Night Riders (1981) - Blu-ray

Men of the law are capable and determined. But horse smugglers, too. It is shortly after the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, but the inhabitants of a poor border village under the Tatras have other than state-building concerns. Former soldier Marek Orban (M. Dočolomanský) wants to raise money for all his neighbours to leave for a better life in America, so he and a group of friends smuggle horses from Poland. So far, no one has caught him in the act. The border guards are helpless. That is why the commander of the financial guard Halva (R. Brzobohatý) with his men. Like Orban and his friends, Halva's people have been through war and are trained to fight. But now the leaders of the two groups are up against each other. Even though they respect each other, they are just as stubborn and determined not to back down one step. And they're both well-armed. Their conflict, even though neither of them wants it, therefore tends from the beginning to a violent end. This Slovak-Czech co-production was made by the experienced director Martin Hollý, following his (also co-produced) opus Signum Laudis. The film was based on a screenplay by Tibor Vichta, who, thanks to his knowledge of the environment, adapted the original script by Czech authors Vít Olmer and Marta Kadlečíková. The film therefore respects the historical realities, but it is also an adventure spectacle that, thanks to its craftsmanship, still has appeal today.