Rivers of Babylon

Rivers of Babylon

102 mins | Drama, Comedy | April 23, 1998

Dark satire about bare-knuckled capitalism in the immediate post-Cold War era. Set just as the Communist government is collapsing, the film focuses on the brutish Racz, the handyman in a Bratislava hotel. Knowing that his job is insured for life, Racz turns off the building's heat and demands food, money, and sex to have it restored. The film is narrated by a pimp named Urban who explains that people in the former Czechoslovakia were so used to being abused that they simply put up with Racz's corruption. By the end of the film, Racz's fortunes have changed considerably. Instead of being a lowly worker, he is now a ruthless and wealthy businessman, unafraid to kill or kidnap those who get in his way.

Rivers of Babylon

102 mins | Drama, Comedy | April 23, 1998

Rivers of Babylon
Dark satire about bare-knuckled capitalism in the immediate post-Cold War era. Set just as the Communist government is collapsing, the film focuses on the brutish Racz, the handyman in a Bratislava hotel. Knowing that his job is insured for life, Racz turns off the building's heat and demands food, money, and sex to have it restored. The film is narrated by a pimp named Urban who explains that people in the former Czechoslovakia were so used to being abused that they simply put up with Racz's corruption. By the end of the film, Racz's fortunes have changed considerably. Instead of being a lowly worker, he is now a ruthless and wealthy businessman, unafraid to kill or kidnap those who get in his way.
Producers Česká televize, Ateliéry Bonton Zlín, ALEF Film & Media Group, Alef Studio Bratislava, Markíza Slovakia
Original title Rivers of Babylon
Directors Vladimír Balco
Writers Marian Urban, Peter Pišťanek, Vladimír Balco

Cast

Andrej Hryc

as Rácz

Diana Mórová

as Silvia

Ady Hajdu

as Video-Urban

Miroslav Noga

as šofér Ďula

Peter Bzdúch

as Fredy

Stano Dančiak

as Mozoň

Ivo Gogál

as Zdravko

Martin Dohnal

as Hurensson

Oldřich Navrátil

as fiškál

Ľubo Gregor

as riaditeľ

Peter Šimun

as Tupý

Hynek Kubasta

as recepčný

Laco Kerata

as Šolík