First of all, let me just say that I cannot speak about Cu Mainile Curate (With Clean Hands) without mentioning Ultimul Cartus (The Last Bullet). I can't. They are twin movies. They are practically a 3-hour movie cut in two.
The definitive Romanian cop movie has always divided Romanian film fans into lovers and haters. Sure, the acting is sometimes awful, the clichés are blatant and the script sometimes lingers, but one can't deny the raw feeling you get when watching this movie, and that unforgettable piano theme sticks with you for the rest of your life.
The plot involves two cops ("comissaries") in 1945 Bucharest. Miclovan is a dandy, trigger-happy tough cop who thinks it's better to kill villains rather than bring them to justice. Roman is a Communist-party-member-former-rugby-player idealist newbie (although the same age as Miclovan) who joined the force thinking life on the street is just like playing "cops and robbers". They are forced to work together following a series of bank and jeweler's stores robberies that Miclovan thinks are orchestrated by industrialist Semaca. The two embark on an investigation that will set them against Semaca's henchmen, with tragic consequences.
The chemistry between the two cops is what it's important in this movie. Their different views on justice are obviously on a collision course and it all culminates with a fist fight between the two. They are, however, aware of each other's qualities and decide to be more open minded towards each other, taking on the bad guys as a team (it's kinda like "L.A. Confidential", if you will).
The ending is symbolic, with Miclovan lying dead, shot by Semaca's men, and Roman retrieving the last bullet from his partner's gun and putting it in his pocket. At the time (1972), the audience was baffled by the ending, not knowing that Nicolaescu was already planning the sequel, in which the eponymous last bullet would play a pivotal role.
The definitive Romanian cop movie has always divided Romanian film fans into lovers and haters. Sure, the acting is sometimes awful, the clichés are blatant and the script sometimes lingers, but one can't deny the raw feeling you get when watching this movie, and that unforgettable piano theme sticks with you for the rest of your life.
The plot involves two cops ("comissaries") in 1945 Bucharest. Miclovan is a dandy, trigger-happy tough cop who thinks it's better to kill villains rather than bring them to justice. Roman is a Communist-party-member-former-rugby-player idealist newbie (although the same age as Miclovan) who joined the force thinking life on the street is just like playing "cops and robbers". They are forced to work together following a series of bank and jeweler's stores robberies that Miclovan thinks are orchestrated by industrialist Semaca. The two embark on an investigation that will set them against Semaca's henchmen, with tragic consequences.
The chemistry between the two cops is what it's important in this movie. Their different views on justice are obviously on a collision course and it all culminates with a fist fight between the two. They are, however, aware of each other's qualities and decide to be more open minded towards each other, taking on the bad guys as a team (it's kinda like "L.A. Confidential", if you will).
The ending is symbolic, with Miclovan lying dead, shot by Semaca's men, and Roman retrieving the last bullet from his partner's gun and putting it in his pocket. At the time (1972), the audience was baffled by the ending, not knowing that Nicolaescu was already planning the sequel, in which the eponymous last bullet would play a pivotal role.