Kojot is a huge letdown: it's been hyped as a wonderful picture about the 'Hungarian rural reality', but the characters are unoriginal copycats from the imaginations of a snobby and uneducated city dweller. Simply put, the real people of the countryside do not talk, look, or behave like the characters in the movie.
The cinematography and the audio is nothing short of stellar though. Mood and ambience on point, the images convey the emotions and that special rural summer vibe perfectly. The whole movie is done with huge attention to technical detail. Too bad that the writing is shabby (the story progresses exactly how you expect it to), the characters are shallow, and because agression is tuned up, it lacks the severity, so after a while it becomes comical. There are some moments towards the end where you feel like the scene is setting up some self-cynicism or a comic relief, or even a suprising twist, but then it just goes along the same route: of violence.
It's really a shame because of the strength of the material realization and the scenery. I just wish Márk would have touched the subject of rural life with a little more respect and dignity, instead of using the setting only as a canvas for a metaphoric story of determination against hostile circumstances, and Guy Ritchie hommages.
There were also some weird directorial inconsistencies, like the cuts to the pointy end of the hammer at the supposed culmination point scene of the movie, the masterfully built-up tension with the eye contact and the tuned-out audio effect: this usually highlights that something important is about to happen, that someone will be killed with that pointy end which will have a big impact on the story. But after the tension is built up, nothing happens, the brawl just continues and escalates into the Nth barfight-esque scene of the movie, which, at this point, carries no weight whatsoever.
I also have trouble with understanding how I supposed to feel about the ending. (Obvious SPOILER ahead:) The whole movie, even in the title is about defiance, its about standing your ground against all odds, so how are we supposed feel about Misi signing the contract eventually? Why is this presented as some sort of victory, when this is exactly what her girlfriend asked him to do, and what he was advised to do by literally every single party involved, right from the onset? Weirdly enough, we are left with the feeling that maybe Pali is the real protagonist in this story, and Misi is the 'invader', who refuses to understand how the unwritten laws of the land work, causing mayhem and death. Accepting the offer makes even less sense after the death of Pali's oligarch father, because he, the son, is the one who seemed reasonable. The whole father-son conflict that is nicely built up, also leads to nowhere, because after his Father's death Pali is portrayed as a son who is griefing and simply follows up to complete his father's dream, which is again the exact opposite of what he was standing for in the whole movie - he was the voice of reason against his megalomaniac and power-trippy businessman father. So the film could have lead to a solution that feels like a grudgy happy end - a very typical Hungarian rural story ending. Or, it could have lead to Misi being ousted for good, suffering the vengeance of Pali. Instead, we are left in weightless middle ground, which supposed to be a happy ending? So the literal Coyote finally learned how not to be a Coyote anymore and give up the futile fight? If so, why is this conclusion not drawn by Misi, where is the development of his character?
(SPOILERS OVER)
The movie, for foreigner viewer could still feel refreshing and interesting, but for Hungarians it feels like it promises a lot and just doesn't go deep enough, and becomes a well-crafted pop movie.
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