Vinci

The plot provides a nice balance between possible and unexpected. It is a multifacet film, providing the viewer with an option to choose his or her own way of looking at the events that unfold: will the criminals succeed, how funny people are, will an unscrupulous businessman convert the Juliusz Slowacki Theater in Cracow into a department store, will a friendship survive very adverse circumstances, and will Julian and Magda get together. The director, the cinematographer and the actors provide interesting comments on the film, the plot, and on themselves. In addition to seeing an interesting story, the viewer can then compare his/her own impressions with the intentions of the creators of the film.

I have just seen this film on special release in a cinema here in Melbourne Australia, subtitled into English. I think I might have been the only non-Polish person in the audience! I found the film to be a very enjoyable light crime caper movie but, more interestingly, a rare opportunity to see contemporary Poland reflected in the movies - plot wise, I couldn't help but be reminded of the remake of The Italian Job.

I thought it was beautifully photographed on location in southern Poland - as a native English speaker, may I say that it is not common to see movies like this played out in foreign languages with English subtitles (outside of the SE Asian action genres). I found the whole movie very enjoyable, although no doubt I missed some of the in jokes that did not translate into the subtitles.

The sophisticated thief of art Robert "Cuma" Cuminski (Robert Wieckiewicz) is released on probation from the local prison by the corrupt Doctor Wiaderny (Jerzy Gralek) to organize the theft of the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting "Lady with Ermine" for the dealer Gruby (Mieczyslaw Grabka). Three years ago, Cuma was accidentally arrested by the snoopy detective Wilk (Marcin Dorocinski) after a successful heist in the house of the collector Lehman, but he has not ratted his comrade Julian (Borys Szyc). Cuma meets Julian, now a police officer and law student, and invites him to steal the painting but Julian is reluctant. They hire the falsifier Tadeusz Hagen (Jan Machulski) and the talented student Magda (Kamilla Baar) to paint a replica and carefully plan the robbery in details while Detective Milk does not give a break to Cuma, who has to meet him every other day.

"Vinci" is a surprisingly pleasant movie with comedy, action and thriller. The story is a sort of a contemporary "The Sting" in Poland, with funny situations, witty dialogs, nice characters and a very enjoyable screenplay. The direction of Juliusz Machulski is excellent, giving the adequate pace to develop the simple plot of a heist in an enjoyable feature to be discovered by viewers, very well supported by a cast that has great performances. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Da Vinci – O Crime Como Uma Arte" ("Da Vinci – The Crime as an Art")

Wow, I love this film! Juliusz Machulski was always one of my all-time favorite directors, especially with his Va Bank films, but here he proved that he still hasn't lost his touch and remains in the cohorts of the Polish living classics. Vinci is a typically Polish comedy, with excellent Slavic humor, twisting plot and hilarious characters. The plot seems to be so simple - some crooks want to steal a Vinci picture and then there are so many other criminals who also want to lay their hands on the work of art. What is great here is the vivid performance of Machulski in the role of an old but still effective thief, who can do everything to fool other crooks down and to get his share of money. The picturesque views of Krakow, excellent playing, funny dialogs all add to the picture. Do not search for the sky-high sense or extremely serious ideas. This is entertainment in its clearest sense. But what a clever work!

I like foreign movies, and I realize that since I rely on subtitles, I often miss the humor a native speaker might appreciate. I know nothing of Machulskiego; I found the DVD at the library and it looked interesting, so I figured I should give it a try.

Much of the movie is the planning of the crime and the character conflicts; it's not a 100% action movie. I like this: it makes the actual crime and getaway that much more exciting, and it reminded me of the original Italian Job (a favorite). The problem was that I didn't really like or dislike any of the characters. Will they pull it off? Will the bad guys (whichever ones you decide they are) get it in the end? Will a romance happen? I just didn't care.

The acting was good. The cinematography was good. I didn't shut if off.

5 stars.