18 reviews
Why haven't I heard of this movie before? I happened to catch it on late night television simply because the video I had hired turned out to be unsatisfactory, and I am glad for that. This movie was highly entertaining as an action movie, and rather daring regarding the love theme.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
Very engaging movie involving a super cool body guard and a very beautiful girl. And they gradually became underground lovers but the girl's father, who is somewhat a gangster boss discovered their relationship and tried everything to stop them. So you got the idea.
Alot of actions and sex scenes in the movie. This is a MUST see for entertainment lovers.
Alot of actions and sex scenes in the movie. This is a MUST see for entertainment lovers.
"Sara" is a pretty good Polish crime/action flick. It has what must be a pretty typical Hollywood-type plot, and handles it well enough, but what is more impressive are its shoot out sequences, which are more reminiscent of John Woo.
The plot involves a down-and-out ex-Special forces squad mate, now an alcoholic, who is employed as the bodyguard for a mob boss's daughter. Typically, the daughter hates him at first. Can you guess where this is going? Has there ever been a more trustworthy tip off in a movie that characters are going to fall in love, than them hating each other at first?
What's surprising is that the movie provides frequent nudity from Sara, the mob boss's daughter, but I don't remember any actual sex. It just cuts to straight after it. Is there some Polish restriction on simulated sex in movies?
Of course, they can't let the mob boss know that they've become an item, but you know he's eventually going to find out, and there are some violent shoot outs that are very well handled, and even a surprise ending.
The movie falls short of greatness, though, for a few reasons. One, the titular Sara never emerges with a personality of her own. Pretty much all her actions are dictated by the needs of the plot. Plus, the movie kind of drags and feels overlong at almost two hours.
Still, it's so much better than you might expect, for a violent mafia thriller-cross bullet-fu flick... from Poland, of all places.
I say check it out.
The plot involves a down-and-out ex-Special forces squad mate, now an alcoholic, who is employed as the bodyguard for a mob boss's daughter. Typically, the daughter hates him at first. Can you guess where this is going? Has there ever been a more trustworthy tip off in a movie that characters are going to fall in love, than them hating each other at first?
What's surprising is that the movie provides frequent nudity from Sara, the mob boss's daughter, but I don't remember any actual sex. It just cuts to straight after it. Is there some Polish restriction on simulated sex in movies?
Of course, they can't let the mob boss know that they've become an item, but you know he's eventually going to find out, and there are some violent shoot outs that are very well handled, and even a surprise ending.
The movie falls short of greatness, though, for a few reasons. One, the titular Sara never emerges with a personality of her own. Pretty much all her actions are dictated by the needs of the plot. Plus, the movie kind of drags and feels overlong at almost two hours.
Still, it's so much better than you might expect, for a violent mafia thriller-cross bullet-fu flick... from Poland, of all places.
I say check it out.
I really don't understand why this film hasn't become a huge block buster.It is simply the most beautiful, original, and highly intelligent film. Boguslaw Linda (Leon) shines through as the alcoholic bodyguard and his original and snappy dialogue is exquisite. Go buy it, watch it, whatever! Just make sure you see it!!!!!
- maidmarion10
- Apr 25, 2001
- Permalink
I always had a mixed feeling when watching this film. On one hand, the movie is good, the play of Linda and Perepeczko is excellent, and the power of their persuasion is great. On the other hand, the film has many weak sides - first of all, too much unnecessary teen nudity on the side of débutante Agnieszka Wlodarczyk. No, she is a very beautiful lady, but was that really necessary to show her naked so often? Then, the second part of the film where there is so much blood and so many dead bodies. Really too too too much of it all. Violence here is merely for violence's sake, and this is a big minus. The performance of Cesare Pazura is rather vapid and secondary, in fact, there are only Boguslaw Linda and Marek Perepeczko who save this work. I really was perplexed when saw the film for the first time here in Russia, then in POland I saw the full version and got the point - the local Russian TV authorities cut all erotic scenes and some dialogs as well and thus broke the continuity. But then, even with all the erotic scenes back on board, the film didn't work out well. Half-baked job.
- mariakrivosheevajar
- Jan 18, 2022
- Permalink
An ex-special forces soldier (Leon). is hired to be the bodyguard of a local mobster's daughter (Sara). They fall deeply in love with each other, but there are obstacles that stand in their way. One, the girl's father has already made plans for her future, and two, Sara is sixteen and Leon is forty. They hide their love, knowing that if Sara's father finds out he really will kill Leon. Needless to say, her father does find out.
The first ten minutes of this film are really quite awful,some of the action shots are over the top, and several parts are downright flaky, but I promise, you will LOVE this movie. This is quite simply one of the most unique and original films I have ever seen. It is a cross between a mob movie, an action film,a comedy, and a love story. Once past the first few scenes, this movie just keeps getting better and better. The last fifteen minutes are wonderful, and the ending is one of my all-time favorites. I hated to see it conclude.
While the action is fast paced and exciting, the real core of this movie is the love story between Leon, (played by the great Boguslaw Linda) and Sara (real life sixteen-year old Agnieszka Wlodarczyk). This is not a case of schoolgirl infatuation, or an older man seducing and taking advantage of a young girl. The love between Leon and Sara is the real thing, and the actors do such a convincing job portraying this that the ages of the characters becomes a moot-point next to the genuine love that comprises this relationship. Pay close attention to the song "I'm Your Man" that is sung as the movie comes to a close. Not only is it a nice love song, but it is sung by Boguslaw Linda. The lyrics fit in so well with the final scene that you realize that the singer is actually Leon, expressing his feelings of love to Sara and it works into the film beautifully.
Along with action and romance, the director makes clever use of humor. This is a Polish movie, and it is clear that in some ways the director was striving to emulate American mob and action movies. When they're not shooting someone, or burying bodies in the back yard, one of the gangsters favorite activities is watching subtitled American films about organized crime. They seem to be mesmerized by them. I am an American, and I don't speak Polish, so this meant I had to use subtitles. Basically then, you have Americans watching a Polish mob movie in subtitles of Polish mob members watching American mob movies in subtitles. You just have to love the paradox there, and I'm pretty sure it was intentional on the part of the director.
In short, there is something about this film that just clicks. Once viewed, it becomes an instant favorite-one of those films you just love to see again and again. I've lent my copy to many of my friends, and I have yet to have anyone tell me they disliked it.
The first ten minutes of this film are really quite awful,some of the action shots are over the top, and several parts are downright flaky, but I promise, you will LOVE this movie. This is quite simply one of the most unique and original films I have ever seen. It is a cross between a mob movie, an action film,a comedy, and a love story. Once past the first few scenes, this movie just keeps getting better and better. The last fifteen minutes are wonderful, and the ending is one of my all-time favorites. I hated to see it conclude.
While the action is fast paced and exciting, the real core of this movie is the love story between Leon, (played by the great Boguslaw Linda) and Sara (real life sixteen-year old Agnieszka Wlodarczyk). This is not a case of schoolgirl infatuation, or an older man seducing and taking advantage of a young girl. The love between Leon and Sara is the real thing, and the actors do such a convincing job portraying this that the ages of the characters becomes a moot-point next to the genuine love that comprises this relationship. Pay close attention to the song "I'm Your Man" that is sung as the movie comes to a close. Not only is it a nice love song, but it is sung by Boguslaw Linda. The lyrics fit in so well with the final scene that you realize that the singer is actually Leon, expressing his feelings of love to Sara and it works into the film beautifully.
Along with action and romance, the director makes clever use of humor. This is a Polish movie, and it is clear that in some ways the director was striving to emulate American mob and action movies. When they're not shooting someone, or burying bodies in the back yard, one of the gangsters favorite activities is watching subtitled American films about organized crime. They seem to be mesmerized by them. I am an American, and I don't speak Polish, so this meant I had to use subtitles. Basically then, you have Americans watching a Polish mob movie in subtitles of Polish mob members watching American mob movies in subtitles. You just have to love the paradox there, and I'm pretty sure it was intentional on the part of the director.
In short, there is something about this film that just clicks. Once viewed, it becomes an instant favorite-one of those films you just love to see again and again. I've lent my copy to many of my friends, and I have yet to have anyone tell me they disliked it.
- mesadallas
- Mar 24, 2005
- Permalink
As many of the commenters before me, I simply adore this film. I think this is the only feeling you can feel after you watched it. I saw it many-many years ago, when I was a little child, much younger than Sara. (It was by accident for me too, I was just browsing between channels in a boring weekend day.) It was love at first sight. And than I cannot see it for a long time, 'couse in my country it's not an often played one. I always watched the TV-guide, but nothing. Now I finally could see it, though I had to see it with a self-made Hungarian subtitle based on an English one, but I never cared. I've watched it five times in two days, and I can't get enough. Boguslaw Linda is one of the most talented actors I've ever seen, so as Agnieszka Wlodarcyk. (And I like that the character of Sara is played by a real 16-years-old, and not a 30's woman, like it's common in most of the American films.) They act their affection, their true and realistic love with so much credibility... I believe them no matter how much I see the film, and I envy them for finding the real deal - even if it's not perfect: like in real life. As somebody before me said, I also don't know why haven't got this film so much more attention in the "national scene". Of course a film from Poland rarely got it, but this one deserves it, more than lots of Hollywood productions. The only thing that is not perfect in it, is the editing, at least for me. I think there are many scenes, that feels like they were cut in half, like we missed the end of them, but I don't really care. Maybe it was intentional, not to explain everything in details. But because of that it's not with even a little less super. Everybody has to see it, because it's a clever, classic, well-written, well-played one. It's complex and subtle and magical, catches the attention in one of the first scenes, and than never let it go. I was mesmerized by the story, and I'm so, so happy to be able to watch it again and again. And though somebody wrote that there was lots of unnecessary nude- and sex scenes and violence in it, I think there wasn't any. I felt all of them proper and poetic. I didn't even feel bad about it if it was my own daughter who played Sara. I think this scenes are all so much necessary. The contrast between the violent, bloody scenes and the beauty of a young, so-not innocent but still childish girl is epic, and I sometimes feel like crying because its beauty. For me there were not a single drop of blood, not a frame of nude scene too much. They had to be there for a reason. So yes: this is not a film for little children like I was when I first saw it. But if you find this kind of true love in any age: it's forever... For me this is one of the most precious experiences I've ever have watching a movie. And I'm so grateful for it.
I really enjoyed this movie because it was well acted, full of suspense and tapped into basic fairy story themes. An essentially simple story is well told and the character development is Shakespearean in its subtlety and in its insights into human nature. I would buy this on video or DVD if it becomes available.
Sara is an awesome movie! If you have the opportunity to see this movie you should. This love story has action, romance, and there are even funny parts. Seeing this movie was the first time I'd seen a movie that had all of that, and was actually GOOD! This is also the first time I have been completely satisfied with a movie. There is nothing in this movie that I didn't like or that I thought should happen differently. Of all of the older/younger movies I've seen Sara, in my opinion, is the best! It is a well acted movie, it has a great plot, and they couldn't have picked a better cast! I've told all my friends about this movie, and I can't seem to watch it enough or talk about it enough! That's how awesome it is!!!
- Lillita1957
- Jan 13, 2003
- Permalink
Wow! Even with some considerable "overacting" by some of the characters, this movie leaves all versions of the "Lolita" movies for dead. A very beautiful and young (seems VERY young!) girl falls madly, passionately in love with a much older man, her bodyguard. She is the daughter of a ruthless Mafioso, so Mr bodyguard must be very very careful here. A very very erotic movie. Apart from that, I thought that the girls father, the Mafioso guy, was very well acted. Quietly spoken, very understated.
This Polish gangster movie is as slick as any American effort. Lots of violence, and one of the sexiest couplings ever. Boguslaw Linda is very cool as Leon, the alcoholic Commando who gets a job as a body guard to Agnieszka Wlodarczyk's gorgeous Sara, the daughter of Jozef the mob boss. Leon's and Sara's relationship is handled cleverly, from meeting through to the apocalyptic ending. Not a movie for everyone, especially the love interest between Leon and Sara (he's 40, she's 16), and some of the scenes are a bit flaky (a tango in a Chinese restraunt???), but it's 110 minutes of action, and that's good enough.
Can't wait to see this again.
Can't wait to see this again.
I saw this film a long long time ago, when I was 16 years old (like Sara), and this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's better than the boring Hollywood ones, which are so calculable. This is an unique work, with very talented actors. We can see how evolve a true love, which the lovers have to keep in secret, because Leon is much older than Sara, but they don't give up. Boguslaw Linda and Agnieszka Wlodarczyk play their roles wonderfully and genuinely. It's just so natural... This movie is the reality itself, and if you see this, you will see that another romantic- action films are just in second-class. I feel so that words aren't good enough to talk or write about this movie. So just watch it, and enjoy! :)
I bought this DVD from Poland in 1999 and it was a lot of hassle to find it and get it delivered to Australia. I probably saw it on SBS TV prior to buying it, but I can't remember the details.
But totally worth it.
I won't go into the details of the story, plenty of other people have done that already.
But it's a great challenge to count the number of deaths in the shoot-ups!
The twist at the ending is awesome, I loved it.
But totally worth it.
I won't go into the details of the story, plenty of other people have done that already.
But it's a great challenge to count the number of deaths in the shoot-ups!
The twist at the ending is awesome, I loved it.
- gilgriffith
- May 21, 2021
- Permalink
I cant ask for more, you will be submerged in this movie. The performance of Agnieszka Wlodarczyk is pure magic and Boguslaw Linda played it well too.
- josedavilar
- Dec 28, 2018
- Permalink
Older man/young teen pairing is done with genuine flair and feeling, stemming from an innocent period before enforced moral rigor mortis set into the cinema industry. Boguslaw Linda is a hoot as an ex-mobster charged with protecting the spoiled 16-year-old daughter of a mob boss and Agnieszka Woldarczyk shines as the teen who falls for him. Violent, funny and sexy, yes the film does contain considerable teen nudity, but within the cheerfully free bouyancy of the director's approach, it's just a treat so watch. This film will undoubtedly be panned by the Puritanical, so good luck in locating it. Good thing Agnieszka's mother allowed her daughter to make the film, as the lovely Ms. Woldarczyk went on to a fair career in further films.
- ameiva-77220
- Jul 28, 2024
- Permalink