“A gripping Latvian crime epic” – on March 5, see Red Code Blue, director Oskars Rupenheits’s masterfully produced crime drama that accurately rewinds time to the Baltic region’s unsafe, frenzied, and uncertain 1990s. Under Rupenheits’ raw direction, intense chases, interrogations, and shootouts unfold among rival gangs, reckless punks, corrupt operatives, and ruthless policemen in lawless, chaotic Riga. A Q&A with producer Sintija Andersone, cinematographer Juris Pīlēns, and location manager Amanda Rēvalde will follow the screening.

A young, idealistic investigator, Romāns Skulte (Raitis Stūrmanis), struggles to find his footing in the cruel, callous labyrinth of newly independent Latvia from his very first shift. Drug traffickers and violent gangsters control the bleak streets under the invisible protection of high-ranking officers. Rookie cadets quickly learn they can trust no one, not even their closest friends, as traitors and informants lurk everywhere. Cunning Georgian smugglers are deeply embedded in a fearful society, while the aggressive Armenian mafia– headed by the mysterious crime lord known only as “The Armenian” (Robers Kosojans) –enters the scene without hesitation. Romāns must navigate this harsh world while trying to salvage his moral compass, coming to realize virtues like honesty and loyalty are punished in cold blood.

A hit at the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Red Code Blue is a slow-burning police thriller packed with suspenseful heists, double-crosses, blackmail, bribery, and relentless pursuit.

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