Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Vera Farmiga | ... | Alice | |
Mark Strong | ... | Max | |
Harry Lloyd | ... | Virgil | |
Anton Lesser | ... | Holban | |
Joe Armstrong | ... | Razvan | |
Christian McKay | ... | Iorgu | |
Tim Plester | ... | Dumi | |
Darrell D'Silva | ... | Minister | |
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David de Keyser | ... | Moritz |
Frances Cuka | ... | Sarah | |
Marcin Walewski | ... | Mirel | |
Allan Corduner | ... | Flaviu | |
Monica Barladeanu | ... | Sonia (as Monica Birladeanu) | |
Paul Jesson | ... | Studio Manager | |
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John Henshaw | ... | Judge |
Bucharest 1959. A spectacular Bank heist has the country in an uproar. In post-war Communist Romania it is an unimaginable slap in the face to the iron fisted authorities. Four men and a woman are arrested, tried, convicted and while waiting for their execution... are forced to star in a propaganda film about the crime. All five protagonists were heroes of the resistance during the Second World War and highly placed members of Romanian society. They clearly knew they would be caught and executed. Written by Anonymous
Unless you have at least some basic knowledge about Communist Romania, this movie might seem very far away from a rating of 10. As the story unraveled, it sucked us into an atmosphere that most of us feel is long gone, and nevertheless, so close to us. It's the period when the first cracks in an apparently perfect egalitarian world started to appear. Robbing a bank with guns in a communist country is like robbing a supermarket of its toilette paper. Money then and there was useless unless you could justify its origin. And that is what makes this story so strange for us. But there are many, many other layers to the story. The cast is great. The historical background is fascinating (at least for us, Romanians). And the cinematography is far above average. This movie was like a breath of fresh air. One full of poisonous gases, as seeing the movie, you will discover that there are many things about the human race that will upset you, but at the same time, air that provokes an uncontrollable laugh. Some people in the audience didn't appreciate the jokes. I did, because I considered it was the only way not to make the most depressing movie in the world. A masterpiece that will most probably be considered as such many years from now, when people will start making movies about our not so egalitarian society.