Sara (1997) User Reviews

an obscure classic

[princy · 7/10 · 11 September 2000]

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

great

[hepasto · 7/10 · 2 January 2003]

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.

Good

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 25 June 2019]

"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.

stunning!

[maidmarion10 · 26 April 2001]

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!!!!!

A good beginning...makes a bad ending

[denis888 · 7/10 · 2 July 2006]

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.

Cool movie

[mariakrivosheevajar · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

It's not a leon movie, but still worth watching. Polish films have their own twist. At first glance, the picture seems banal, but the ending of the film is worth it to watch it.

An Instant Favorite

[mesadallas · 10/10 · 25 March 2005]

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.

Timeless classic

[lousha-1 · 10/10 · 2 March 2009]

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.

Very enjoyable adult fairy tale

[ccogan · 9/10 · 13 September 2000]

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.

An AWESOME movie!!!!!!

[Lillita1957 · 10/10 · 14 January 2003]

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!!!

A Gangster/ Romance/Action Film That's Great !!!

[JoeKulik · 10/10 · 18 August 2015]

Maciej Slesicki's Sara (1997) is a superficial "action" gangster film, just the type of film that I usually avoid. However, I enjoyed this film very much. It's certainly not a "thought provoking" film in any way, but it has a twisty, innovative storyline that really engaged me. Things didn't turn out the way that I expected as the story unfolded. The storyline is very "tight" and well thought out too, with no unbelievable "coincidences", and no unexplainable "holes" . The cinematography is great, making it a beautiful film to view. A romance developing between a 16 year old girl and a 40 year old man really caught my interest too, especially because it was the teenager that initiated the romance and kept pushing the older man to keep it progressing. The film is a bit of a fairy tale, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Beautiful "Lolita" - type erotic movie

[wombat_1 · 22 April 2002]

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.

Totally cool gangster flick...

[sonofmosh · 9/10 · 15 February 2003]

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.

I love this movie

[m195649 · 10/10 · 20 March 2011]

Hmm...Sara is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It was simply a pleasure to watch it. It's brilliant, funny and full of action. I think that a very young Agnieszka Włodarczyk did a great job playing Sara. To me she was completely natural (I just love the fact that Aga didn't wear even a gram of make-up through the whole movie:-)...and Bogusław Linda...ech...what can I say? Nothing comes to mind except...a great performance by a great Boguś Linda:-) In one of the reviews someone said that the first 10 minutes of the movie was awful. Well, I disagree. I loved the beginning where the director plays with our imagination. First, he makes us believe that one of Leon's daughters shoots the other one,then Cezar tells Sara that "rumor has it that Leon shot his little daughter by accident" and then finally Leon reveals the truth that his daughter shot the brain out of pipuś-Leon's wife's favorite poodle-hihi. I also liked that scene in a club where Leon rescues Sara's father from a bullet by kicking him in a belly then he falls behind the counter where he...finds a bottle of alcohol, gets drunk and falls asleep. I enjoyed every single second from the beginning to the end. I wouldn't say there were too many scenes with naked Aga (I would rather say there were too little scenes with naked Boguś hehe:P) To me there really was just when one sex scene. Basically, Sara is a great movie. And I have nothing to complain. Sara doesn't miss anything...well...maybe except one tiny detail...kisses. This movie lacks kisses. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a woman. I'm saying that because...simply...this movie lacks kisses!!!

One of the best movies I've ever seen!

[lilyolvas · 10/10 · 20 August 2014]

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! :)

Should be a more famous classic.

[gilgriffith · 10/10 · 22 May 2021]

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.

Timeless beauty

[josedavilar · 10/10 · 29 December 2018]

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.