Here Be Dragons

2022

Drama / Thriller

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 4 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 100%
IMDb Rating 5.5/10 10 160 160

army war crimes detective investigation serbia military

Plot summary

A war crimes investigator goes to Belgrade to hunt a man whom everybody thought was dead.

Director

Alastair Newton Brown Photo
Alastair Newton Brown

Top cast

Tamara Radovanovic Photo
Tamara Radovanovic as Lejla
Sasa Kuzmanovic Photo
Sasa Kuzmanovic as Djuric
Petar Milicevic Photo
Petar Milicevic as Anders
Hana Bestic Photo
Hana Bestic as Translator
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.1 GB
1280*642
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
24 fps
2 hr 2 min
Seeds 14
2.26 GB
1920*964
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles
24 fps
2 hr 2 min
Seeds 25

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Formula15 10 / 10

Balkan shades of grey...

Caught this on Prime and almost couldn't believe this kind of film was still being made, given all the generic sequels, prequels and remakes we are served constantly. Wonderful writing, direction and performances that do a nice job of bringing complex history to life. Paints a faithful (and noir-ish) picture of a complex situation. Doesn't treat you like a moron or pick sides. Expressive characters - great music and cinematography too - solid indie film. Noir fans and fans of detective mysteries set against a backdrop of intense history will enjoy this film. Oh and be warned - you may want to take up smoking after watching!
Reviewed by LeadTheWayFilms 9 / 10

Eye for an eye would leave the world blind

A war crimes investigator for the UN takes on a special case that sees him return to Serbia. This taut mystery thriller is a debut feature for Australian director Alastair Newton Brown. I went into the film unawares of his credits and was blown away. Nathan Sapsford was brilliant in the lead role of David Locke. The whole cast was exceptional. Every character left an impression and added to the authenticity of the film. The cinematography was another standout. Character exchanges and their interaction with the Serbian setting was immersive. There were only a few moments at the end of the film when I had to suspend my disbelief briefly. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes mystery or thriller films, especially ones with historical basis. I had the pleasure of watching this on the big screen at the Vision Splendid Film Festival. Looking forward to seeing more from this director and all the cast and crew involved. Brilliant.
Reviewed by morsy-30966 9 / 10

Taut, slow burning Balkan thriller

The Yugoslav wars were a hellish fever dream of humanity at its worst, a bloody cocktail of genocide, betrayal, and shattered souls. It's into this cauldron of chaos that Alastair Newton Brown's "Here Be Dragons" dives headfirst, dragging us along for a ride that's equal parts heart-pounding thriller and gut-wrenching moral labyrinth.David Locke, our war-weary protagonist, is not just any war crimes investigator. He's a man who's stared into the abyss and had it leer right back at him, a modern-day Ahab haunted by the spectre of Ivan Novak-a ghost of a war criminal believed to be dead but at the same time, believed to be quite possibly alive and living in Belgrade.Locke's journey to Belgrade is a descent into the belly of the beast. The city's a bruised veteran of history, its streets soaked in blood and secrets. And Locke, driven by a concoction of duty, vengeance, and something darker, is the perfect guide through this maze of moral ambiguity. He infiltrates Novak's new life, getting chummy with his lounge-singer wife and psychologically scarred son. It's a relationship built on lies and manipulation, a fragile dance on the edge of a razor blade.But this isn't your typical shoot-em-up thriller. No, Brown has crafted something far more insidious. The tension here isn't from car chases or explosions but from the claustrophobic grip of Locke's mission. The real horror lies in the questions the film forces us to confront. Can a man who's committed unspeakable atrocities ever find redemption? Can we, as a society, afford to forgive? Are we even the same people that we were decades ago?Nathan Sapsford, who plays Locke, delivers a performance that's all clenched jaws and haunted eyes, a man barely holding it together as he stalks his prey whilst navigating the spiritually enervating realities of his lived experience. Props must however go to Vladimir Gvojic, who as Novak filled every scene with a measured elegiac intensity that allowed him to draw out the music in the dialogue and left me hanging on every word. Their interactions are the heart of the film, a deadly game of cat and mouse where the lines between hunter and hunted blur until you're not sure who's who anymore.As a first feature film, "Here Be Dragons" is an ambitious endeavour that overcomes apparent budgetary shortfalls with creative framing, succulent cinematography and a thoroughly excellent score that serves as the perfect complement to the dark and brooding, atmosphere.Though the final act brings out the big guns, don't come here looking for an action movie, this is so much more than that. It's a film that crawls under your skin and stays there, a stark reminder that the ghosts of the past are never truly laid to rest.So, grab a stiff drink, buckle up, and prepare to be dragged through the muck of human nature. Brown's "Here Be Dragons" is a dark, relentless trip into the heart of darkness, and it's not one you'll soon forget.
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