Rating: C
Dir: József Kovalik Sr.
Star: Iván Kamarás, Oszkár Gáti, Zsolt Páll, Zsolt Anger
a.k.a. Cop Hunt
Who knew Hungarian cops were so keen on martial arts? Or such bad drivers (above)? I must admit, just about all I know about contemporary law enforcement in the country comes from this movie. Which I’m sure is an accurate and restrained portrayal of things, and in no way exaggerated for entertainment purposes. Anyway, someone is kidnapping Budapest cops off the streets, torturing and killing them, then dumping the bodies. Police chief Colonel Réti (Gáti) is at the end of his tether, and his humour is not helped the imminent, unwanted arrival of an agent from Interpol, John Holdon (Kamarás). However, turns out John might have the skills necessary to crack the case.
He’s certainly a character with hidden depths. Not least, because Holdon is just as Hungarian as the local cops. Indeed, he was the son of the Hungarian ambassador to Japan, which is where he picked up his skills in the kicking of arse department. His Interpol connections also give him access to sources of information, and that might be helpful since there could be a mole in the police station. He recognizes a sign left at the scene as matching a tattoo on a criminal he arrested in London five years ago, who is now back in Budapest. However, the suspect is now under the protection of a local motorcycle gang. They aren’t exactly fans of the cops. Maybe they know something about the murders?
It’s all quite energetic, opening with Holdon beating up a bunch of bikers in the bathroom, and climaxing in a vehicle chase through and around a mall (explaining the prominent “With the support of Arkad Shopping Center” credit with which the movie opens). But it’s also a bit of a mess, unsure whether it wants to concentrate on Holdon; Réti; the local cops assigned to baby-sit the new arrival, Rezes (Páll) and Szeiler; or Berger (Páll), the man leading the cult responsible for the killings. It’s all almost unrelentingly macho, and dumb with it. I think there is only one speaking role for a woman, a university history professor who provides vaguely unhelpful scholarly advice to the police.
I’d probably have welcomed a bit more local flavour. A lot of what happens here feels quite generic, an impression not helped by the resemblance of Kamarás to David Boreanaz. It also feels as if the cult’s motivation somehow got a bit lost in translation. Oh, there is an explanation provided. I’m just not sure it’s one I found convincing. There’s a weird coda too, suggesting some stuff which feels too important to have been thrown away in the final few minutes. However, I was never bored, despite a running time approaching two hours. Something of a goulash, I’d say – and one where not all of the ingredients are equally fresh and tasty.
This is part of our World in Action feature, covering action movies around the globe.