X - The eXploited

Very nice little gem out of Hungary. More mystery than a thriller in the conventional term. Very well written with a positive flow and easy to follow. Subtitles follow perfectly with the action and pace. Cinematography is serene and atmospheric matching the linear of the filming. The soundtrack is an excellent tone in line with the message of the film. The acting is fluid and solid..as I said X-cellent hidden gem.

Overall synopsis of the film is a widowed police officer in what is foreshadowed as a corrupt..despicable and deceitful Budapest, is trying to solve the the suspicious deaths of seemingly ordinary citizens.( thus upside down descriptive filming of a city visual alluding to just how not only the city but the world works in a dark dystopia secret societal corrupted greedy way) She has issues with the death of her husband causing her to have anxiety attacks and a daughter affected by everything wrong in life. All of this affects her ability to perform her duties even though on the plus side she is the best detective with a surreal knack for piecing crime scenes together accurately and seeing through the setups of injustice. Her colleagues avoid her..think she's crazy. There are a few exceptions who value her insight and process.

The solving of these murders leads to inside secret society's.. conspiracies and the real reasons of darker realities of life. The world is upside down and your on the wrong end. A solid watch and a solid 7 out of 10.... Darryl Arrand.

This is the best Hungarian thriller I've seen so far. The acting is overall great, especially the lead actor, who brilliantly portrays a single mother working against a corrupt system. The gastlighting in the movie is so apparent, even those who aren't well-versed in gender studies can see it. Also, the cinematography is on point showing how the world turned upside down. This movie is a dystopia, but it contains social critism as well.

The movie has a very unique atmosphere with its constantly reflected city shots, the colors are also greatly reflect to the emotions that are happening. The acts are also great and totally believeable (however Zsófi Bujáki did some overacting at some points). The camera movements and the images are also greatly composed. The sound effects and the used music are also carefully selected, they were pretty impressive. The story had its strengths and weaknesses, but all in all, it is a great crime story, a great thriller.

First hungarian movie in my life! I am so surprised! This is really gripping political crime thriller with mesmerizing plot, photography and music, and with interesting, deep, female lead character.

This is one more serial killer case but with a political and social element where it is evoked the Hungarian modern situation, around racism and political issues. You have the classic scheme of the investigator, here a woman, widow and mother of a disturbed teenage girl, a female police officer in total distress. Well, I don't crave for serial killer schemes, unless you already know who the killer is, and when you watch the police slowly but surely gets nearer and nearer, thanks to the clues and investigation details...That's for me the true suspense, as on a GPS map, you watch two bright points getting closer and closer. But when you don't know who the killer is, well, that's rather boring for me. Good directing and splendid camera work, Great aesthetic.