As Cores do Mal: Vermelho

I am surprised by the low rating!!

After a night on the town at the seaside, the body of a young woman, Monika, is found dead on a beach, with among other things, her lips cut off. A perfect start especially for fans of crime and rough stories.

Part of the story is told in flashback and the violence is, at times, pretty gruesome, and not for the faint of heart. But for some that may actually be a bonus.

It's about parents who don't know what they are doing, let alone what their children are up to. It's about a possible serial killer obsessed by women. The twists and turns go darker and darker and also more strange, it still worked for me as a portrait of pure evil.

This is not an arthouse film, but a very good crime thriller. The ending left me speechless, totally unexpected.

Don't miss it!

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

The body of Monica Begucka (Zofia Jastrzebska) washes up on the sea, in mysterious circumstances similar to a case from fifteen years ago. Her mother, and former police chief, Helena (Maja Ostaszewska) joins forces with prosecutor Leopold Bilski (Jakub Gierszel) to track down the killer, and suspicion falls on feared local gangster Kazar (Prezemyslaw Bluszcz), when a ball of severed lips is found in his possession, but as events draw on, things are not as clear as they seem.

Foreign cinema has an unnerving ability to deliver thrillers in a cold, dark, grey style, of the sort that we see increasingly less of on this side of the pond. This Bulgarian effort, from director Adrian Panek, features a slew of actors unheard of on these shores, with names so unpronounceable they make Schwarzenegger sound positively easy. What at first seems a slightly cold and uninviting affair, gradually develops into an intriguing and rewarding thriller that keeps you hooked till the end.

Aside from the moodiness and uninviting greys of the lighting, Panek's film is also unafraid to shy away from some brutal, blood letting violence, liable to illicit a flinch or two from the squeamish. While as a film it unflinchingly delves into the grimy and uncomfortable world it inhabits, it's also carefully wrought, with some clever twists and turns along the way, and unexpected plot developments that allow the story to breathe and hold you in.

It's a bit of a slow starter, with maybe not the most dynamic opening, but it's ultimately a highly rewarding effort, even if it does take a lot out of you to get to the end. ****

It's a nicely-crafted Polish serial killer thriller, similar in tone and premise to any number of relatively recent Scandi-noir procedurals. The pace is deliberate and it's used effectively to develop the characters; a particular victim and her family get lots of screen time but the movie doesn't get bogged down in pathos. There's nothing particularly surprising in the story but it's a well-executed take on a familiar formula with good performances, comprehensible character motivations and some deft flourishes. Overall this is nothing spectacular but it's a solid effort that hits the right notes and concludes in a satisfying way.

Absolutely watchable movie, interesting, and if you like this type of film you can get thrilled and focused on the storyline.

Not sure why people spit and mention there is too much violence etc when it is all noted in the movie description (on Ntflx ofc).

There is a plot twist at the end, it was not necessary, but if you take all the happening before, is not bad.

Also, congratulations to Poland's cinematography, I didn't have a clue they were making movies on this level, good for them.

I would be very happy to watch some more of their movies and cinematography in general.

Also, this is my first and probably the last comment on IMDb, since I am frustrated with the rating of this movie, it is 6.4 currently...

I have mixed feelings after watching the movie. I had no high expectations, so I wasn't disappointed - overally, a decent crime thriller, but the one, which you probably will forget. There are some original ideas, and a magnetic charater of a main villain, a gangster boss and a sexual deviant, who killed and mutilated a young girl Monika. Or maybe did he not?

A great acting was performed by Monika's mother, Helena, an acknowledged Polish actress Maja Ostaszewska. Her character is a family court judge, with a broken own family life, who tries to seek the truth. Performances of the rest of the cast were good, but rather forgetable. The victim, which we get to know better from flashbacks, a young actress Zofia Jastrzebska, did well in difficult graphic violence and nudity scenes.

Script writer and filmmakers had an interesting general plot, but at times I had an impression, that they lacked an idea how to develop the action. Especially it was visible well before the end of the movie, when the police seem to enjoy an easy success against the main suspect, and the tension breaks. Some will find an interesting plot twist, some - incredible plot holes.

All in all, a decent film to watch. Luckilly, the producers didn't develop it into a mini series, what would have been a waste of time.