Golden Sting

Sometimes you get intrigued by a good premise but disappointed by the boring story. This is a problem that occurs with Europeanfilms from time to time. In this particular case, it’s a real pity, because these boys would definitely deserve a great film story. We’ll have to wait a few years for that. Let’s see if our basketball team can make the Olympics next year and this premise will get a second chance. Maybe it will turn out better than Golden Sting. (30.10.2019)

An interesting story shot in an absolutely captivating way - I really liked it! So much so that I wasn’t even bothered by some of the possibly predictable situations, twists, etc. Great new and seasoned actors, magnificent camera by Vladimir Smutný, directing ideas... And that soundtrack! I hope the album will come out some day, because I have never heard such a mixture of classical music, period swing and contemporary electronica (with a bold remix of the national anthem in the closing credits) in Czech film. If I didn't know who composed it, I'd guess Daniel Pemberton, maybe. (11.01.2019)

Radim Špaček's feature films are a bigger mystery to me every year. This is his second retro film, and while Golden Sting looks very appealing at first glance, it's neither Dark Blue World nor Fair Play. A good retro film should be based primarily on a clearly realized narrative, and if the plot takes place in a longer period of the very well-known Czech history after 1938, the main characters must age. This aspect did not succeed by any stretch of the imagination. All the partial positives are only outlined here, and I see great potential in them, but it has remained unused to no avail. The film features a cohort of experienced actors led by Hartl and Mihulová and Poullain, but unfortunately, the whole thing is based on a young generation of actors who lack more confident leadership and maturity in their own right. The overly large team of writers didn't help the result much either. (09.06.2020)