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what used to be Yugoslavia--- but in the 90s became a vicious religious/ethnic war zone, pitting Orthodox vs Muslim vs Catholic. As NATO bombers wreak havoc on Kosovo and Belgrade, Vlada steers his truck through the landscape between them, its bleakness occasionally punctured by explosions and heavy-machine gun fire.As he slowly progresses, he comes across a young rocker determined to make it to the border and escape to Munich; a wedding party oblivious to the war; and young thieves that target his meager possessions.
Croatian star Leon Lucev portrays the driver in what should be a launching pad to international starring roles (if he can speak English...). (Kanopy or purchase on major apps). I've watched dozens upon dozens of films these past several years--- this character has stayed in the forefront of my memory.
This was my second viewing: I first saw this 2 years ago at the Portland Int'l. Film Festival: I listed it as one of the best films--- in a year loaded with strong contenders.
Edits: 12/02/20Follow Ups:
you know
For a movie in which very little actually happens, it involves the viewer thoroughly. My only complaint, I wanted more...however, that "more" would have, almost certainly,
Spoileeees......
involved our truckers demise as he has apparently grown a conscience (or has already had one and we, the viewer, are just being introduced to it at the end) and was looking to expose wrong. Nice bleak flick for a miserable, bleak, Wednesday afternoon.
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"E Burres Stigano?"
for some reason your review here reminds of the film Sorcerer ... there is an Italian version readily had via Amazon, and an English edition that appears to be unobtanium ... Roy Scheider is a small time mafia bag man that hatches a score with some mooks to knock over a numbers operation run out of a Catholic church in Philly in the 70's ... this goes very bad
the mob tracks down the mooks and dispatches them, which alerts Roy to get out of town post haste ... he slips away to a mining work camp in south America [I forget the country, Bolivia maybe] to lay low until the heat's off, but after a few weeks some others filter into the camp and Roy susses out that one of them has to be a mob executioner; of course the rainy season has started so we get mostly interior shots of the camp, and later the cabs of some trucks [coming up] that serve up some effective claustrophobic atmospheres and no doubt kept the film budget down
to avoid the hit man he volunteers for a risky mission to retrieve some very old dynamite from a remote abandoned mining operation for use at his camp that's a few days travel through the jungle using three old WW2 era deuce and a half 6X6 trucks, one of which is named Sorcerer ... since old dynamite 'sweats' what is essentially nitro glycerine moving it is incredibly dangerous and so is the trip over the old unused logging / mining roads there and back ... of course a couple of the newcomers sign on for the run and Roy has to figure out who the assassin is while calculating how and when to take him out first ... there's plenty of obstacles for the man vs. nature angle and the man vs. man set piece is already established
the English version is edited wholly towards Sheider's acting and his character's point of view where he's front and center in the scene frames eating up the scenery in close ups ... does a fantastic job ... the claustrophobic atmosphere with constant rain, minimal dialogue, with the camera focusing on Sheider's face as he reacts to the unfolding menaces faced to a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream! is just great with superb editing
The Italian version looks as if it was shot for TV and Roy is just an ancillary character in what gets reduced to procedural set pieces while the Tangerine Dream score goes missing in action ... the Philly scenes of the numbers heist are barely touched upon; the entire theme for why any of this story is even told ... super disappointing
would love to get the good stuff version if I can ever track it down but I've not seen it so far even as an import etc. it's powerful stuff that's obviously made a lasting impression
*whew* ... OK, back to the pine cone version of this old house
regards all,
and its impact on all facets of human existence. It is not an action film. There are no action scenes, no murders, no "hero," per se. It is about the soul-rending experience of war, its impact on a working man, his family, and strangers he encounters.
It also, brilliantly so, contrasts modern warfare with that of WWII, leaving the viewer to do some "work."
"Wages of Fear" is a brilliant, extremely well-rated thriller, a precursor to "Sorcerer:" neither have anything to do with this particular theme.
Why is this film called, "The Load?" The suspense about the cargo builds slowly, imperceptibly...
Unforgettable... love that film.
I know, but the truck was all that was needed to trigger me
your film sounds interesting but mine has a better soundtrack!
I think that's available ... but I want the damn movie that goes with it
hold on ... deja vu again ... stop me if you've heard this before
on point ... you do some really good reviews, much appreciated!
best regards,
d
BTW: it's the director's first non-documentary.
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