After returning from the Eastern Front to their small Croatian village as veterans of the First World War, Jovan Stanisavljević (nicknamed Čaruga) and his comrade known only as Mali join forces with the gang led by a local bandit and communist revolutionary Boža The Red. After Boža is brutally murdered by law enforcement officials, Čaruga takes over as the gang's leader, turning them into a bloodthirsty troop that won't take no for an answer.
Acting
Ivo Gregurević's terrifying charisma — you can't look away.
Direction
Grlić walks the tightrope between hero worship and critique.
Production
Dusty, sun-bleached Yugoslavia that feels half-remembered, half-myth.
Director
Rajko Grlić
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Čaruga became a genuine folk hero in Slavonia — songs, plays, even a restaurant named after him — despite murdering civilians. The film borrows from this tradition while side-eyeing it.
Real Čaruga was executed in 1925; his last words were reportedly about not getting his picture taken. The film invents most biographical details, which is exactly what the real Čaruga would have done.
YU
