I can't wait to see this film again! There is a DVD coming out with Canadian distrib. ThinkFilm in the 1st quarter of 2005...i can't wait this long!!! Gah! The director was there for a Q&A after the film, and was wonderful to talk to (which is always a nice surprise). He told me that they got the high contrast look with a 'bleach-bypass' developing of the film, and it amplified the beautiful camera work.

First review says it all, gorgeous cinematography, great directing, great acting, great story. The lead actor also had the most incredible screen presence. I couldn't tear my eyes off his performance once, i hope he continues in the business with much success. I'd also keep my eyes on the other actors, as they were all fantastic.

-cheers.

Inside a fictitious underground subway system(the entire film is set in a real Budapest subway transit, but what occurs within it is all fiction)ticket inspectors go through the torments and doldrums of daily life when dealing with the unruly, disrespectful, and cruel public who often don't pay for their tickets. The film's protagonist, Bulcsú(Sándor Csányi)sleeps on the platform of the station and one wonders what keeps him from leaving. In a certain scene, we get an answer when a former associate, now the leader of a certain team in an organization, asks Bulcsú where he's been since "not finishing his work." That work isn't necessarily provided to us, nor does it need to be..all we needed to know was that the daily strife of competing with others up the corporate ladder was too stressful. He quit when he could've possible been at the top..the idea of failure sent him running to the underground subway and the fear of what might lie ahead for him keeps Bulcsú inside. Bulcsú also meets a young woman in a bear costume who is the daughter of a train conductor. Bulcsú doesn't know that she is "Uncle" Béla's(Lajos Kovács)daughter and both are quite enamored with each other. There's a hooded killer pushing victims in front of on-going trains and a runner nicknamed Bootsie(Bence Mátyássy)who never pays for a ticket, sprays whip cream in the faces of the inspectors, and openly challenges them to catch him. You have a gang that considers themselves the best inside the subway transport organization whose head leader(there are set groups who operate different sections of the underground subway system)named Gonzo(Balázs Lázár)challenges Bulcsú to the deadly "railing" competition(which goes practically unseen..we really get more of an understanding of this deadly game when Bulcsú is running from the hooded killer later)consisting of two people running behind the last passenger train having to not only miss all the wires and cables, but also escaping the Midnight Express train behind them.

All this and so much more(such as the tragic character Laci, portrayed by László Nádasi, who succumbs to the mad aggression the public places on them by slicing the throat of a civilian who punches the inspector when asked if he had his ticket)inside the tunnels of this setting. Vividly sketched characters, the various public debacles that fall on men(and the women who are able to hang on)trying to do their jobs facing a public who hates them, the unpredictable nature of staying too long in the tunnels, and a solid cast all create a very fascinating and entertaining film. Director Nimród Antal has an incredible visual eye always coming up with various stylish ways to frame shots of things, events & people within the subway. There's an undeniable atmosphere created within it and Sándor Csányi as Bulcsú is really good at expressing the somberness of his character which really meshes with the flow and tone of the film.

And of course I'm not only talking about the location. Which of course lead to one of the funniest intros to a movie. I'm pretty sure, this won't be on the DVD (although it would be cool), but the boss of the underground trains, talked about the movie and how proud he was, that he allowed them to shoot there. But he made it very clear, that this only a movie (really?) and that everything depicted in it, has no ground in reality and the guys working for him are anything but what is portrayed in the movie.

It was a very funny thing to see before the movie and actually propelled my expectation for the movie ... good thing the movie matched them. We're talking about a gem here. Very weird and definitely not to everyones taste, but that's OK.