Quick verdict: Colors of Evil: Black is not a light Netflix crime watch. It is cold, bleak and sometimes punishing, but it works because it treats the missing-child case as more than a puzzle. The film is strongest when prosecutor Leopold Bilski walks into a town that already knows too much and still refuses to speak.
Bingebaaz rating: 3.5/5
Colors of Evil: Black is now streaming on Netflix. It brings back Jakub Gierszał as prosecutor Leopold Bilski, this time sending him to a seemingly quiet Kashubian town where one missing child case begins to expose an older pattern of silence, fear and local power. If you need the full actor and character breakdown before watching, we also have a separate Colors of Evil: Black cast guide.
What is Colors of Evil: Black about?
The film follows Bilski after the events of Colors of Evil: Red. His new posting looks quieter on the surface, but the disappearance of a child in a quiet Kashubian town begins to expose older disappearances, buried secrets and a wider culture of silence, a defensive town structure and people who have learned to survive by looking away. The mystery is not built like a flashy guessing game. It is more interested in the way a whole place can protect its own rot.
That is the best thing about the film. Director Adrian Panek keeps the mood heavy and watchful. The forests, houses, police spaces and local authority figures all feel part of one closed ecosystem. The movie keeps asking a simple question: what happens when the people with answers are also the people with something to lose?
What works in the sequel
The atmosphere is the first hook. Colors of Evil: Black has a damp, uncomfortable texture that suits the story. It is not rushing from clue to clue. Instead, it lets suspicion collect in small rooms, in awkward silences and in the way characters react when Bilski asks questions they hoped nobody would ask out loud.
Jakub Gierszał remains a strong centre for the franchise. Bilski is not written as a swaggering genius detective. He is persistent, morally stubborn and visibly tired of systems that protect powerful people before they protect victims. That makes him easy to follow even when the case itself becomes grim.
Marianna Zydek gives the film its emotional pull as Julia Sarman, whose personal connection to the missing-child case gives Bilski’s investigation a sharper urgency. The movie is sharper when it stays close to that fear. The best scenes do not rely on big speeches. They work because the characters understand that the truth may be worse than the silence around it.
The sequel also benefits from changing the setting. Red had a coastal, urban shape. Black moves into a more isolated town space, which gives the story a different kind of pressure. It feels less like one bad crime in one place and more like a culture of buried knowledge slowly being forced into daylight.
Where Colors of Evil: Black stumbles
The film’s patience will not work for everyone. Viewers expecting a fast Netflix thriller with constant reveals may find the pace too heavy. The case moves with intent, but it can feel emotionally draining rather than exciting. That is partly the point, but it also means the middle stretch asks for real attention.
The subject matter is also harsh. The film deals with crimes around children and community complicity. It does not need graphic excess to feel disturbing because the implication is already enough. That makes Colors of Evil: Black effective, but not easy.
The other weakness is that some turns are more thematically strong than surprising. The movie is less interested in hiding the idea that something is deeply wrong with the town. Once that becomes clear, the suspense comes from how far the cover-up goes rather than from who might suddenly be guilty. For some viewers, that will feel mature. For others, it may feel predictable.
Is it better than Colors of Evil: Red?
Colors of Evil: Black feels like a natural sequel rather than a repeat. Red introduced the tone and Bilski’s way of pushing against corrupt systems. Black makes the moral landscape wider and colder. It is not necessarily more entertaining, but it is more confident about what kind of story this franchise wants to tell.
The sequel is at its best when it stops behaving like a conventional whodunit and becomes a study of power, fear and collective denial. That makes it a stronger watch for viewers who like dark European crime dramas with social weight, but a harder recommendation for anyone looking for a clean weekend mystery.
Final verdict
Colors of Evil: Black is grim, well-made and deliberately uncomfortable. It does not always land as a sharp mystery, but it lands as a mood piece about a town that has made peace with terrible things. Jakub Gierszał keeps Bilski grounded, Marianna Zydek adds emotional urgency, and Adrian Panek gives the sequel enough atmosphere to justify another entry in this Polish Netflix crime series.
Watch it if you liked Colors of Evil: Red, enjoy slow-burn crime thrillers, or want a darker Netflix title from the June 8 to June 14 streaming slate. Skip it if you want a breezy mystery or are not in the mood for stories involving crimes against children. For the wider weekly list, see our OTT releases this week roundup.
FAQ
Is Colors of Evil: Black streaming on Netflix?
Yes. Colors of Evil: Black is streaming on Netflix and is the second film in the Polish crime-thriller franchise after Colors of Evil: Red.
Do you need to watch Colors of Evil: Red first?
You can follow the main case in Colors of Evil: Black on its own, but watching Colors of Evil: Red first helps you understand Leopold Bilski and why he keeps pushing against corrupt systems.
Is Colors of Evil: Black a good Netflix thriller?
Yes, if you like slow, grim crime dramas. It is atmospheric and well-acted, but it is also heavy and not designed as a fast twist machine.
What is the Bingebaaz rating for Colors of Evil: Black?
Bingebaaz rates Colors of Evil: Black 3.5 out of 5. It is a strong, bleak sequel with excellent atmosphere, though its slow pace and grim subject matter may limit its audience.