Gangster Ka is a 2015 Czech action thriller directed by Jan Pachl.
It stars Hynek Čermák as Radim Kraviec a fictionalised version of Radovan Krejčíř. The film is divided into two parts. Part one premiered on 10 September 2015 while the second part (known as Gangster Ka: African) premiered on 26 September. The film is based on novel Padrino Krejčíř by Jaroslav Kmenta. Kmenta's works previously served as a basis for a similar film Story of a Godfather.
Gangster Ka provides examples of:
- Amoral Attorney: Kraviec employs a small army of these, but Polanecký stands out. He happily helps Kraviec swindle the Prague underworld out of millions soon after he moves to the city, has no problem with bribing a judge to get Kraviec out of jail, and eventually, he helps him escape Czech justice system by helping him flee to Seychelles.
- Anyone Can Die: Pretty much every mob boss that Kraviec meets ends up murdered (and nearly all on his orders, too), but his criminal activities also get his own father, Lánský's girlfriend and Dardan killed.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Milota meets his end.
- Cop Killer: Kraviec orders the death of Hakl.
- Corrupt Politician:
- Minister Klein. He uses Kraviec's money on an election campaign that wins him the elections that make him the Prime Minister in exchange for the promise that his government will sell him Čepro. When he comes asking Kraviec for extra money for the Čepro sale and Kraviec instead threatens him with exposure of his corruption if he doesn't go through with the original deal, he unsuccessfully joins forces with Milota, the head of Prague underworld, to take Kraviec down. When Lánský starts suspecting him of dealing with Kraviec, he orders Sivák to assassinate him (with the hit ending up killing his girlfriend instead of him). His massive corruption leads to his eventual downfall in the second part - after Kraviec finds out about the BIS agents that spied on him on Seychelles, he exposes Klein's corruption in a TV interview, forcing Klein to resign.
- Martier, the Seychellois politician bribed by Kraviec to secure him Seychellois citizenship. Like Klein, his corruption leads to his fall from power, but this time, it's orchestrated by Lánský in his attempt to chase Kraviec out of Seychelles. Unlike Klein, he seems to have at least some redeeming qualities - when Kraviec offers him to take over Seychelles using African mercenaries, he calls him mad and hangs up on him.
- Decoy Protagonist: Lánský seems to be the protagonist in the first 30 minutes but the focus switches to Kraviec who is Villain Protagonist. Lánský is actually a Hero Antagonist.
- Domestic Abuse: Even though Kraviec seems to love his wife Sandra, he often abuses her. He shows remorse about this at one point and promises that it won't happen again. Unfortunately, it proves to be wrong.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: It is stated that Kraviec cares for his father. Kraviec also shows that he cares for his wife son and his friend Dardan, and he is visibly shaken when Dardan gets killed in the shootout in Johannesburg.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Dardan starts out as loyal Kraviec's enforcer, but he grows increasingly disgusted with his behaviour towards Sandra and his growing unhingedness while they stay on Seychelles. Ultimately, seeing the full extent of his brutality in Johannesburg, he, via Sandra, provides the police evidence that brings Kraviec down for good.
- Kraviec himself starts as this but as the story progresses, he becomes more ruthless and loses his principles.
- Foreshadowing:
- Lánský tells Dardan to enjoy the life as mobsters die prematurely. Dardan is later killed in shootout with Pakistani gangsters in Johannesburg.
- Kraviec has problem with Seychellois toilet paper. This is foreshadowing of how he will make money in Seychelles.
- Evil vs. Evil: Kraviec often faces other mobsters who are more evil than he is.
- Hero Antagonist: Lánský is a sympathetic cop who tries to take down a villainous mobster who is our protagonist.
- Karma Houdini: The first part ends with Kraviec escaping from the country.
- Mob War: Kraviec leads this at first against Milota and Sivák and later against criminals in South Africa.
- Playing Both Sides: Dardan is Kraviec's friend and enforcer, but he also cooperates with Lánský. His loyalties conflict especially in the second part, but with him growing more and more disgusted by Kraviec, he eventually fully sides with the police and provides them with crucial evidence - a map of graves of Kraviec's South African victims.
- Revenge:
- Kraviec seeks revenge against everyone he blames for the deaths of his child and father. This leads to a series of murders of Prague criminals, including the mob boss Milota.
- Lánský when his girlfriend dies in a murder attempt against him, decides to pursue revenge too, determined to bring Kraviec down at all cost.
- Sexy Surfacing Shot: There's a distant shot of Sandra walking out of a swimming pool in a bikini.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Kraviec doesn't become a full mobster until his rivals cause death of his father and of his unborn child. This causes him to become "true Gangster" and he starts to order murders.
- Villain Protagonist: Kraviec is a villainous mob boss.
