In The Shadow (2012)

Directed by: David Ondricek
Country: Czech Republic / Slovakia / Poland

Review: “In The Shadow” is a police thriller with political contours. Its story is set in 1950’s old Czechoslovakia, in a time where a monetary reform was a possibility, raising doubts among the population. Away from all that, the obsessive police-inspector Jarda continues to do his job with honesty. He was sent to investigate a gold robbery whose evidences pointed to a suspect named Kirsch, a drunken Jew who would come to confess his involvement. However, after further investigations, Jarda concludes that this man had not participated in the crime. Unexpectedly, the State Security Service aided by a newcomer German cop, were assigned to replace Jarda. Together, they arrest four other Jews accused of smuggling gold and money to finance Zionist separatists in Palestine. Jarda will continue from suspect to suspect, searching for truth, until find who are behind the conspiracy. “In The Shadows” sets an atmosphere of obscurity, relying on suspenseful moments, adequate score, and mysterious behaviors scattered everywhere. The main problem is that the plot only left us with two possible suspects, giving sufficient hints for us to guess who the bad guy was. So, no much surprises here!