Hajmeresztő hajnövesztő

A weak decoction of Cimrman plays, but still satisfactory fun for a Sunday afternoon. Ducks 4ever :-D (2008.09.20)

I consider Murder in a Parlor Car Compartment to be the best Cimrman play, and this is mainly due to the arrogant persuasiveness with which Smoljak as Inspector Trachta pours out the most absurd motives and theories, unchallenged because his distinction and self-confidence precede him. (BTW I still suspect Rian Johnson drew inspiration from it when he came up with the Daniel Craig character in Knives Out) It thus aptly parodies popular eccentric detectives and proves that their popularity stems from their writers' ability to convince us that we should simply trust their powers of deduction without reservation, however infuriating they may be, because we ourselves simply don't have the capacity to see beyond them. Dissolved and Effused uses the same jokes and plot as the play but feels very different, and I don't think that's intentional. The whole thing is insanely static: individual sequences are disconnected from each other, shots take longer than they should; and what suffers the most as a result are its departures beyond the bounds of wild comedy, where timing is insanely important, and this movie really has no rhythm. The hose in the shoes joke is one of those "well sure" jokes, but milking it for three minutes goes beyond the pain threshold, if you know what I mean. (2022.10.06)

A police officer and a police trainee are trying to solve an unexpectedly dark case. While Jiří Zahajský was excellent in the role of inspector Trachta, who’s sorely tried by life and by inspector Klečka, I had an issue with trainee Hlaváček. Marek Brodský’s performance was as dull and dry as can be. Compared to Miloň Čepelka's performance in Vražda v salonním coupé, it was really pathetic. Despite this major flaw, I'm still giving this a five, because it is a witty, intelligent film and it’s based on a true masterpiece. (2020.04.15)

Some suspects get a brief reprieve, only to have things worsen again, and believe me, when Inspector Trachta gets those little gray cells moving, the police van will be too small for everyone. I have to defend those two. Jiří Zahajský suited the role well, and the actor playing the apprentice, who at times seemed to be searching for himself along with his pencil, didn’t get in the way at all. Given the style and the tension between the Smoljak and Svěrák duo, it could have been called Mischievous and Sulky. . (2022.11.14)

I don't understand why I initially condemned Dissolved and Effused as unequivocally the weakest thing that my beloved Zdeněk Svěrák has ever produced. I guess I couldn't get over the fact that the main inspector is played by the not very comedic Jiří Zahajský. But the second time around I praised how clever the whole parody is and how it is interspersed with magical supporting roles, led by Pecháček played by Jaroslav Weigl. Because of Zahajský, it's still only a four-star rating, but the thought that I have appreciated another clever work by Svěrák warmed my heart. (2007.03.15)