The Case of the Deceased Dead

Satisfaction. It's exactly the kind of parody that today's age of oversaturated TV procedurals demands. Šmídmajer managed to put together a quick cadence of funny situations, gags, catchphrases, and references. I had an awkward reaction to his previous 4 films, whilst here I don't have the slightest problem with it. Anyone who isn't laughing is probably voluntarily watching those prime-time procedurals. #kinonwheels (09/04/2020)

A dumb script, typical for Czech movies, into which somebody subversively smuggled cynical, self-parodying elements. So the Deceased oscillates somewhere between Dumb and Dumber and Naked Gun, but surprisingly often it makes you laugh with all its stupidity. The production design, dramaturgy and even the dumb lighting in most of the scenes is terrible as usual. Luckily, the actors are well aware of this and overact with incredible verve. Vágnerová makes the most of her strange role. The type of hogwash that is fairly entertaining in its absurdity. (02/20/2022)

Twenty-six years after the premiere of the third Naked Gun, Miloslav Šmídmajer decided to make his version of the already seen. A number of high-quality and low-quality actors were cast in the film, as well as a few non-actors, with a corresponding result. Normally, I would boo this, but I laughed twice against my will, and Hana Vagnerová was excellent as a mean cop, so here goes one star. All in all, it was pathetic and a clear waste of time. (08/09/2020)

Czech filmmakers thought they would make their own version of The Naked Gun, and so The Case of the Deceased Dead was born. The trailer already makes it clear that it will be a fairly unpretentious flick. Personally, I was lured to the cinema by the fact that the film is largely set in a university with which I have been associated for many years. Those who know Olomouc well will be incredibly entertained by the interludes between the various locations. Apart from the weaker technical aspect (the panoramas over the city and the artificial birds around the Cathedral), what bothered me most was the unbearably fast dosage of jokes and gags, some of which were quite good, but since there were too many in some places, some of them went to waste. Story-wise, it's a straightforward and flat piece through and through, where the identity of the criminal is clear almost from the start, though in this case it was more about making an unpretentious crime comedy with parodic elements and a number of stellar cameos that were at times reprehensibly underused. (01/29/2020)

A Czech parody of police crime dramas and it is unfortunately the classic Czech bottom of the barrel. There are a few jokes, and Hana Vagnerova is nice to look at, but it's unfortunately rather awkward to the point of being boorish. (01/21/2020)