Stůj, nebo se netrefím!

I was genuinely looking forward to this film to the point where I didn't hesitate to go to the movie theater for it. I expected a comedy in the style of my favorite French series about the seventh company, but the disappointment was proportional to the level of expectation. One star may be harsh, but I really expected something else. The ensemble cast assembled for this film hadn't been seen in Czech cinema for several years, and the performances, along with some unusually cast actors (Vladimír Brabec and Pavel Kříž as established comedians cast as German officers), are actually the only positive aspect of this piece. The poor result can be attributed to the dismal script, where the inexperienced screenwriter failed to grasp the difference between a theatrical farce and cinematic reality. The substitution of a chimney sweep for a black man might work only in the theater; in the film, it comes off as naive and awkward. Yet, the situation created offered numerous possibilities - just the exchange of clothes between the two railway workers and the two German deserters, expertly cast with Miroslav Noga and Milan Šteindler, could have led to endless great gags. One of the few successful comedic situations occurs when the railway workers return home in German uniforms, and their wives greet them with desperate lamentation, believing they had joined the Germans just before the end of the war. The direction is uninspired and the final nail in the coffin is pounded in by the screenwriter. This film simply lacked that extra spark. Overall impression: 25%. (06/17/2006)