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I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

This film had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were so many shocking twists and turns I literally couldn't look away! The way director Wladyslaw Pasikowski shot the car chase scene made me feel like I was in the car with them. It's all around a solid movie and worth the watch. If you like foreign films, you'll love it. The director, Wladyslaw Pasikowski does an awesome job of portraying Polish life during The Cold War. You really get a sense of the urgency Jack Strong feels throughout the film and I don't think anyone could've done a better job at doing that than Marcin Dorocinski. It was difficult to keep up with the Russian at some points, but the switching between that and English helped a lot.

Possible that Kukliński was a double agent, of the Soviet GRU, used in an operational game with the CIA. A Polish Minister of Internal Affairs during communist times, Czesław Kiszczak revealed such a theory in a later interview, while a former Soviet military attaché, Yuriy Rylyov, claimed so directly in an interview. Historians, like Paweł Wieczorkiewicz and Franciszek Puchała (a general in the Polish Army during communist times) suggest, that the knowledge Kukliński had was exaggerated, and while he had a lot of information about the Polish Army and the organization of the Warsaw Pact in general, he could not have had detailed information on Soviet plans, since no one in Poland had it. Puchała supported his opinion in official hearings of Kukliński by Polish prosecutors during his revised trial. Revealing plans about the enforcement of martial law in Poland, which would make a Soviet invasion unnecessary, could have been profitable for the Soviet side, ensuring that the USA would not be surprised by martial law and would not undertake unpredictable actions against the Soviets. It is noteworthy, that despite Kukliński's revelations, the USA did not warn Solidarity about martial law. The Soviets took the escape of such an important spy nonchalantly and did not demand any consequences from the Polish politician responsible for intelligence, namely Czesław Kiszczak. Also, the matter of Kukliński's sons' deaths is unclear and they may have been part of a protection program; besides, according to Wieczorkiewicz, such revenge on a defector's family would be quite unusual for Soviet intelligence.

Ryszard Kuklinski is a name practically every person outside of Poland wouldn't recognize today. However, according to the movie Jack Strong, he's one of the most important figures in putting an end to the Cold War--a real hero to his people and the West. It seems that this Polish military officer was a very, very important spy who risked his life to undermine the Soviets who controlled his nation.The movie begins with a very grisly killing. Fortunately, you don't really get to see very much--and it's the last scene like this in the film. The man who was killed was apparently a Pole who was spying for the West--and his reward when captured was being tossed into a blast furnace! A forewarning of what COULD happen to the leading character in this film.Now the story jumps ahead a few years to 1968--the year that the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia to destroy the Czechs' attempt at self-rule. One of the men responsible for this plan, ironically, was Kuklinski (later code named 'Jack Strong'). While he hated the Soviets, he was, at the time, a man who worked closely with them in his capacity with the Polish military. But as the years pass, Kuklinski becomes more and more disenchanted with the system. Like most Poles, he longs for his country to be free of Soviet domination. After a harsh attack on some protesters, Kuklinski finally made up his mind--he'll secretly pass on secrets to the Americans. And, over the next decade, he was instrumental in passing on many important military secrets--including plans for a possible invasion of the West as well as plans to start a nuclear war! Exactly what happens next is vague--and that's the best part of the film. Kuklinski's fate is something the viewer isn't aware of until the very end and the film does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat--especially when Kuklinski is discovered and he and his family has to make a run for their lives.A few years back, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" came out and many critics were beside themselves praising this spy thriller. It also received three Oscar nominations. Well, I tried watching it twice--and both times found myself falling asleep. I wasn't all that impressed and I was happy when I talked to others that they, too, found the movie rather dull. However, in the case of "Jack Strong", the film never bored me for a second. Part of this could be because the film is a true story but a lot of the credit goes to the fine acting and excellent direction by Wladyslaw Pasikowski--it is excellent from start to finish. It is so well constructed and interesting that I wouldn't be surprised if this film also is Oscar-nominated. The only question I have is for which category? Although most of the film is in Polish, much is also in English--so I have no idea if it's even eligible for the Best Foreign Language nomination. Additionally, even today, the Poles are deeply divided in their feelings about Kuklinski--and many still consider him a traitor. Because of this, the Poles might not even submit it for the competition even if it is eligible. Regardless, it's well worth seeing--exciting and intelligently made from start to finish.

Despite I live in Poland, I saw just a couple polish films in last 20 years. I was so disappointed with some of polish films I watched in 80's and early 90's that I completely stopped watching polish productions. Few ones I watched during 90's and 2000's were lame or just "so-so". I especially loathed the way polish actors play and speak - it was unnatural, theatrical. But since I was interested by real story depicted by Jack Strong, I give it a try and I must admit this film is really perfect. There is still a little bit of this annoying theatrical manner when polish actors speak, but it is just a tint, and probably this is completely not detectable by non polish speakers. The rest is great - very realistic to smallest details (I still perfectly remember 70's & 80's during communist rule) Russians speak Russian, Poles speak Polish, Americans speak English. Filmed in real locations in real winter, with real snow. Real cars from 70, with real looking chases (and no CG or accelerated paces. Intelligent move for intelligent people in the same class like Argo or Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. Very refreshing experience after all those dumb nonsense full of CG served by Hollywood lately. Let's hope this fill will be soon released on blu-ray, so more people outside Poland can enjoy this masterpiece.