MOVIE REVIEW – The life of Zdzislaw Najmrodzki (Dawid Ogrodnik), a gangster in his 70s and 80s who is also a bit like a “Polish Dillinger”, is told in The Getaway King as his outlaw lifestyle collides with love, the last days of communism in Poland and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Recently, more unique and exciting films on Netflix, set in the 70s and 80s, but less portrayed in the past, about the lives of real criminals, have become popular, as we wrote about How I fell in love with a gangster in January this year, another film also set during Polish socialism, also about a real Polish criminal. Clark, which we will write about shortly, has recently been added to Netflix.

And The Getaway King is Netflix’s latest Polish crime thriller. The film tells the story of Polish criminal Zdzislaw Najmrodzki and how his life changed when he met his love, Teresa. After its premiere in August 2021 at the New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. It was released in cinemas in September 2021 but only became available for streaming in May 2022. Originally scheduled to premiere in 2020, the film was delayed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Getaway King won the Audience Award at the 2021 Krakow Film Festival and the Best Costume Award at the 2021 Gydnia Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Golden Lions Award at Gydnia.

The Polish Dillinger

The Getaway King follows the life of Zdislaw Najmrodzki (or “Najmro”), a real-life thief from the 1970s and 1980s. Dubbed one of the most famous Polish criminals of his time, Najmrodzki escaped from custody a total of 29 times, including from trains, court windows, Warsaw police headquarters and, of course, prison. He is also known to have robbed luxury goods stores and cars, which were already a rarity in the communist era of the 1980s and 1990s.

The king of escapism chronicles a life of luxury and wealth, full of luxury and women, against the gloomy backdrop of the Polish People’s Republic, where even toilet paper was in short supply. In this economic crisis, Najmrodzki made his fortune by stealing and selling luxury goods. The film begins with Najmrodzki’s successful career as a thief, who was very good at his trade and did it with style. Lots of glamour, money shots, loud 80s music and a fast-paced plot that keeps you on your toes. Then he meets Teresa at the cinema, where he gets film posters to cover up the robberies…

The Polish femme fatale…

They quickly fall in love, and this turn of events in Najmrodzki’s life makes him rethink his life choices and want to become a better man. The chemistry between the actors playing Teresa and Najmrodzki, Masza Wagrocka and Dawid Ogrodnik is almost palpable. Their relationship is sweet, beautiful and carefree, making them fun to watch together. In fact, the film’s entire cast plays their roles very well. There is also a real battle of wills and respect between Najmrodzki and Barski (Robert Wieckiewicz), a cop working on his case for the Polish police.

The ‘gang’ of thieves working alongside Najmrodzki is also made up of interesting characters, a credit to the writing of Lukasz M. Maciejewski and Mateusz Rakowicz (who is also the director). In particular, actor Jakub Gierszal did an excellent job (very witty) as Antos, a thief who takes his career seriously. Likewise, Rafal Zawierucha as the young policeman who provides comic relief here and there and who has to sacrifice his personal life to keep up with the very eager and energetic Barski.

The eighties come to life with the life of a thief and escape artist

The cinematography of The King of Escape is a real eye-catcher and more like an art clip. The film tries to evoke nostalgia for the past through the use of exaggerated colour, smooth frames and slow motion, and it does so very successfully. You’ll delight in every shot while enjoying the cool, groovy music. (Too bad the film is only available in 1080p on Netflix, in 4K, the visuals would have been even more impressive.) The only time I felt the filmmakers overdid it a bit was in the overuse of slow-motion – especially in scenes where it didn’t make sense. That said, the film’s remarkable style and visuals will keep you riveted to the screen.

The King of Escape ultimately relies on entertainment, even if it does focus on the social and economic aspects of the last years of communist rule in 1980s Poland and the events following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1986. But these aspects are a sideline to the original, funny story of the title character Najmrodzki, the ‘escape king’ who, once in the spotlight, never leaves the limelight.

Of course, the butt of the jokes are the lame Polish law enforcement agencies, from whom the legendary thief has escaped 29 times, and these jokes are sprinkled throughout the film to make a good action-comedy. Najmrodzki is a true escape artist as he plans his heists to perfection, and when he is caught, he keeps escaping from the police. He is also a hit with the ladies, as he is not only extremely charismatic and witty but also equally handsome. The different elements of the heist, romance and action-comedy are all well combined, while each genre works well separately in this film.

An enjoyable action-comedy

Overall, I was left with a pleasant impression of The Getaway King. Although it shouldn’t be expected to be too realistic (the protagonist’s life turned out differently…), and Poland in the seventies and eighties wasn’t such a happy place, this Polish action-comedy is still great fun for fans of the genre and those looking for a light-hearted diversion.

-BadSector-