Melah Ha'arets

IMDb acknowledges Dostoevsky as a contributor to the script. The movie is rather long but it's rushed nonetheless because it's taken upon itself at least three stories each big enough for a movie in its own right: a gambler who ultimately endangers himself in a risky crime in hopes of settling his debts, the planning and performance of that crime, and the criminals' subsequent attempts to keep themselves undiscovered. So the script winds up showing a heist that the police deem too well planned to be the work of everyday criminals, but time isn't taken to show us how exceptional the planning is. The gambler's friends follow him into the dangerous crime without considering the downside more than a moment. The policeman investigating the crime has the criminal under his nose because the gambler is a reporter by profession and works closely with the police. A big addition of screen time could have solved all those problems and more; we would have been looking at a TV miniseries. Or perhaps a novel of Dostoevskian length. Meanwhile, we're reminded that Aki Avni, the lead actor, has what it takes to return to stardom whenever he gets his groove back.

I went to watch this film with some expectations. A wonderful and talented cast, brilliant filmmakers and a recent drought in the theaters made me believe I would come out of the theater satisfied. I didn't. Although the plot is mostly consistent, excluding several scenes where the characters tell the moral of the story in retrospect, it lays major wholes in understanding. It is difficult to explain without giving something away but it sure felt like details were missing, even minute ones like a stare or other facial expressions at the correct moment. It seemed like the actors had great freedom in interpreting the characters' knowledge and motivations. While it is not a bad thing by definition, in this case more guidance would have resulted in a much more fulfilling outcome. Furthermore, there was inconsistent usage of props and hair and make-up. Some may not notice but I get thrown off by those things. My general conclusion was that the potential of this film was not utilized to the fullest.