Colors of Evil: Red – Review | Netflix (4/5)

COLORS OF EVIL: RED on Netflix is a Polish crime-thriller (org. title: Kolory zla. Czerwien) about the brutal murders of women. Not an easy watch but important – and with great twists. Read our Colors of Evil: Red movie review here!

COLORS OF EVIL: RED is a new Netflix movie from Poland (org. title: Kolory zla. Czerwien). It’s a crime-thriller and Polish filmmakers are truly excelling at genre productions these years. Especially when it comes to Netflix productions, which we’ve reviewed quite a few of by now – both movies and series.

This Netflix movie is dark and features brutal murders of women. Overall, it covers a lot of violence towards women, but also the good men fighting for women. It’s based on a book that is the first in a trilogy, so hopefully we’ll be getting Netflix adaptions of the other two as well.

Continue reading our Colors of Evil: Red movie review below. Find it on Netflix from May 29, 2024.

So much evil

In Colors of Evil: Red, the body of a young girl is found on a beach in Tricity. Her lips have been cut off and this isn’t the first murder victim with that detail. This leads everyone to immediately recognize that the murder resembles a crime from fifteen years ago. However, can it be that easy?!

Well, not really, which is hardly a spoiler as the movie would be over within 15 minutes of starting. Instead, something much more sinister appears to be happening. It becomes even more obvious when the prosecutor on the case gets a direct order to stop investigating any further.

His supervisor forbids him to reopen a closed case. However, this is one of the good guys, so he decides to collaborate with the mother of the victim. She’s a judge and ready to do whatever she can to find the people responsible for the brutal end of her daughter.

Pretty much everything in Colors of Evil: Red shows us the worst and most sinister sides of human beings. I should warn you that things get brutal, but I suspect you’ll know that from the plot. Instead, I do want to give you a heads-up that the timeline is a bit wonky.

So, stay alert and focused with this one!

Based on the first book of a trilogy

Colors of Evil: Red is a Netflix movie based on a book which is the first in a trilogy by author Małgorzata Oliwia Sobczak. So fingers crossed we’ll be getting Netflix adaptions of the other two as well.

If this first adaption is a hit, surely Netflix has everything ready to go for the next two. Actually, they may already be in the making.

All books have the same title except for the color. The first is “Red”, the second book is “Black” – which somehow seems even darker – and finally, book 3 is “White”.

The focus of these stories is brutal femicide cases. In case you’re not familiar with the term “femicide” it refers to the killing of women or girls. It’s a dark world, we’re getting introduced to. Gangsters are working alongside law enforcement and other people who should be protecting women.

The ending of Colors of Evil: Red on Netflix

A good 20 minutes or so, before the actual ending of Colors of Evil: Red, it feels like the story is getting wrapped up. It was only because I knew the runtime beforehand that I knew something was up.

The Colors of Evil: Red ending has an additional level that is just built for breaking us viewers a tad more. Because, trust me, the conclusion up until that point has been plenty dark. However, before it’s all over, we do need to get a bit deeper and darker.

The cast of this Polish crime-thriller delivers excellent performances which makes it all the better. Whether portraying villains or those trying to do right, we see nuanced and natural characters who are just doing what’s in their nature.

From Maja Ostaszewska and Jakub Gierszał in the lead roles as Helena, the judge, and Bilski, the prosecutor, respectfully to Zofia Jastrzębska (Infamy) as Monika. The unfortunate woman who is suffering at the hands of bad men.

Those who have watched some of the previous Netflix productions from Poland will recognize several actors in Colors of Evil: Red. Including Przemyslaw Bluszcz (Feedback) as the gangster Kazar, and Andrzej Konopka (Signs) as the forensic examiner Dubiela.

Watch Colors of Evil: Red on Netflix now!

This new Netflix movie, based on Małgorzata Oliwia Sobczak’s crime novel (the first book in a trilogy, as mentioned earlier), was directed by Adrian Panek. He previously wrote and directed the horror drama Werewolf (2020). He also co-wrote the adapted screenplay with Lukasz M. Maciejewski.

As good as Colors of Evil: Red is – and it really is good – the story is told in a way that can confuse a bit. There’s no help from the filmmakers by way of a “3 months earlier” message. Instead, we suddenly see someone, who we know has been murdered, alive yet again and can conclude that this is a flashback.

Other than these slight flashback moments (which are not themselves very chronologic either), I really was impressed with the plot, world-building, and character gallery of the Netflix crime-thriller.

Colors of Evil: Red is on Netflix from May 29, 2024.

Details

Director: Adrian Panek
Writers: Lukasz M. Maciejewski, Adrian Panek, Malgorzata Oliwia Sobczak (book)
Stars: Zofia Jastrzębska, Maja Ostaszewska, Jakub Gierszal, Andrzej Zieliński, Andrzej Konopka, Przemyslaw Bluszcz, Kagga Jayson