MOVIE REVIEW – On the evening of March 13th, during a gala premiere at the Arena Plaza in Budapest, we had the opportunity to see “Now or Never!”, a six-billion-dollar film that presents the events leading up to March 15th through the eyes of Petőfi and the “March youth,” peppered with action scenes. Despite the rather “amusing” trailer, well-known “governmental background,” and the seemingly unjustifiable high budget spent from public funds, we were intrigued to attend what is so far the most expensive Hungarian movie ever made.

The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 is a pivotal moment in Hungarian history – partly due to the desire for national self-determination and partly for the fight for individual freedoms – making it somewhat baffling that not many significant films have been produced on this theme. Immediately, classics like Mór Jókai’s “The Sons of the Stone Hearted Man” or Sándor Sára’s iconic hussar film, “The 80 Hussars,” come to mind, specifically about Petőfi and the March events, and the 1950s classic “The Sea has Risen.” As for more recent films, only one film in the 2010s addressed this theme, the 2019 “Guerilla,” which I had to look up here: because it did not make a significant impact. The 2017 “Kincsem” also touched on the ’48 events, but not substantially, as it was set after the failed freedom fight. Thus, there was indeed a place for a new, visually stunning, historical costume film that delves into the revolution, but alas…

Six Billion Reasons for Historical Inaccuracy

Upon first viewing the film’s trailer, it reminded me strongly of Guy Ritchie’s action films, albeit executed in a much clumsier, plastic manner by Nándor Berettyán, devoid of any real humor. However, it soon became clear that Guy Ritchie had little to do with it; “Now or Never” is more of a nationalistic, overly sentimental, two-dimensional historical action film, filled with clumsy action scenes, incredibly forced dialogues, generally weak or mediocre performances, and, of course, subtle anti-Western propaganda. The villains are the Austrians, depicted as 1800s-era Nazis, brutally beating, and shouting “Damned Hungarians!” at Hungarian protestors. The nuances of a more complex historical context, such as the fact that the 1848 revolution fought against an authoritarian imperial power, similar to what the film’s producer, famously known for his bloodthirsty government propaganda on Facebook, serves in the present day, are conveniently ignored by the film.

But the film also heavily disregards historical facts. There was no Austrian police terror in the streets on March 14, 1848, Hungarian was not banned in schools, and we could list many more historical inaccuracies featured in the film, but that’s not the primary focus of this review.

The Shadow of “Evil”

The film follows roughly two narratives: on one hand, it tracks Petőfi and his companions as they move around Budapest with “the people” to, for example, free Mihály Táncsics; on the other hand, it follows the Austrian agent Farkasch (played by Ottó Lajos Horváth) and his men (notably including Ákos Réti from “The Strangler of Martfű,” who quite competently portrays an intriguing criminal character with his typical professionalism) as they attempt to “sabotage” the March youth’s activities, often by trying to kill them. However, Farkasch is such a hopelessly stupid and one-dimensional villain in the film that it’s impossible to take him seriously. His motivations are utterly baffling, considering his relentless efforts to undermine the revolution and the Petőfi couple, even resorting to attempted murders and harassing Júlia Szendrey, without any clear reason for his inexorable hatred.

Five Tons of Pathos

The film’s protagonist, Petőfi, portrayed by Nándor Berettyán, is not very convincing either. Berettyán, primarily a stage actor (according to Wikipedia, his only film role prior was in the 2022 “Scourge of Attila”), presumably took on the role due to poor directorial instructions, often appearing ludicrously wide-eyed in moments more comedic than effective. His performance, along with that of the other actors, suffers from a theatricality that plagues many Hungarian films, further exaggerated here.

The performances are a mixed bag, generally not due to the actors’ abilities but rather the underdeveloped characters, the terribly sentimental, kitschy dialogues reminiscent of 1950s films, and a horribly unbelievable, illogical script that does not fit the historical figures, filled with foolish “action.”

And, of course, current politics is not absent from a Rákay Philip production. Notably omitted is the significant role Russia played in suppressing the revolution, likely due to the current government’s cozy relationship with Putin’s Russia. Despite the otherwise professional visual and VFX effects (the only nearly flawless aspect of the film), the content itself is another contribution to the government’s propaganda, distorting history and diminishing the memory of heroes. Were Petőfi and his contemporaries young revolutionaries today, it’s a safe bet whom they’d be rebelling against, and certainly, Rákay Philip and the current regime would not be making films about them.

-Herpai Gergely (BadSector)-