The Foundation of Criminal Excellence

I'm writing this review just after watching the movie. I chose this one from many others on the festival because of positive rating and reviews here on IMDB. I can agree that the movie is nicely made when it comes to camera work and visual aspects. We have retro scenery and quite realistic play. However, I just couldn't get any sense and almost any humour from it. A few moments that put a smile on my face were just nothing special and the last scene as per my taste - was just stupid in a non-funny way. Some people laughed, some other like me were wondering why others are laughing - so I think that was just about a cultural difference. There might be some cultural connotations I'm not aware of, so I just don't get what's funny. (normally in in one or two scenes... but in a whole movie?) I like comedies and I've watched many different, that one just didn't speak to me at all. I'm a big fan of cinema too and I watched hundreds of movies from many countries. For me that screenplay was absolutely nothing interesting - just like the screenplay that main character was trying to "sell". I should admit here that I watched the movie with English subtitles so there might have been a bad translation, but even then - a plot was just nothing exciting: two frustrated losers trying to do stupid things with no success in a crime excellencing nor making me laugh - that's how I would describe it. There were many such criminal comedies, mostly easy to whatch, stupid and funny - hence entertaining. As for me this one would almost fall into such category, but unfortunately it wasn't easy to whatch nor funny...

The movie relies too much on profanity. If you remove the swear words from the movie, you are left with a poorly made movie, which leaves you feeling like you wasted 2 hours of your life.

In recent years Latvian filmmakers have not done a great job at creating interesting, charismatic, funny, and enjoyable films for the big screen. But finally, it has changed. "The Foundation of Criminal Excellence" in my opinion is the first successful comedy produced in Latvia's modern times. Here is why.

First of all, the plot was very dynamic, interesting and above all, they represent real-life events that are relatable for some viewers. Actions that take place in this film are convincing and nonfictional. The plot exceptionally well represents this mystical time of uncertainty and chaos like in the late 80s/90s. I'd like to point out that this film had a good balance between comedy(mostly dark comedy, which latvians enjoy) and action, but at the same time the plot offered multiple storylines that all are connected in the end. These storylines each have a fascinating character with different goals.

Second of all, the camerawork and cinematography were superb. I liked all the different camera angles and static shots where the main character in the scene is always in the picture's center. Also the coloring throughout the film was amazing, it gave a retro feeling and suited the film's theme quite well. The music fitted with all scenes and made the film's atmosphere more authentic.

Third of all, I appreciated the work of the actors in almost every scene. Despite them not being professionals all lines, dialogs and actions were convincing and natural. Although some of the lines were a little bit too saturated with curse words. But do not get me wrong, I think that curse words were a brilliant idea and it gave this film aliveness and reality, just in some places they were not necessary. The fiscal appearances and the voice of the actors matched each character. When watching this film, there was never a feeling that the actor isn't suited for that role. Also the props were convincing and represented that time perfectly.

I must point out, that when I was at the cinema to watch this film, it was the first time when all the people laughed really loud. This fact alone proves that this film is a masterpiece and a good achievement for Latvia.

I strongly suggest you to watch this film and that's why it scores 9/10.

Sorry it was terrible. No logic at all. They are using too much swear words. Terrible characters and I think the plot isn't original. Definitely not a good Latvian comedy. A gift for a single women is still the best Latvian comedy!

The Latvian heist movie made everyone laugh. Being honest, the cause of laughter possibly was the lively and uncensored language. On other hand, the jokes weren't weak as well. While watching the movie, even the introvert let the breath run through his nose a bit faster (I know since one of them was sitting next to me). Even though my humor is probably destroyed by internet, some of the jokes tickled even my funny bone. The story goes quite slowly but it didn't hurt the intrigue. TV screenwriter Imants has a great idea to try out everything he writes for a new TV show about thieves ('scuse me, tricksters). Meanwhile, his friend Harry wants to make something out of himself and earn a buck. What begins with stealing Pupsiks (a dog, which eventually makes its owner crazy) ends with Imants idea of becoming a criminal authority. I have to say the location scout did his job very well. Some of the places were perfect for recreating authentic feeling of the 90's. Cinematography was beautiful and the color scheme was nice to the eye. The actors were great for their roles and I have a feeling that we'll finally have our own movie actors (Latvia has a lot of theater actors but none of them usually fit the movie scene well). The only thing that was a bit out of place was the dubbing. Sometimes the voices weren't what you'd expect from a running person or while being in the interior of a speeding car. And the other thing - the rule of thirds exists for a reason. Even the sociopath laughed. That is a good sign that the movie was great.