Say you are searching for a gripping thriller, something that has a good story and keeps you hooked until the very last moment. Colors of Evil: Red, shortened to COE:R in this review, might have its flaws, but the match exists.
The story follows two perspectives: Monika is a young woman trying to make a living in the underworld. She seems cunning, but the world might reveal itself as being too harsh. In the meantime, Leopold is the newest Prosecutor of Tri-City, and has to investigate a murder that might reveal the traces of a serial killer.
Nothing out of what we have seen multiple times, if we dig deep. One murder has one particularity that links to a series of unsolved murders, the serial killer is either unknown or someone with power. Ordinary stuff, but COE:R executes it alright, which is a plus. Even though the story has nothing that stands out from the sea of thrillers, the simplistic take of COE:R is enough for us, and I think that's mainly because of the main character.
Leopold by Jakub Gierszal has something that is likeable, and I guess that's because Jakub's youngling face is warmful enough. He just wants to do the right thing and solve the damn murder.
Truth be told, character development is a bit off, yes. Monika is perhaps the character with the most noticible development, whereas Leopold lags behind, much of his own story and progress simplified to just wanting to solve the murder. Jakub's performance itself being a bit planky if we think about it - in this department, kudos do Zofia Jastrzebska as Monika and Maja Ostaszewska as Helena; great acting overall.
In true crime fashion, the turning plot point is good and gripping, even though the fact is so simple. Plus one here.
The cinematography is nothing out of the ordinary, but I have to comment on the soundtrack. Maybe that's standard Polish tracks, common on their repertoir, but the songs stood out as being out of place with the movie's tone, at least for me.
Overall, COE:R works, a nice entry in the crime thriller genre, even with its flaws. If you want to go casual on a straightforward story that delives, this movie is a nice option.
The story follows two perspectives: Monika is a young woman trying to make a living in the underworld. She seems cunning, but the world might reveal itself as being too harsh. In the meantime, Leopold is the newest Prosecutor of Tri-City, and has to investigate a murder that might reveal the traces of a serial killer.
Nothing out of what we have seen multiple times, if we dig deep. One murder has one particularity that links to a series of unsolved murders, the serial killer is either unknown or someone with power. Ordinary stuff, but COE:R executes it alright, which is a plus. Even though the story has nothing that stands out from the sea of thrillers, the simplistic take of COE:R is enough for us, and I think that's mainly because of the main character.
Leopold by Jakub Gierszal has something that is likeable, and I guess that's because Jakub's youngling face is warmful enough. He just wants to do the right thing and solve the damn murder.
Truth be told, character development is a bit off, yes. Monika is perhaps the character with the most noticible development, whereas Leopold lags behind, much of his own story and progress simplified to just wanting to solve the murder. Jakub's performance itself being a bit planky if we think about it - in this department, kudos do Zofia Jastrzebska as Monika and Maja Ostaszewska as Helena; great acting overall.
In true crime fashion, the turning plot point is good and gripping, even though the fact is so simple. Plus one here.
The cinematography is nothing out of the ordinary, but I have to comment on the soundtrack. Maybe that's standard Polish tracks, common on their repertoir, but the songs stood out as being out of place with the movie's tone, at least for me.
Overall, COE:R works, a nice entry in the crime thriller genre, even with its flaws. If you want to go casual on a straightforward story that delives, this movie is a nice option.