Jack Strong

During the Cold War, Russia's subjugation of Poland created an incongruous situation for the Polish army, forced in part to comply with Moscow policy. For officers like Ryszard Kuklinski (Marcin Dorocinski) the day-to-day became a battle of conscience in an effort to compromise between raw moral choices with no ideal solutions. Kuklinski, a strategic planner in the Warsaw Pact, feels guilt for his part played in the planning of the Czechoslovakian invasion and for the army handling of the 1970 Polish protests. Looming under the genuine threat of a third world war, he also realises that Poland would become a nuclear wasteland if such a war were ever realised. Kuklinski decides that he can best serve his country only indirectly by undermining the USSR and takes the difficult decision to supply top secret information to the American CIA.

Ever since the second world war, we've had spy movies ranging from the glamour of James Bond, the wild fantasies of The Ipcress Files, to the dogged intricacies of Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy. But stories from the former 'block' nations have the potential to possess dark, suffocating, foreboding qualities, that may not be entirely new to the spy genre in itself, but feel greatly heightened by their personal touch, because they are telling the stories of ordinary men or women, forced to make extraordinary choices. The Lives of Others (Germany 2006) is one such movie that comes to mind, or even Barbara (Germany 2012) (Technically Barbara is a story of defection rather than spying, but it shares similar qualities).

There is a level of detail outlining the way Kuklinski passed over information to, and communicated with, his American counterparts that really brings the spy world to life in this movie. Sure it has some run-of-the-mill thriller clichés and plot devices: close calls while taking clandestine photos; unwanted guests arriving in at awkward moments; equipment failures, etc., but we give the movie liberty knowing that it is but a dramatisation condensed to encapsulate the overarching dangers the real life character would have had to face and endure over those years. The tone, the pacing, the scoring, help create a movie that echoes the genuine moral dilemmas Kuklinski must face, striving to deal with the contradictions that greet him on a daily basis. At the time it really would have been a tug-of-war of the conscience and heart; not wanting to be a traitor to his army, but not wanting to inflict harm to his countrymen, while at the same time unable to ignore the whim and will of Moscow, these conflicting influences tear at the soul of our protagonist – least not to mention how they influence and affect his marriage and family life. The simple but effective score plays like a heartbeat thunderously building in anxiety, mounting to an ever inevitable climax. Strong performances all round help create the paranoid world of the foreboding Cold War.

This is a strong and tight thriller, part enlightening in exposing the complicated relationship between Russia and its satellite states, but most of all it is a personal story of how one man can find himself trapped between circumstance, having no clear or easy choice, only heart, and perseverance in moral direction.

Despite I live in Poland, I saw just a couple polish films in last 20 years. I was so disappointed with some of polish films I watched in 80's and early 90's that I completely stopped watching polish productions. Few ones I watched during 90's and 2000's were lame or just "so-so". I especially loathed the way polish actors play and speak - it was unnatural, theatrical.

But since I was interested by real story depicted by Jack Strong, I give it a try and I must admit this film is really perfect. There is still a little bit of this annoying theatrical manner when polish actors speak, but it is just a tint, and probably this is completely not detectable by non polish speakers. The rest is great - very realistic to smallest details (I still perfectly remember 70's & 80's during communist rule) Russians speak Russian, Poles speak Polish, Americans speak English. Filmed in real locations in real winter, with real snow. Real cars from 70, with real looking chases (and no CG or accelerated paces. Intelligent move for intelligent people in the same class like Argo or Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. Very refreshing experience after all those dumb nonsense full of CG served by Hollywood lately.

Let's hope this fill will be soon released on blu-ray, so more people outside Poland can enjoy this masterpiece.

Possible that Kukliński was a double agent, of the Soviet GRU, used in an operational game with the CIA. A Polish Minister of Internal Affairs during communist times, Czesław Kiszczak revealed such a theory in a later interview, while a former Soviet military attaché, Yuriy Rylyov, claimed so directly in an interview. Historians, like Paweł Wieczorkiewicz and Franciszek Puchała (a general in the Polish Army during communist times) suggest, that the knowledge Kukliński had was exaggerated, and while he had a lot of information about the Polish Army and the organization of the Warsaw Pact in general, he could not have had detailed information on Soviet plans, since no one in Poland had it. Puchała supported his opinion in official hearings of Kukliński by Polish prosecutors during his revised trial. Revealing plans about the enforcement of martial law in Poland, which would make a Soviet invasion unnecessary, could have been profitable for the Soviet side, ensuring that the USA would not be surprised by martial law and would not undertake unpredictable actions against the Soviets. It is noteworthy, that despite Kukliński's revelations, the USA did not warn Solidarity about martial law. The Soviets took the escape of such an important spy nonchalantly and did not demand any consequences from the Polish politician responsible for intelligence, namely Czesław Kiszczak. Also, the matter of Kukliński's sons' deaths is unclear and they may have been part of a protection program; besides, according to Wieczorkiewicz, such revenge on a defector's family would be quite unusual for Soviet intelligence.

One of many examples supporting the quote: "Truth is stranger than fiction" is perfectly portrayed in spying world.

The achievements, risks, situations that have experienced some spies are, in fact, difficult to believe for a normal person.

The film is about a the times Ryszard Kukliński passed top secret Warsaw Pact documents to the CIA between 1972 and 1981 , and it shows clearly Kuklinski's courage and the risks he was exposed, keeping everyone in suspense until the last minute.

The movie is an outstanding tribute to this real event and is beautifully made: actors performance, filming, photography, music...

9/10

I don't like polish movies, despite being Pole. Nearly every movie made here is cheap love story or badly illustrated history. Jack Strong is about piece of our own history, but instead teaching "how things were" it delivers great plot, acting, and cinematography in well created political thriller, in which audience will find everything, that such gender should contain. Jack Strong is history as it would came from Tom Clancy, but fact is, it's based on true story and Kuklinski is actual person. I am not saying, that Jack Strong is best movie ever, but in terms of polish cinematography, it's diamond worth of time to watch.

I rate this movie 8 out of 10