Kolpaçino

There is a casino operating underground in Istanbul. Rıza works there; his job is clearing the tables, collecting debts and doing what the boss wants. One night a large account is opened at the dice table and things tangle. Rıza finds himself in the middle of several groups who know nothing of each other: creditors, the police, acquaintances from the neighbourhood and the boss's men. He has no plan, only a talent for talking, and each time he goes forward on a bigger lie. Atıl İnaç directs. Şafak Sezer takes the lead; Aydemir Akbaş and Ali Sürmeli are also in the cast. The humour rests largely on slang and on trading lines; the narrative leans on comedy of dialogue rather than of situation. Şafak Sezer had reached a wide audience through television at the time and the film was built on that recognition. It was among the most watched domestic films of the year at the Turkish box office and sequels followed. The world it builds is petty crime; the narrative shows that world as ridiculous rather than dangerous. Its limit is structure; the scenes are loosely joined and the plot stays in second place. Some of the jokes carry the shapes of their time and may be found uncomfortable now. Who it is for: viewers who like Turkish comedy and humour of dialogue. Who it is not for: the script is loose, the women's parts are functional, and the humour depends on language.