Black Cat, White Cat

A noisy, raucous and infectiously lively comedy where pigs eat henchmen, mobsters snort coke from a crucifix, gypsies juggle grenades and the dead come back to life. Uff........! Thanks to the downright lively music that would bring a deadman to the dance floor and permeates the entire film, it also works as an effective musical backdrop for a party. Perfect when you are in a crappy mood, I’m going to get the soundtrack right now. (07/04/2008)

There's no such thing as a typical Gypsy. I have the nagging feeling that to fully appreciate (perhaps even understand) the film, one needs a full understanding of their complex souls. Comparing Czech and Balkan gypsies is a bit inappropriate here because of the line it draws, beyond which a lawsuit for racially motivated statements awaits. Director Emir Kusturica presents an amazing panopticon of diverse characters, whom he sends into utterly banal but all the more charming situations. The folk humor of the Balkan temperament may not be fully appreciated by Central Europeans, but the piles of "disposable" jokes will make you laugh. I don't know how the master of dark camera compositions Thierry Arbogast came up with a film like this. But his impressive filming of the Danube's shore, combined with local folk music, opened up new horizons of audiovisual culture for me. My encounter with director Kusturica was more than happy, so I am honestly not afraid of another. (20/06/2005)

Tired of the rather controversial reception of Underground, the director once again reached for the familiar gypsy substance, but this time he left the tragedy aside and made an incredibly crazy and original comedy. The word "crazy" is not entirely accurate, because this comedy is like a Balkan brass band: predatory, wild, cheerful, sensuous... The story of friendship to the grave, the oil deal and the failed wedding was decorated by the brilliant character of the mobster Dadan. His dance creations and snorting crucifix cannot be forgotten... Kusturica has again created a film that is unmissable. By the way, do you know what Balkan pigs eat? Trabants! (28/01/2004)

A tsunami of emotive spontaneity to the rhythm of Balkan brass bands presented in a way that is unique to Kusturica, with a bit of magic realism on top. And a pig steadily devouring a Trabant to add to things. So tell me, can anything like this be fundamentally bad? Unfortunately, not even this movie is without its shortcomings. The half hour following the wedding pulls this movie back from a full set of stars. From that moment on, the movie far too crazy, unhinged. The movie itself leaves you fairly soon, but the energy that it charges you up with remains long afterward. And that is what it’s all about - this is a sign of a great work of cinema. "PIT-Bull! Terrier!!" (24/01/2007)

This atypical work is difficult to evaluate, because to fully appreciate it, you probably need to at least partially understand the life attitudes and peculiar mind of the proud Gypsy nation. As I watched the film, desperately trying to navigate the frantic editing and peculiar dialogue, I realised more and more that I will probably never have any understanding for their nature. An interesting premise, fine actors and a really great soundtrack, but if Emir Kusturica wanted to suggest something specific with this grotesque, it unfortunately failed to reach my ears and eyes. 60% (05/10/2012)

A total blast... I spent an hour getting my bearings and another hour barely keeping up. A Balkan romp with some really great jokes (a pig eating the trabant) and incredible vivacity. (03/06/2008)

Excellent movie that surprised me a lot. I don't even know what I was expecting, but this black comedy full of Balkan energy simply isn't it. Whether you like the characters or not, you just can't take away from this film that it doesn't have any weak points and it keeps going the whole time, pulling the viewer along with it, who will just be staring at what they are watching and how it works. The national influences are very visible here, and it's really good. (02/07/2015)