. Both participants compete in how well they can perform their roles. I must give credit to Bohdalová because playing such a demanding role at the age of 88 is almost unbelievable. The first half sets the stage for the second half, where Jiří Strach shows no fear and delivers an almost unsettling thriller. Just the thought of having such an unstable and aggressive fraudster in your apartment with no way to escape is frightening enough. Hádek, with his perfect performance, reminded me of his role in The Snake Brothers. I kept wondering how the plot would resolve, but I didn’t expect what ultimately happened. The almost poetic final scene with the cricket couldn’t have had a better ending. For me, it’s an 8/10. (2022-02-24)