Diagnosis of Death

The charismatic Major Kalaš, as played by the acclaimed Rudolf Hrušínský, was first introduced to filmgoers in 1963 by director Petr Schulhoff with the release of Strach (Fear). Hrušínský went on to appear as the sharp-witted detective in three more films, namely Vrah skrývá tvář (The Murderer Hides his Face, 1966), Po stopách krve (On the Trail of Blood, 1969), and finally in Diagnóza smrti (1979). This last detective thriller sees the Major, together with Lieutenant Martinec (Vilém Besser), investigate an ostensible car accident. The story relates how the destinies of the smash-up's two severely injured people are fatally intertwined. Truck driver Linhart can only be saved with a kidney transplant; and the donor could be the woman found in the woods – his lover Kateřina Marková. A fresh, direct trail then leads the detectives to some unexpected perpetrators... The leading actors deliver undeniably superb performances in this final adventure of Major Kalaš. The film is also lifted by the narrative atmosphere and the the plausibility of the plot, bound by the motif of guilt and punishment. Diagnóza smrti is actually rather more than a standard crime genre movie. Audiences will find it reminiscent of a psychological tale with elements of a detective flick.