Watch Entanglement For Free

Good concept, poorly executed.

From my favorite movies..

Expected more

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

An unusual murder case becomes a time portal leading ever deeper into the crimes and secrets of the Communist past.I can't say that I liked everything about "Uwiklanie" ; some of the acting left me underwhelmed, for instance. However there are many strong points, such as an original intrigue, including one of the most original murder methods seen in years. The movie also makes an excellent point, to wit that the various tyrants oppressing a people (politicians, secret police, spies, assassins, parasites and so on) do not necessarily disappear when the tyranny disappears. Indeed, some of the tyrants do even better than before, seamlessly transitioning into a new life of crime and corruption.Deep at the heart of the movie lies a cowardly crime, committed out of jealousy, which sets off a chain of grief and revenge. It's a theme which would have delighted the writers of the great revenge tragedies from the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.

Unfortunately Polish crime films should be considered a separate genre. Most of them have 4 things in common: -lots of meaningless swearing (famous Polish k-word used multiple times by many characters) - some meaningless nudity, sex scenes out of the blue between characters theoretically not attracted to each other -invoking old days of communism with its secret militia allegedly still having influence on Polish reality 20 years after collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. -they are rather tiring than entertaining "Uwiklanie" is no different in all these aspects. Comparing any B class American crime/action film, I usually need to watch it twice to notice how stupid it is, and even though it's stupid, it's still enjoyable. Polish film "Uwiklanie" was unbearable immediately the first time I watched it. As long as Polish filmmakers will keep trying to mimic Hollywood instead of coming up with original ideas we will have to suffer watching more films hoping that one day good one will show up.

Set in modern day Cracow (as hight-lighted by countless overhead shots of the iconic Polish city), "Uwiklanie" is a Polish crime thriller, which immediately reminded me of the old television features based on Agatha Christie novels. It should come to no surprise that it was actually based on a story by local crime novelist Zygmunt Miloszewski. But unlike in a English crime drama, the movie slowly detaches itself from the procedural and delves into a political thriller rife with Communist-era underpinnings.In a suburban villa a group of individuals undergo a group therapy with famed psychologist Antoni Szacki (Piotr Adamczyk). After one session, a visibly disturbed and ruffled Henryk Telak (Krzysztof Globisz) storms out, thus prematurely ending the evening's work. The next morning Telak is found dead, murdered with a rake through the eyeball. All of the participants become prime suspects, however when newly appointed state prosecutor Agata (Maja Ostaszewska) and her former boyfriend, now police-officer Slawomir Smolar (Marek Bukowski) start investigating, the implications of the case start to far exceed a simple murder. The whole case is further complicated when local businessman (Andrzej Seweryn) shows a keen interest in its resolution.Fronted by the two terrible leads of Ostaszewska (whose primary goal seemed to centred around looking good in high-heels) and Bukowski, whose acting ranges should explicitly eliminate them from any further lead roles and an outdated directorial approach of Jacek Bromski, the saving grace comes from the story itself, which is well research from a psychological standpoint and meticulously built. The overall feature falters making it seem like a slight escapade more suited for television as a low-key Friday night feature, than cinemas, while the obsessive focus on the communist security services can just be distracting overall. Most likely the truth has been burned whilst the Iron Curtain was toppling, but dwelling on the past in such an incessant fashion seems like crying over spilt milk. As a pure crime thriller nonetheless this is a workable, and even enjoyable, feature.

Usually in films of this genre the mysteries are revealed just before the end of the film. Here throughout the film there are mysteries revealed at various times, often unexpectedly. In some cases we think a mystery has been already cleared - but then later a different explanation comes up. This has been done in films before, but then an earlier as well a later explanation have to be plausible; creators of the film have succeeded also in this respect.The actors are wonderful. Maja Ostaszewska as Agata has a very difficult role - and she is convincing in all situations and at all times. Marek Bukowski as Slawek is very good too, as is Danuta Stenka, the same applies of course to Andrzej Seweryn - almost to them all.A previous reviewer questions why a prosecutor gets involved in the crime investigation from the start - instead of the usual waiting for the police to provide enough evidence to charge somebody with the crime. However, here Agata has several strong motives to get involved early: the fact that this is her first criminal case after working in the white collar economic crime office; baffling circumstances of the case; the fact that she is the daughter of a law professor; and the fact that her law school classmate Slawek is the police inspector in charge of the case.