Pavlos Filippou Movies

Greek filmmaker Pavlos Filippou wrote and directed this heist-themed crime-drama with Sassa Kastoura as Christine, the head of a gang of thieves whose members include the handsome Kurt (Andreas Barkoulis) and a former Nazi named Heine (Zoras Tsapelis). They plan to rob a thriving casino on Mount Parnes, a plan that could make them millionaires if successful. By sheer dumb luck, casino security chief Miskas (Lakis Komninos), who is also a police officer, arrests Heine with the money concealed in packs of cigarettes before he can escape Greece by air. Angry, Kurt takes command of the gang and tries to kidnap Miskas' daughter to ransom the stolen money back, as well as guaranteeing safe passage from the country. Unfortunately, the kidnap attempt ends with the death of Miskas' wife (Nelly Gini), which only makes the policeman come after the gang with grim, single-minded determination and leads to a bloody conclusion. Yiorgos Voutsinos co-stars with Vassilis Tsaglos and Yiannis Kandilas. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Pavlos Filippou's winning Greek satire stars Danos Lygizos as the embattled President of the Greek Democracy. He receives increasingly dire reports about the state of the nation every day, predicting terrible consequences if the situation is not reversed immediately. The President responds by meeting with each of the political parties in the Parliament, but can't figure out exactly what is wrong or what to do about it. Meanwhile, a pair of reporters interviews people who might have an answer. Among others, they speak with Tamtakos (Michalis Mossios), a struggling gypsy; Thimios (Kostas Hadjichristos), a farmer who travels to the city to sell oranges; and Markos (Nikos Tsoukas), an underling praying for a raise in his salary. The eventual consensus is that the Greek people are entirely to blame for their miserable situation, and the recommendation is that they should learn to grin and bear their misfortunes, since they caused them in the first place. Yiorgos Mylonas wrote the clever, at times darkly knowing, script and the cast includes Dimitris Papamichael, Katerina Youlaki, and Danos Lygizos. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi