Der Profi

It's interesting to mention that the movie excellently fits the life-story of the main actor - Branislav Lecic (Teja in Movie).

The documentary clips in the movie are genuine. He was the leader of the student protests at the darkest time of Miloshevich (1991-1992) and at the time of making the movie, the Serbian Minister of Culture. Was he really surveyed by the "proffesionals" I don't know, but knowing the situation, probably yes.

Anyway the movie is great, and true. I have been living in Belgrade the whole time and can legitimately confirm the facts that are presented in movie are truth and nothing but the truth.

I simply enjoyed this movie! There was never a dull moment. The plot was very fresh, interesting, and original. There was on-going laughter throughout the movie, I loved it! I could watch it over and over again.

Of course, my idea for the title of this short comment has nothing to do with the Matrix Reloaded :) For our readers and viewers outside Serbia, there is a pre-history of this movie: it is being based on the theater play "The Professional" by the same author, Mr. Kovacevic. The main role of Luka Laban has been incredulously played by the famous Serbian actor Danilo Bata Stojkovic (now deceased) and it was mostly known for his wonderful performance. But Mr. Kovacevic went a step further when doing this movie: he decided to place it in the early 2000s, after the Serbian October Revolution, what gave him an excellent opportunity to FINISH the story and make it universal - even very much actual and authentic about the present Serbia. The saying of the story is that regimes may change, but the Secret Service ("Sluzba") remains the same. Once "Sluzba" - always "Sluzba". And it perfectly fits to the post-October Serbia. The movie is highly political, even if not intended to be - it's production coincides with the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, the assassination organized by "Sluzba". And just a sentence about the title role: I'm much in favor of Bora Todorovic's version of The Professional!

The film is a disappointment, especially considering it's based on a far superior theater play. While the play focuses on the eponymous 'professional', and makes us care about that character, while exploring it in depth, the film makes the relationship between the professional and his 'target' its focus, which doesn't work at all. The screenplay for the film comes across as amateurish and confused. It becomes a series of weird encounters and gags, but has no substance. Also, it is tonally confusing and outright nonsensical. It provides no emotional payoff, and on top of that, the casting is not particularly good. If you want to see this, watch the theater play.

Profesionalac (The Professional), submitted by Serbia for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2003, features a truly remarkable story, dealing with recent, but dramatic events in Serbia/Yugoslavia. Adapted from directors' own play, Profesionalac is one of those rare Serbian movies that can actually be understandable to foreign crowd, painting a dark, yet still optimistic portrait of turbulent Serbia of the 1990's.

Through the story of Theodore (Teja) Kraj, former writer and opponent to Milosevics regime(actor Lecic was in fact a passionate opponent to the regime at the time, so his footage on some of the documentaries seen in movie is authentic!), now days a publisher company manager, and a retired Secret Service (infamous DB) agent Luka Laban, who was on Teja's case for a decade, we learn about two major epochs in modern Serbian history.

First being the repeated attempts throughout the 1990's, by impoverished nation, drawn to a civil war in Croatia and Bosnia, exhausted by dictatorship, NATO bombing, violence and censorship...to bring down the communist/nationalist dictator Slobodan Milosevic and his cataclysmic regime. Attempts that led to eventual civil uprising were spearheaded by intellectual elite and younger generations, mostly students...Teja was a university professor, in touch with both groups(both professionally and personally). As such, he was targeted by Milosevic's puppets (ideologist, hardcore communist Laban), who, apart from ''being a professional'', had a grudge on Teja of his own.

Second one being the post Milosevic's era (brought down in 2001.) of transition and privatization, wave of closing down factories and firms, workers loosing jobs...shown in the movie through the present strike of the dissatisfied workers/possibly even supporters of the former regime (which was indeed supported mostly by older people / communists, rural population and poorly educated, lowest working class). That problem actually marked that entire period of Serbia's awakening in the 2000's.

Hovewer, despite the magnificent plot, beautifully put together through the numerous flashbacks in which puzzle is finally being put together (by Teja) when he learns the background of all his grievances in the past decade, the strongest point of this movie is an emotion.

Emotion you have to share with a generation whose youth/prime was spent in fighting with a regime, whose lives were ruined by hell-bent police officers and agents, and who sacrificed all of that, voluntarily, so those to come could live free ''...kids? Your kids are exactly why I am doing all of this...'' - Teja.

Emotion so beautifully brought to us by a superb soundtrack. Melancholic bohemian Serb mandolin, mixed with actual documentary footage, leaves a participant of the events, like myself, in tears, and others, hopefully moved.

Somewhat tragic, melancholic, but also hilarious at times, The Professional is one of those European movies you should see even if you aren't Serb...especially if you aren't Serb.