Balkanski spijun

Balkanski spijun (Balkan Spy) is one Ingenious Comedy, from ingenious writer/director with ingenious actors. State of art, as it was expected from such genius as Dusan Kovacevic is. A-must-see comedy, always actual, without time or space limitations.

I will never get bored of it, no matter how many times I see it. Practically, the dialogs from the whole movie are anthological. Only a thought at them brings the smile to my face.

The movie Balkan Spy (Balkanski spijun) was released in 1984. and to me it is the best movie wrote by Dusan Kovacevic, and the competition is great ("Ko to tamo peva", "Maratonci trce pocasni krug", "Sabirni Centar" are a few of his other films). I will not go so far in saying that this is the best comedy of all time but certainly it is the best tragicomedy full of black-humor. One of the main characters Jakovljevic (Bora Todorovic) moves into the house of Ilija (Bata Stojkovic) after a long time working in France. Ilija gets a call from the police and has a talk with a inspector about Jakovljevic. From that moment Ilija is convinced that Jakovljevic is a spy working for "them". The cast is made from some of the best Serbian actors of all time: Danilo 'Bata' Stojkovic, Bora Todorovic, Mira Banjac, Sonja Savic, Bata Zivojinovic, Mica Tomic and Croatian legend Zvonko Lepetic as Djuro Cvorovic. It has awesome dialogue, great characters, and the cast is superb.

10/10

Just legendary. You gotta watch it!

As one of the most significant films in the Serbian and Yugoslavian cinematography ever, "Balkanski spijun" is most often regarded as a comedy, which it is only to a certain extent.

The film works on many different levels and it's virtually impossible to judge it after seeing it only once. Serving primarily as a social commentary and a metaphor for a national paranoia towards anything foreign, the film uses its main character Ilija Cvorovic as a vehicle to carry out both humorous and serious situations towards a bitter and somewhat prophetic ending. The great Bata Stojkovic (in one of his best roles here) has masterfully crafted a portrait of a man whose delusions progressively lead him from a state of comical confusion to a tragic crescendo of violence laden with conspiracy theories.

"Balkanski spijun" is a comedy that will make you think before you laugh and a tragedy that will make you laugh before you think.

This Dusan Kovacevic' drama talks about political paranoia of Ilija Cvorovic, ex-Stallinist, the man who spent two years in prison because of his activity. He follows and haunts a tenant in his house - who returned from France. Ilija sees in him agent of imperialist powers, enemy of the state and a foreign spy. The movie is true piece-of-art of Yugoslav cinematography of the 80's. Also talks about relations of hard-line communists and capitalists in liberal-socialist Yugoslavia.

A lot of lame movies these days are going to international film festivals,we all are asking ourselves what happened to Serbian movie,and this film is reminder that we once had a good directors and for NO.! good screenplays! Movie is intelligent and funny ,like Dusan Kovacevic's work always is. He mocks the regime and at the same time works with really serious subjects and ask serious questions .. I would recommend this movie to anyone . Ilija Cvorovic is a man in his middle age.One day he gets a phone call from the police.He is called to be examined about his neighbor and subtenant . He is afraid of what will the police ask him.But they don't ask him much,they just want to know who is he ,because he just came from France. After that conversation Ilija begin to imagine things ,he thinks that his subtenant is a spy and that kind of thinking led to lot of funny scenes...