Le capitaine Lechi

After Esalon Doktora M(1955), which was his first Yugo-Western, Serbian director Zika Mitrovic made a name for himself by making his first urban crime film Poslednji kolosek a year later. 4 years later, he made Captain Lechi, his second and probably best Western film.

After his home town Prizren in Kosovo is freed from German occupation, a brave Partisan Captain Ramiz Lesi(Aleksandar Gavric in his first major role)has to liquidate the remaining local Quislings(otherwise known as Balists)who are hiding in the hills and are actively sabotaging the new regime. They are led by an experienced, German-trained soldier Kosta(Dimitar Kiostarov)and Ahmet(Rainer Penkert), the brother of the famous Captain. The film centers on Ramiz as he tries to get Ahmet out of the gang and hunt down the rest of the Balists.

Completely free of political influence, this film is great as pure fun. It has all the elements of a good American Western: a tense, complex plot, turbulent love affairs and a lot of shootouts. The acting is great,especially by the main actors-Gavric, Petar Prlicko as his clumsy companion and surrogate-father Sok,and Marika Tocinovska and Elma Karlowa,2 completely different girls whose feelings for Ramiz will have an effect on the main plot.Darko Damevski and Dusan Tadic(in his first film role)are also funny as Balists Skender and Ibrahim.

It is a pity that a great movie like this one has just one sequel, right?