Jeri Jacquin
This week in theatres and On Demand from Saban Films,
Lionsgate and director Alexandros Avranas comes a dark tale in a country that
is riddles with mystery and DARK CRIMES.
Tadek (Jim Carrey) is a detective who has been laying low
over the years. Taking care of his mother and barely speaking to his wife, he
is barely living himself. That is all about to change when he takes on a case
of a businessman who has been murdered. Almost immediately he learns about a
man named Kozlow (Marton Csokas), a writer who published a novel about murder
that looks familiar to Tadek.
Reading the book, Tadek begins to go to a dark pace and he
meets sex-worker Kasia (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a woman knows about Kozlow. She
shares with Tadek a world that he never knew existed. He also discovers the
involvement of many who are not about to let him ruin their lives. Feeling bad
for Kasia's situation, he also begins to have strong feelings for her and then
crosses the line.
When the opportunity finally arises to question Kozlow,
Tadek is met with distain, riddles and accusations. What he thought sense and
was an open and shut case drastically turns bringing more questions and more
danger than he could have possibly imagined.
Carrey as Tadek is compelling to watch because this isn't
going to be a full on character that is full of expression. No, Carrey lets us
know from the get go that this man is falling down a rabbit hole and it seems
as if he wants to go willingly. Having the opportunity to investigate a case he
believes he has the answers to, Carrey gives this character a broken feel that
makes his choices a little insane.
Gainsbourg as Kasia is a woman who is driven by the sexploited
underworld that she can not escape from. Knowing the answers to the questions
Tadek is asking, she downplays what she knows to protect herself. She is
secretive and is just as mysterious as the man Tadek is tracking.
Csokas as Kozlow enjoys playing the cat and mouse game with
Tadek. He is just as mysterious as Kasia and has no problem sitting in a dark
room with him but it seems its more to get information than give answers.
Csokas has always played an amazing bad guy character and this one goes
particularly bad.
Other cast include Kati Outinen as Malinowska, Vlad Ivanov
as Piotr, Agata Kulesza as Marta, Robert Wieckiewicz as Greger, Piotr Glowacki
as Wiktor, Anna Polony as Tadek's Mother, and Zbigniew Zamachowski as Lukasz.
Launched in 2014, Saban Films has built an impressive slate
of high-quality feature films in conjunctions with Lionsgate. Focusing on
talent-driven films, Saban Films tailors each release on the uniqueness of
their films that come to VOD release and mid-scale traditional theatricals. For
more of what they have to offer please visit www.sabanfilms.com.
The film is based on David Grann's article True Crime: A
Postmodern Murder Mystery that appeared in The New Yorker in 2008. He writes
that a writer named Krystian Bala killed a businessman in Poland
DARK CRIMES lives up to its title for many reasons. First,
Carrey's performance is one of the darkest I have seen him do and it is
disturbing as well. This character is caught in a rather mundane life and this
case opens up a door for him to be a part of something again. The problem
becomes the moment a toe is out of line, its quicksand and that's exactly what
happens to this character. Carrey goes all in and it shows.
The is not a happy film in any frame of its ninety-two
minutes. It is deeply stirring, and even shot to add the look and feel of a
situation that has no happy ending. What made the film for me was I wanted to
know where it was going because anything had to be better than the like Tadek
was living.
In the end – finding answers only brings more questions.
