Disconnected, the short sci-fi thriller written by Vladislav Kracík and directed by Vitek Hradil, opens with narration that briefly traces the history of communication via telephone and radio. The story proper starts with desperate scientist Bob (Albert Čuba) racing into the back of a taxi. Said cab is driven by Sára (Andrea Mohylová), who is startled by the beleaguered man, but takes him in the direction he wants.
As the passenger and driver get to know each other, she discovers he’s running from a gang. But the well-trained members of the gang soon track down the two people. But surprise, surprise, Sára is a skilled martial artist and dispatches the goons. But the mob sends more people to kill Bob and Sára. What does the scientist know to make the mob want to silence him? Can Sára use her skills to keep him alive?
“What does the scientist know to make the mob want to silence him?”
Disconnected is 33 minutes of pure adrenaline. The aforementioned starting voice-over is set to the mob underlings beating the snot out of each other. Happily, the fast and furious action is fun as hell. The cinematography follows the flow of every punch and kick with elegant movements. This is kickass filmmaking of the most thrilling kind.
Mohylová is great as the reluctant heroine in over her head. She’s easy to like and is a natural when it comes to the hand-to-hand combat. Čuba sells every tense-filled line, making for a sympathetic hero. The rest of the cast is also quite good, especially when it comes to the action moments.
Kracík has written likable characters and infuses a unique take on what could have been a formulaic plot. Hradil directs with the rising pulses in mind. The action is often hard-hitting and is a lot of fun. The director only has a few music videos to his name before this, but this is stylized enough that more work should easily and happily be heading his way.
Disconnected is fun and thrilling. The acting is good, and the plot is engaging. The directing hones in on the action, which is the right move. Every fight is awesome and cool, which is exactly as it should be.
"…fun and thrilling."
