Invalid

Invalid is a black-humoured gangster film about an unlikely avenger and enforcer of the law that rides on similar themes as Old-Timers and Shotgun Justice, but at the same time is a film that exuded the influence of American productions. Zdeněk Godla, whose role as the honestly dumb Gabo fit him like a glove, is the main driving force of the story. I liked the setting in the 1990s, which they managed to make good use of – whether it was the tacky clothes or the world of video stores. In addition to the narrative nostalgia, I also praise the choice of music in the film. (08.06.2023)

"I understand that you had an accident, the consequences of which you will probably carry for the rest of your life." *Invalid* has the parameters of a first-rate enthusiast film made by a group of twenty-year-old guys. The fact that behind the camera there was actually a professional team of weathered forty-year-olds and state money is a different story, but why should I have to deal with everything? At first glance, Karásek's film doesn't inspire much confidence - the jokes hit about one out of eight times, the characters are one-dimensional, the dialogues doubly so, the actors don't deliver their lines convincingly, and the slimy play on safe "political incorrectness," perfectly illustrated by a Romani person in a Nazi uniform (heh heh), is more scary because this seems to be a messy attempt at humor that will come from saying things in the film "as they really are" without any scruples. After the initial shock, however, many very sharp edges start to smooth out, especially by turning the characters into truly caricatured figures without any development, which allows various running jokes to be applied to them quite soon, aided by some actors who, for some reason, after a while surprisingly settle well into their roles (central Hološka and his mood swings!) and can naturally sell even the last "gimmick". *Invalid* also contains a plethora of visual and contextual jokes, a feature that most of the domestic comedy mainstream still can't even have explained to them and tries to reference the 1990s (Czech) exploitation by trying to shoehorn all the oppressive aspects of local society into the plot, from racial segregation, state negligence, corruption, Nazi past, to fetishization of historical symbols. Naturally, after the enthusiasm of boys' films, the female characters totally suffer here, who are supposed to act as catalysts for the plot, but in this case, they are rather an excuse for it, and just like the film's protagonists, its creators love them, but at the same time prefer them to be somewhere else. (25.07.2023)

I didn't enjoy it very much, unfortunately. The humor completely missed me, the characters didn't engage me, and I didn't find the story entertaining or engaging either. While it's nice that the Slovaks have tried something out of the box (the action finale is pretty ok), I didn't find my way to it. A bit boring for me. 5/10 (26.07.2023)

Such a film is welcome in the Czech and Slovak pool. In the Balkans, Emir Kusturica made tons of stories like this, they are already used to it. In my opinion, this attempt was a bit exaggerated, but I get the point. The film often slides into parody, into a black comedy ad absurdum. (11.09.2023)

Handicapped revenge in the 90s paradigm. A film without barriers about the barriers that surround us, sometimes as dark as a pit in the ground without a cover. A Slovakian Guy Ritchie with a social gloss, a garden grill made from a manhole cover, and no worries about expensive clothes. Writing something funny is only part of the success. Everything needs to be sold with precisely timed delivery and expression, and here it succeeds, partly due to the untranslatable Slovakian dialect. (31.07.2023)