Złote oszustwo

Radim Špaček's feature films are a bigger mystery to me every year. This is his second retro film, and while Golden Sting looks very appealing at first glance, it's neither Dark Blue World nor Fair Play. A good retro film should be based primarily on a clearly realized narrative, and if the plot takes place in a longer period of the very well-known Czech history after 1938, the main characters must age. This aspect did not succeed by any stretch of the imagination. All the partial positives are only outlined here, and I see great potential in them, but it has remained unused to no avail. The film features a cohort of experienced actors led by Hartl and Mihulová and Poullain, but unfortunately, the whole thing is based on a young generation of actors who lack more confident leadership and maturity in their own right. The overly large team of writers didn't help the result much either. (09.06.2020)

An interesting story shot in an absolutely captivating way - I really liked it! So much so that I wasn’t even bothered by some of the possibly predictable situations, twists, etc. Great new and seasoned actors, magnificent camera by Vladimir Smutný, directing ideas... And that soundtrack! I hope the album will come out some day, because I have never heard such a mixture of classical music, period swing and contemporary electronica (with a bold remix of the national anthem in the closing credits) in Czech film. If I didn't know who composed it, I'd guess Daniel Pemberton, maybe. (11.01.2019)

Sometimes you get intrigued by a good premise but disappointed by the boring story. This is a problem that occurs with Europeanfilms from time to time. In this particular case, it’s a real pity, because these boys would definitely deserve a great film story. We’ll have to wait a few years for that. Let’s see if our basketball team can make the Olympics next year and this premise will get a second chance. Maybe it will turn out better than Golden Sting. (30.10.2019)