Home Guards (2015) User Reviews

It's the 2010s, yet this movie is like from the 90s

[botrytis · 5/10 · 30 December 2018]

I look at this movie as an outsider; I have no idea about any details of the production or behind the scenes. So my review is really based on pure experiences I got watching this movie.

Writing/Story: There are intriguing elements;

• like the themes of racism based on white and gippsy ethnicities here in Europe.
• A likeable police officer comes in town who practicly becomes a head of a Skinhead group in the end through some immoral actions.
• A main protagonist sacrifices his hopefuly more positive future for his brother and father's sake.

So basicly the fundamentals were being well put on the table.

However they were lackingly or terribly executed; The whole youngling gang at the begining doing irrationally idiotic things, and all the important story elements and decisions are built around these oversimplisticly written actions. So yeah, one story short: Oversimplified storytelling

• Where is this story takes place, and is it a distopian world or a place that wants to act like it is the reality? I am not familiar with the world of this movie, which territorially should be somewhere around Budapest, but I just can't buy it.

• Topic of Racism:

The main issue I have is that the conflict between the races aren't well articulated. It seems overly simplified, and makes us asking weird questions like: Why are only the RADICAL whites do criminal acts in this movie? Which gippsies are doing criminal things, which don't and vica versa to whites? If the bald prodagonists base their judgement on race, why isn't this difference between races outlined at all? Are the actions based on racism or just political strategies? etc. So, maybe what's the issue here is the topics are brought up, but sometimes they just don't connect organicaly to each other. Story elements are drawn but they just end up left behind in the end.

Music: Low Quality, it's like taken from a Soap Opera TV Show. This is not the first time that a europian production really tries to copy the whole Hollywoodish Action-like music language, but it just ends up being so terribly lame that they should have just kept most of the scenes without any soundtrack.

Acting: It was mostly good, a bit dandified at places. Imre Csuja's simphaty towards the young gang was unmotivated/not understandable. Even though I like Viktor Klem, he is the one who is accountable for the dandified acting. Vidnyánszky is great, he is more talented than most of the crew.

Overall: American History X put down more ballsy and still haunting discussions about similar topics which holds up today. This movie, after 15 years or so can't add any refreshing points to this theme, actually, it's just lesser in every aspect.

Timely Look at Mob Power

[silvio-mitsubishi · 7/10 · 10 October 2018]

Interesting and thought-provoking look at the appeal of hardline law and order in a broken society. Brothers Maté and Joci are believable as youngsters trying to get by in a provincial city with high unemployment and corrupt local officials. We are carried with them as they are drawn into a paramilitary group and ditch their old allegiances.

The relationship between Maté and Anita feels rushed, but the betrayal of Tibi, the athletics trainer, is powerfully done. There are flaws and unanswered questions: What happens to the money Tibi gave Maté for running shoes? Does Maté ever compete in the race that seems his only hope at the outset? We're Acs' motives always honourable? - but these do not detract from the story. The element of racism does not translate well - I was not always able to recognise the ethnicities behind the divisions - and the whole tale is shoehorned into two one-hour episodes but could have been spread more evenly over three. The show avoids easy answers, however, and leaves its questions hanging. How far are we willing to go, how much to tolerate, in the search for peace and social order?

The re-election of Viktor Orban in Hungary, and the spread of right-wing ideologies across Europe, mean the issues raised are as relevant in 2018 as they were when the show was made. Well worth a watch.

Lost and Found

[KataVargaWriter · 8/10 · 6 February 2023]

I'm hard to please when it comes to my fellow Hungarian filmmakers, but this movie did hook me from head to toe. As an empath with any sibling story - this film made me cry and laugh. That's the job of art. Mate and Joco are the perfect examples of the famous saying 'nothing is black & white'. What goes on between siblings is much more than 50 shades of that gray. This movie shows you how deep that rabbit hole goes. Both screenwriting and cinematography give you a taste of this part of Hungary. Right time, right place. The main characters are well-written, but the allies and foes could have gotten more colorful. Except the good /Tibibá/ and the evil /Ács/mentors. Their moral battle gives the highs and lows to the story. Who would you choose?

I couldn't help to make a comparison to 'American History X' which is one of my favorite movies of all time. Hungarian skinheads were also a tough reality back in the 1990s when I was a teenager. Another sibling story in the eye of that storm/racism/. It's a reverse tattoo, but this concept made me like 'Veszettek' this much. The actors are all perfect picks. I like how naturally they play the part. It took me a few days to digest the ending, but it all made sense. Sometimes words aren't that necessary. 'Veszettek' has the balance between two deep breaths.