“A Dark, Dark Man” is set in a part of Kazakhstan where few people seem to live, but corruption pervades every corner.
When this police procedural, directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov (“Yellow Cat”), premiered in 2019, it was a regular feature. His distributor cut it into three episodes for streaming purposes. That’s unfortunate, because its pacing and visual style – much of the action takes place in a long shot – is clearly designed for big-screen immersion.
For its first third, “A Dark, Dark Man” delivers dark revelations with breathtaking speed. Poukuar (Teoman Khos), a gullible local, is coerced by a mysterious man into providing evidence that will be used to frame him for the rape and murder of an orphan boy. (We later learn that the boy is the guy’s fourth such victim.) Detective anti-hero Bekzat (Daniyar Alshinov) arrives on the scene to investigate what now looks like an open and closed case.
In this neighborhood, suspects tend to be found dead before trial. Bekzat can’t stage Poukuar’s suicide so easily, however, after a reporter, Ariana (Dinara Baktybayeva), shows up to accompany Bekzat on the investigation. She might even push him to seriously pursue the hidden serial killer.
The mystery aspect is treated obliquely. The film is more of a mood piece, and much of its dark humor comes from the contrast between the barren landscape and the sheer number of horrors it contains. (When Bekzat and Ariana arrive in a village, an old woman greets him: “You killed my son. Two years ago. During an interrogation.”) Only the last moments seem less nervous.
A dark and dark man
Unclassified. In Kazakh and Russian, with subtitles. Duration: 2h10. Watch on MHz Choice.
