Sara

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.

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!!!

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.

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

"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.