Summary
The embezzlement of socialist property and moonlighting in the construction industry are the issues explored in Jan Schmidt’s Podfuk (Swindle, 1985), a moralistic comedy with something of a crime drama about it. The main protagonist of the story is upright engineer Severa, who unexpectedly receives one hundred thousand crowns via the mail. The sender´s address is not legitimate and Severa reports the case to the police. It soon becomes clear that our hero – a housing estate planner – has become the unwilling victim of a corruption scam that is backed by one of his acquisitive colleagues (played by Jiří Pleskot)… A somewhat implausible tale acquires a human face thanks to the talents of Ondřej Havelka in the leading role. He wrings interest from the hero´s relationship with a charming taxi driver Táňa (Tatiana Kulíšková) and his passion for swing music, which allows Havelka to show off his professional singing abilities.
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