by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
As I was looking for a good film to highlight for this month’s Out of Market, I stumbled upon the 2024 Polish Film Kolory zla. Czerwien, or in English, Colors of Evil: Red. A murder mystery thriller after the body of a young woman is found washed up on a beach, I figured I’d take a crack at the film, as I haven’t watched a good murder mystery for this series in a decent amount of time, and while I can point to some good examples of the U.S. market for these films, seeing how the genre is handled elsewhere is worthwhile for what I’m here to do. While not as highly rated as some of the films I’ve watched for this series (6.3 on IMDb), I would argue that this movie is underrated, and very much worth taking the time to watch.
Author’s Note: tThis film deals with subject matters that some may find triggering, including murder, suicide, mutilation, and sexual violence. Viewer discretion is advised.
Obviously, like any good murder mystery, even those that lean on suspense and tension, should have a solid story. Colors of Evil: Red does this, and does it well. Early on, we realize that we’ll be seeing both the final days of Monika Bogucka (Zofia Jastrzebska), alongside the investigation into her death by prosecutor Leopold Bilski (Jakub Gierszal) and her mother and judge, Helena Bogucka (Maja Ostaszewska). This is something that easily can go one of two ways: You either have a story that broadcasts its ending very early on, or you have one where there is a moment that is there to make you see the direction the film wants you to think it’s going, only to pull the rug out from under you at every moment it has. This film opts for the latter, as you get to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes as more and more threads are being pulled, leading up to a climax that catches you off guard as you realize there’s still time left in the film, enough time to throw one final curveball at the viewer. That alone makes this movie fit very well with what I was expecting to see, and is something that clicks, while maybe not perfectly, exactly into the place it should to seal off a movie that’s juggling multiple plots.
The next thing I want to highlight is the performances by the cast. There are a lot of things that are done right here, such as the head of the prosecutor’s office being close to angry, if not downright furious, at the fact a case that seems closed has been reopened without his authority, that works wonderfully for me. That and showing emotion in some of the scenes, both as the reality of the situation hits the mother of the victim, to having to react to some truly horrible scenes, if not already difficult to watch, begins to feel downright genuine. The cast also does a good job, especially as the levels that one of the characters goes to cover his tracks becomes exposed, being sure to truly show and not tell what’s happening. In a way, this makes it a much darker story, but there is depth to the characters that this darkness helps to build. My only real negative is that the depths of despair from the mother, while feeling genuine, also doesn’t feel as if it matches the remainder of the film. However, this is fairly minor in the grand scheme of things.
All in all, I genuinely think more people should watch Colors of Evil: Red, as the rabbit hole has plenty of twists and turns to keep you on edge as you wonder what’s going to come next. These twists, while plentiful, are never completely overbearing, as the question of what happens next or who else could be involved becomes broader and broader until the very end. And like any good murder mystery, which I can best describe as in the way of Columbo, there’s always just one more thing.
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