Who Comes before Midnight

Zbyněk Brynych, 1979

Film at Filmový přehled

Summary

Outside of his career as an agent in the StB secret police, Ivan Gariš (real name Antonín Prchal) also worked as a writer and screenwriter. From 1971-1981, Gariš specialised in criminal and spy thrillers, naturally intertwined with a strong ideological component (for example Cesty mužů – Roads of Men, 1972; Akce v Istanbulu – Operation in Istanbul, 1975). In the criminal drama Kdo přichází před půlnocí (Who Comes before Midnight, 1979), Gariš and director Zbyňek Brynych focus on a band of thieves who rob a van carrying a million crowns in cash for the payment of the staff at a farming cooperative. A trio of recidivists carry out the crime under the leadership of a former worker at the cooperative – the passionate stamp collector Chota. Criminologist Bárta is on the tail of the gang, assisted by a relative – a pickpocket. One interesting component of this movie is that certain scenes were shot in a number of real-life locations which served as the meeting point for the Prague criminal underground (for example the Marica bar, where some faces of the local underworld are seen passing by).
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Film data

About a film

Production year 1979
Countries Czechoslovakia
Categories film
Genres crime
Form feature
Duration 89 min
Director Zbyněk Brynych
Cast Josef Vinklář, Jiří Bruder, Tomáš Töpfer, Rudolf Jelínek, Robert Vrchota, Václav Švorc
Director of photography Jan Němeček
Screenplay Ivan Gariš, Zbyněk Brynych
Editor Miroslav Hájek
Production designer Oldřich Okáč
Music Ladislav Štaidl
Sound designer Ladislav Hausdorf