Bartkowiak

A strange little B-movie from Poland that takes us into the world of MMA fighters, gangsters, nightclubs and revenge for the death of a brother. You'd expect the MMA plane to be at the forefront, but we don't see that at all. The whole thing is a drawn-out conflict between the main character and the mobsters who want to buy the nightclub from him. From an acting standpoint, it's frankly very bad, the dialogue is mechanical, soulless and lacking any significant creativity. Similarly, the choreography of the fights is blatantly artificial and unrealistic, and while that is often unavoidable in similar films, here it is very blatant. Plot-wise, the film is terribly rushed, moving from event to event with no room for the characters' emotions, and I'm not satisfied with the end result. The altercations in the clubs were fine sparks that could have led to more fights and action, but they are always cut after a few seconds and it felt like they were afraid of more action (God knows why). There have been quite a few MMA-themed movies and after the cult classic Warrior with Tom Hardy and the excellent series Kingdom with Frank Grillo, this one can be forgotten, it’s a pointless waste of time trying to be something between a drama, crime and a fighter movie, but I can't find a single positive or quality aspect to it. What saves the film from being rubbish is that you can smell Poland a mile away, and that deserves at least an imaginary respect. (28.07.2021)

It’s hard to buy into Józef Pawłowski as the tough guy Bartkowiak. His fight scenes feel more like awkward choreography than genuine brawls. I usually enjoy Polish cinema, but this one just didn’t do it for me. Sure, the Zakopane setting is beautiful, and the mafia thugs are as punchable as ever, but that’s about all it has going for it. I was pretty bored throughout. (30.08.2021)