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"Sara" has the right mix of action, humor, and an interestin

Richard J. Brzostek | New England, USA | 12/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Sara" is Maciej Slesicki's 1997 hit action/romance. The film has the right mix of action, humor, and an interesting plot for your viewing pleasure.

Leon (Boguslaw Linda), a 40-year old former Polish special forces soldier, is hired as a bodyguard to protect a mob boss's pretty 16-year old daughter, Sara (Agnieszka Wlodarczyk). A passionate love develops between Sara and Leon after he saves her life.

The acting in the movie is great. Linda plays the role of a "tough guy" in many Polish films, but "Sara" is my favorite. Marek Perepeczko, renowned for playing the leading role in the 1970s television series "Janosik," plays the mob boss in "Sara". Both Linda and Perepeczko play off each other exceptionally well. "Sara" is Wlodarczyk's first feature film; she was about 16 at the time "Sara" was filmed and displays natural talent. Cezary Pazura, although playing a lesser role as a goon of the mob boss, adds to the film.

"Sara" is a fun movie with great action and enough suspense to hold one's attention. I highly recommend "Sara" to just about all audiences, even those that are not too familiar with Polish cinema.
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An Instant Favorite

mesadallas | Mesa, Arizona USA | 07/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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 only sixteen and Leon is forty. They hide their love, knowing that if Sara's father discover's the two are lovers 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 flakey, 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's a cross between a mob movie, an action film, a comedy, and a love story. Once past the first few scenes the 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 the film is the love story between Leon, (played by the great Boguslaw Linda) and Sara, (real-life sixteen-year-old Agnieska Wlodarczyk). This is not a case of school-girl 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 age of the characters becomes a moot-point next to the genuine love that compromises this relationship. Pay close attention to the song "I'm Your Man" that is sung as the final scene fades out. It is sung by Boguslaw Linda and the lyrics fit in so well with the concluding scene that you realize that the singer is actually Leon, finally able to express in words the love he has developed for 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 in some ways that the director was striving to emulate American mob and action films. 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 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 love to watch over and over again. I've lent my copy to many of my friends and have yet to have anyone tell me they disliked it."