Cameraman František Uldrich put across his refined visual sense for atmosphere during his collaboration with František Vláčil. However, he also influenced the form of a series of genre films. Among them is this 1978 crime drama directed by Karel Kovář. Uldrich also worked with this director, who made only two feature films, on the comedy Tím pádem (That’s Why, 1979). In Past na kachnu (The Duck Trap), a police investigation following the murder of an Austrian tourist takes place in the dreary, cheerless time of “normalisation” in Prague. Milan Sandhaus performs the role of Major Mlynář, who is investigating the case, a nasty affair revolving around gambling clubs and heroin smuggling. The actor playing the part of the shuffling taxi driver Koukal, who ceases to be of use to his accomplice, is Miroslav Macháček (who excels). The solid cast is further strengthened by Petr Čepek in the role of the pump man Richter.
Taxi driver Koukal is stopped by the police for a routine traffic check. In the boot of his car the police find the body of a naked man. Koukal is arrested even though he claims he knows nothing about it. The case is assigned to Major Mlynář. The police identify the corpse as that of an Austrian citizen called Mitrik. Koukal has been regularly driving people interested in gambling to a secret gaming den. The police are put onto the gambling den by another taxi driver, Kvěch, who admits that he drove Mitrik there. Mlynář and officer cadet Pecka feign interest in gambling and visit the gaming den incognito. After he is released from custody Koukal is murdered. Kvěch, the taxi driver Písecký and the waitress Záveská all find themselves on the suspect list. At the same time the Turk Oglu is arrrested on the frontier for smuggling heroin. The police find that he had a connection with Mitrik. Richter, who runs the gaming den, confesses that he found the Mitrik's corpse close to the gaming den and stuffed it into Kouka's boot for fear of a scandal. The police deduce that the murderer must speak German and that he knew Oglu. Oglu arranges a rendezvous with the murderer but it is Major Mlynář, who goes to the meeting. After an exciting chase the double murderer is caught. It is Kvěch. He killed Mitrik for money and drugs, and Koukal out of fear that his avaricious colleague would betray him.
kriminalista major Mlynář
kriminalista poručík Muclinger
kriminalista praporčík Pecka
taxikář Karel Koukal zvaný Hary
servírka Renáta Záveská
policejní lékař MUDr. Mlynář, majorův syn
pumpař Ladan Richter
zelinář Ivo Richter
vrchní Jonáš
taxikář František Kvěch
taxikář Jaroslav Písecký
karbaník Tóny Větvička
číšník
kriminalista Štádler
Ing. Kulich
zpěvačka ve studiu
sekretářka Jiřina Motejlová
televizní produkční
televizní režisér
výčepní Richterová
karbaník
karbaník
karbaník
Voice by Lubor Tokoš
karbaník/příslušník VB
Weinsturf, zákazník Záveské
vedoucí restaurace U labutí
barman v denním baru
Hůzl
Voice by Jindřich Narenta
německý zákazník
mechanik Josef
Turek Mohmadir Oglu
starší muž
muž se psem
starší vrchní
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB v civilu
příslušník VB
příslušník VB
Ivo Černý, Miloš Osvald, Miroslav Matuška, Jiří Rulík
Přemysl Pražský, Věra Winkelhöferová
Ladislav Hanousek
mjr. Miloslav Misauer
Nevjana Raduilská (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)
Jazz Q a hosté (Music Conducted by Martin Kratochvíl)
Song Composer Martin Kratochvíl
Writer of Lyrics Oskar Petr
Singer Martha Elefteriadu
Past na kachnu
Past na kachnu
The Duck Trap
V pátém voze jede vrah
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, crime
Czechoslovakia
1978
1977—1978
literary Screenplay approved 19 August 1977
start of filming 10 October 1977
technical Screenplay approved 10 November 1977
end of filming 18 April 1978
projection approval 10 May 1978
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986
premiere 29 December 1978 /suitable for youths/
Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
82 min
2 372 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,66
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech, German
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové
1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
František Uldrich
Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové
1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
Karel Kovář