Dark Crimes (2016)

A businessman’s murder case will trigger an investigation into a writer who wrote about it, down to the detail.

Great story, with even greater flaws. The daring opening sequence will neither disgust you nor leave you flabbergasted. Arguably, certain close-ups would have achieved one or the other, but that would have probably led to an R-rated final cut, so director Alexandros Avranas uses them instead on the characters. How important is that sequence to the narrative’s development, then? Would it still be effective without it?

Based on David Grann’s article “True Crimes – A Postmodern Murder Mystery” (The New Yorker, February 11, 2008), Jeremy Brock’s script cuts right to the chase and doesn’t invest in the characters involved. The problem with this is that, as an audience, we relate to no one – literally no one. Unfortunately, that leads to not caring about anyone or anything. Eventually, that leads to the suspense’s murder and the film’s downfall.

While none of the action is shot closely, the close-ups of the faces, in conjunction with the positioning of the camera right in front of the actors during dialogue – like talking to it – and their placement right in the middle of the frame, feel like awkwardly breaking the fourth wall for an unknown reason to everyone.

While the story is strong, brutal and real, these directorial decisions distract and confuse. Another issue I spotted was the short sentences and the very scripted arguments, i.e., only after one finishes a sentence would the other person start talking. That is probably due to the effort the native English-speaking actors put into speaking in a Polish accent and the Polish/non-native English-speaking actors to speak in English – except Martin Csokas (Kozlov), who is of Hungarian descent, who speaks the language and is quite convincing.*

I’ve watched Avranas’s previous work, and I recommend you watch Miss Violence (2013) and the controversial (for some) Love Me Not (2017). As for the cast, Jim Carrey, Marton Csokas, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Agata Kulesza, as bright as they may be in front of the camera, they don’t get the chance to shine. Jim Carrey was great in The Number 23 (2007), regardless of its critical and box office performance, but this choice makes one wonder how he used to be the highest-paid comedian out there.

*He is a New Zealander and can also pull off British and American accents.

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