The plot of The Red Captain takes place in 1992 in Bratislava. In a few months, Czechoslovakia will separate into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A corpse with signs of being tortured is unearthed at a construction site. The case of the mysterious murder intrigues Richard Krauz (Maciecj Stuhr), an ambitious homicide bureau lieutenant who wants to solve the enigma at all costs. During the investigation, Krauz discovers more and more proof that former officers of the Czechoslovak Security Service and policemen, as well as church dignitaries, were involved in the murder.
‘The Red Captain is a contemporary crime story, filled with chases and fight scenes, referencing the top examples of American genre cinema, and at the same time not lacking originality and local Eastern European specifics,’ reads the website of the Polish Film Institute.
Michal Kollár admitted in interviews that one of the major inspirations for his film was Władysław Pasikowski’s Pigs. However, unlike the Polish author, the director of The Red Captain doesn’t try to demythologize the post-transformation period, but neither does he destroy national pillars. The historical convention is only a cover for a rather traditional action plot.
The Red Captain is first of all a crime story. It is meant to keep viewers in suspense, make them wonder who did it. It is not a historically engaged film, nor a portrait of an era. It is cinema of a sensational criminal case.
– Maciej Stuhr said in a conversation with the Polish Press Agency.