You
can tell what preoccupies a nation’s subconscious from the villains and
nightmares that appear in its films. As one would expect, the Balkan War, the
Siege of Sarajevo, and the frustrated attempts to prosecute war criminals have
loomed large in many, many previous Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival
selections. However, this year’s slate suggests something of a turning of the corner,
including several films addressing concerns New Yorkers understand only too
well. That would be gangland shakedowns and public corruption in the case of
Admir Buljugić’s crime drama—two New York traditions if ever there were any.
Representing an intriguing change of pace in several respects, Buljugić’s Racket (trailer here) screens during
the fondly anticipated 2015 Bosnian Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York.
Amil
Pašić is a globe-trotting nature photographer, who does not come home to Sarajevo
very often. His latest stop-over will be a mere seven days, to be divided
amongst his father, his neglected best friend, and his even more neglected
on-again-off-again girlfriend. However, his plans go out the window when his
father has a heart attack induced by the stress of defying a protection racket.
Of
course, Pašić is even more obstinate than his father. When he seeks out Bakir,
the extorting gangster, he is not about to come to terms. Instead, he will be
serving notice. However, that will not entail unleashing his inner Van Damme. Pašić
is hardnosed, but not superhuman.
In
fact, the just-rightness of the Pašić character and Adnan Hasković’s lead
performance are what really distinguish Racket.
He can easily beat up one gangster, but he is probably in serious trouble
facing two or three. Striking an intense but not psychotic vibe, Hasković (he
killed Jamie Bell in Snowpiercer)
makes a compelling everyman action hero.
While
admirably scrappy and impressively moody, Buljugić’s screenplay is still
undeniably uneven. Frankly, it heads in a legitimately interesting direction,
but his third act is rather perfunctory. Given his budget constraints, he might
have been under-pressure to wrap things up quickly. Look, this is a rare case
where we would argue thriller fans really need to relax and grade on a curve.
