During this year’s Fantastic Fest, one of my favorite films was without a doubt, The Execution. Director Lado Kvataniya used the real-life horrors that people in the Soviet Union faced from 1978-1990. A serial killer managed to evade cops for years. In that time this man murdered over fifty-two people. It is in that evasion of the authorities that inspired Kvataniya for The Execution.

This noir crime-thriller follows Senior Investigator Issa, played by Nikoloz Tavadze. Who after years of police work finally manages to bring the killer to justice. Or so he thought. On a night where he is supposed to celebrate his accomplishments, he gets word that he had caught the wrong man. Now it’s a mad dash to capture the right man and bring him to justice.

The Execution focuses on Issa and his journey to catching the first man. As well as his current manhunt. During which time we learn how much of an effect this case has had on him. It seems that the obsession with catching this criminal has poisoned every aspect of his life. His character is very well developed.

ALSO SEE: THE EXECUTION REVIEW – A BLUEPRINT FOR CRIME THRILLERS | FANTASTIC FEST

With the premiere of this film at Fantastic Fest this year, LRM Online’s Emmanuel Gomez spoke with Lado Kvataniya about The Execution. During our conversation, he shares with us the challenges and how he overcame them of keeping consistent pacing throughout the film. Especially with the fact that during the film we are going back and forth with flashback scenes. He also talks about working with Nikoloz Tavadze and what he was the right man for the part. It’s a great conversation that you can check out below!

Here is a synopsis for The Execution

For more than 10 years, Russian police forces have tried to stop the country’s smartest and most wanted serial killer. But even when he gets caught, nobody can prove his guilt. As the manhunt intensifies, the investigation grows increasingly personal between the detective and the suspect.