The whiskey bandit
October 2018
https://mnf.hu/en/film/the-whiskey-bandit
The story of a Hungarian bank robber who goes on a crime spree over the course of six years and ultimately meets his doom. Yeah, was enough for me to want to watch this film. But The Whiskey Bandit (simply A Viszkis in Hungarian) is far more than that.
Attila Ambrus’ story—and it is a story—begins in Romania with Ambrus as a young ethnic Hungarian sent to live in a military youth camp under the brutal regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. His propensity for stealing started early in life, but perhaps that was because he had no mother, his father could care less, and his grandma was overly indulgent. Suffice it to say, Ambrus (Bence Szaly) ultimately escapes military duty, successfully crosses the border—quite possibly one of the best scenes of the film—and sets out to make his way in Budapest. This last, however, proves a challenge for the young Transylvanian who has no papers, no education, and essentially no hope.
Enter an ice hockey coach who gives him a break and a place to stay, and the film is off. There’s of course a woman; isn’t there always. Played by Piroska Móga, Kata is not quite a woman but instead a wholesome girl-next-door who gleefully decides to never ask Ambrus about how he gets his money but enjoys it anyway. In the end, she of course takes her leave—and apparently a whole stash of cash. Her performance is numbing if not sickening and appears to be quite obviously a subplot ingeniously manifested by director Antal Nimród.
Aside from scenes of Transylvania—and the plight of Hungarians in that former Magyar land—as well as the thrilling shots of ice hockey games throughout the film, there is of course the slew of robberies. The size and scope of these escalate as Ambrus’ success continues uninterrupted—until it is. The Whiskey Bandit actually starts with Detective Bartos (Zoltán Schneider) questioning Ambrus, who is already in custody, and we continuously return to this interrogation room. Bartos is tense, determined, and has clearly already made up his mind about the thief sitting in front of him. But hey, he has his own problems which are revealed later on in the film. When Ambrus proudly declares at one point he has never hurt anyone during any of his crimes, Bartos—and the audience—are left questioning this claim. The thefts are all violent enough, especially the final one with a full-on chase scene with cops.
The intertwining of these interchanges between the criminal and the law with Ambrus’ story of his life and escapades keeps you utterly engaged. At one point, Bartos tells Ambros, “A sob story won’t be enough here.” But this is no sob story. It is about as thrilling as thrilling can get, and Ambrus is colorful, crazy, and ultimately… caught. But we all already knew that. This is a true story after all. As to the whiskey, well, there’s a reason for that too.
Yes the trailer below is in Hungarian... with English subtitles. Deal. (Or should I say, "Open your mind." ;)
Attila Ambrus’ story—and it is a story—begins in Romania with Ambrus as a young ethnic Hungarian sent to live in a military youth camp under the brutal regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. His propensity for stealing started early in life, but perhaps that was because he had no mother, his father could care less, and his grandma was overly indulgent. Suffice it to say, Ambrus (Bence Szaly) ultimately escapes military duty, successfully crosses the border—quite possibly one of the best scenes of the film—and sets out to make his way in Budapest. This last, however, proves a challenge for the young Transylvanian who has no papers, no education, and essentially no hope.
Enter an ice hockey coach who gives him a break and a place to stay, and the film is off. There’s of course a woman; isn’t there always. Played by Piroska Móga, Kata is not quite a woman but instead a wholesome girl-next-door who gleefully decides to never ask Ambrus about how he gets his money but enjoys it anyway. In the end, she of course takes her leave—and apparently a whole stash of cash. Her performance is numbing if not sickening and appears to be quite obviously a subplot ingeniously manifested by director Antal Nimród.
Aside from scenes of Transylvania—and the plight of Hungarians in that former Magyar land—as well as the thrilling shots of ice hockey games throughout the film, there is of course the slew of robberies. The size and scope of these escalate as Ambrus’ success continues uninterrupted—until it is. The Whiskey Bandit actually starts with Detective Bartos (Zoltán Schneider) questioning Ambrus, who is already in custody, and we continuously return to this interrogation room. Bartos is tense, determined, and has clearly already made up his mind about the thief sitting in front of him. But hey, he has his own problems which are revealed later on in the film. When Ambrus proudly declares at one point he has never hurt anyone during any of his crimes, Bartos—and the audience—are left questioning this claim. The thefts are all violent enough, especially the final one with a full-on chase scene with cops.
The intertwining of these interchanges between the criminal and the law with Ambrus’ story of his life and escapades keeps you utterly engaged. At one point, Bartos tells Ambros, “A sob story won’t be enough here.” But this is no sob story. It is about as thrilling as thrilling can get, and Ambrus is colorful, crazy, and ultimately… caught. But we all already knew that. This is a true story after all. As to the whiskey, well, there’s a reason for that too.
Yes the trailer below is in Hungarian... with English subtitles. Deal. (Or should I say, "Open your mind." ;)
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