Pravidla lži

Among other things to come out of stuffy Little Czech cinema, Rules of Lies acts like a dose of meth applied straight to your mainline. Of course, like any other drug, this carries with it many negatives, but otherwise they brighten up your day. With depression. Now all you can do is vainly hope that Czech cinema becomes hopelessly addicted to other psychological movies of a similar quality. (16.04.2008)

The start may be slower, but once the viewer immerses into the community, the tension never disappears and moreover, what Sedláček, with the help of the acting ensemble led by Langmajer, demonstrates during the last two sessions, is an unbelievable spectacle by domestic standards. 85% (21.09.2008)

Rules of Lies is a far from perfect film, but I can include it in the category of interesting and sympathetic films. Several minor shortcomings can be pointed out, mainly in the script, especially the somewhat fabricated story that three individuals connected by the past and a crime in a distant country meet in a small closed community. However, this fabrication is common in classic famous detective stories by British authors. The logic of the behavior of the main adversaries occasionally falters, especially the main villain played by Jiří Langmajer. Also, some of the actors in supporting roles are not entirely convincing, and I don't entirely believe in their drug-addicted past and the torment of abstinence. On the other hand, I consider Rules of Lies to be one of the best attempts at a Czech genre film, surpassing, for example, the genre-related film Angel Exit or the weak Coal Tower. These mentioned shortcomings can be attributed to the inexperience of Robert Sedláček - considering that this is his debut, it is a strong and clever film that relies on a series of impressive dialogues between the main characters in the form of therapists and their patients. In addition, Jiří Langmajer's impressive performance stands out, as he does not play a demonic underworld character, but rather a small ordinary scumbag who manipulates his surroundings for his own benefit, being both selfish and cowardly at the same time. This creature is believable, as he is simply a realistic antagonist that you may encounter in real life. Overall impression: 75%. (18.06.2011)

The film wasn’t bad at all, and if the creators had had the guts and skills to give the film a conclusion, they would have certainly gotten at least one additional star from me. Considering that the film was almost two hours long and its pace was by no means frantic, I had an unexpectedly good time. (24.04.2020)