Budapest Noir

"Budapoest Noir" (2017 release from Hungary; 95 min.) brings the story of Zsigmond Gordon, a newspaper reporter on the crime beat, investigating a murder in 1936 Budapest. As the movie opens, a train rolls in the station, and we see the casket carrying the body of Prime Minister Gyula Gömbös. We then get to know Gordon, always looking for the next good crime story. At lunch, a mysterious woman asks him to light her cigarette (and manages to have him pay for lunch too). Then one day, he gets a tip that a woman is found dead in the streets. And wouldn't you know, it's the very same woman who had asked for a light. Turns out the woman is Jewish. As the country is readying for the Prime Minister's funeral, Gordon is determined to find the killer... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the big screen adaptation of the Hungarian bestseller, reportedly the first book noir in Hungary's history. I haven't read the book so I can't comment on how close the film stays to the book (or not). What I can comment on is that, regretfully, the movie lacks on all levels. The performers act in a wooden and very staged way, and you can practically hear the director yell "and... ACTION" at the beginning of each scene. I can't recall the last time i saw a film so incredibly awkward. As to the film's "noir" element, there's a lot (and I mean, a LOT) of cigarette smoking going on... That's about the only aspect I detected as being "noir". Bottom line: at no time did I feel ever any emotional connection or involvement with the movie's characters. I should care who murdered the young woman and wonder why she was murdered, but I simply didn't...

I recently saw this film at the 2019 Jewish & Israeli Film Festival here in Cincinnati, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. I have attended the festival for years, and most of the time the festival's planning committee does an excellent job in putting together a worthwhile and engaging program. Alas, on this one, they simply whiffed and I cannot recommend "Budapest Noir" to anyone in good conscience, sorry.

1936 Budapest, with anti-Semitism on the rise. A woman is found dead on the streets in the district of whores. The body has no ID, only a Jewish prayer book, and appears to be dressed above the typical street whore. Intrigued, a newspaper crime reporter chases down leads by whatever means necessary, using contacts, thefts, and blackmail. He travels between high society and the rough streets, fighting off elements who want him to stop.

The "Noir" atmosphere is well rendered, and the portrait of a city with rising anti-Semitism seems realistic. The almost-final link seems to stretch believability (which is why I didn't score it higher), though the journey itself is enjoyable. I saw this at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, and so was more sensitive to the Jewish background.

Don't listen to some of the "professional" reviewers, this is a great film to watch. There is suspense, romance, humour and lots of atmosphere in this movie. Very nice images of 1930s Budapest and the interiors are great as well. Add to this excellent music, great acting, a not- too-complicated story, and there you have a start for a great evening with your spouse.

This is a well-written, and well-acted movie that is beautifully shot. The plot, set in Budapest right before WWII, is an intriguing crime story that unfolds over the course of the movie and keeps you engaged. I loved seeing the re-enactment of Budapest in the 1930's.

For starters, the book upon which the film iss based is creating atmosphere, historical authenticity, character building and suspenseful storytelling, all of which are, surprisingly, missing in the movie. Moreover, the actors play horribly, as if they'd lost forgotten metier, the cinematographer ditto. Hungary used to be driving on the left-hand side - the scenes in the underground are set accordingly but all the cars in the movie have wheels on the left - probably the rental of appropriate cars would've been to expensive. The noir aspect is depicted with tons of smoking and blighted courtyards and nothing else. The former issue may be correct in terms of authenticity, but the inner city of Budapest in the 1930s was still shiny and rather brand-vnew as it was mostly constructed 30 to 40 years upon. All the direct facade and ruined courtyards are the products of the neglect during the socialist period. As to the storyline, the movie is as suspenseful as a dead fish. All in all, it is a missed opportunity, the book, as well as other books in the series, is brilliant, and the movie is simply bad, despite the talented artists and actors, and the huge pile of money spent on it.