Bartkowiak
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Bartkowiak
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Bartkowiak is a Polish martial arts drama designed to showcase the fighting, with a plot about a man seeking justice for his dead brother as an incidental framework to facilitate fighting scenes. Violence is showcased side-by-side with martial arts skills, leaving those who don't punch, kick, and wrestle to stab, strangle, and shoot. Corrupt businesspeople, politicians, and police also figure into the plot. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bastard, " "bitch," "ass," "p---y," "hell," and "piss." A man and woman kiss and are later seen under the covers as if after sex. A man struggles with alcohol addiction. In Polish with English subtitles.
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What's the Story?
In BARTOWIAK, professional MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Tomek (Jozef Pawlowski) quits after a bad beating in the ring. There's a lot of blood, and a medic is called to end the fight. His brother, Wiktor (Antoni Pawlicki), wants Tomek to partner with him to run Wiktor's nightclub, a dive in a bad neighborhood that's undergoing gentrification. After Wiktor dies in a car accident, Tomek takes over the club and discovers that evil forces are trying to buy the club along with all the other businesses in that neighborhood. He suspects his brother's death wasn't accidental and that powerful forces are aligning to either take possession of the property or kill Tomek and his friends and family to get it. Many bloody fights and beatings follow in a plot that pits the retired fighter against evil political, financial, and criminal forces -- enemies who all, for some unexplained reason, use MMA-style enforcers to get their way. Tomek's former coach, Pawel (Szymon Bobrowski), a man with a drinking problem, is eager to use his fighting skills to combat the muscle the bad guys send to intimidate Tomek. Pawel's MMA-trained daughter, Dominika (Zofia Domalik), and Tomek fall for each other and battle the nefarious plot together.
Is It Any Good?
Like other movies featuring martial arts stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee, Bartkowiak is designed to showcase choreographed fighting. For fans of such fare, the plot will be forgiven the giant holes that dot its lumpy structure. It feels like a hollow Road House knock-off, which itself was no great cinematic achievement. Pawlowski, Domalik, and Bobrowski are engaging performers, but they can't make up for the movie's clichés and flaws, which, it should be underscored, may not bother many viewers. This slow-moving vehicle is filled with overexplanations of things that need no explanation. Yet no explanations are offered when the plot crumbles into indecipherable complications. Loose ends remain loose. Why does Tomek's girlfriend, Dominika, knowingly work for crooks? How does she work a full day job and then also work seemingly through the night at her boyfriend's nightclub? Why do villains who seem perfectly happy to shoot people dead bother engaging in time-consuming, far less effective martial arts fights in order to intimidate owners into selling their properties?
We don't even know why the film ends when it ends. Sure, one of many designated evildoers in the cast receives a comeuppance, but what about all the other bad guys who were also threatening Tomek? Given how unsatisfying the story is, the director would've been better off dispensing with plot and just filming a series of MMA fights.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to enjoy movies that are less focused on presenting well-structured dramatic plots and more on showcasing specific skills. Do you think people who admire MMA displays will care if the plot of a movie like this is skillfully developed? Why, or why not?
Does this feel as if it's preparing the audience for a sequel? If yes, what are some indications that a sequel may be coming?
People seem to blame Tomek for losing a fight. Why do you think he lost?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 28, 2021
- Cast: Jozef Pawlowski, Zofia Donalik, Szymon Bobrowski, Antoni Pawlicki
- Director: Daniel Markowicz
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run time: 91 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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