The Getaway King

Movie review by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media
The Getaway King

Common Sense says

age 15+

Charming thief evades cops; violence, sex, alcohol.

NR 2022 100 minutes
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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 The Getaway King, a 2022 Polish true-crime action film, is about a charming thief known for escaping law enforcement and capturing the enthusiasm of the public in the years just before the Soviet Union collapsed. Car chases, robberies, guns, crashes, fires, and fistfights add a certain amount of gore and tense situations. Brief shadowy sex scenes show a man's behind and a glimpse of breasts. Adults drink lots of alcohol and smoke cigarettes. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bastard," "bitch," "ass," and "piss." In Polish with English subtitles.

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What's the Story?

THE GETAWAY KING follows Zdzislaw Najmrodzki (Dawid Ogrodnik), a famed Polish criminal who thrived at the end of the Soviet era. Smart, charming, and handsome, he was known and loved for his uncanny ability to evade the police and for his deft escapes when they did catch him. Barski (Robert Wieckiewicz), a new local cop, crashes during a high-speed chase and the oddly ethical Najmro rescues him from his burning car, only to be arrested the minute Barski comes to. By the time Najmro is ratted out by his non-too-bright sadistic crew member Antos (Jakub Gierzal) and sentenced to ten years, he's fallen in love with Tereska (Masza Wagrocka). She promises to wait for Najmro if he stays in prison and goes straight. The cop he saved becomes a friend. Antos-the-rat takes pleasure in shaking down Najmro's mother and girlfriend and giving the latter a black eye, all of which gets the loose cannon in some irreversible trouble. Despite the violence and criminality, the movie is played as light-hearted social commentary

Is It Any Good?

The first hour of The Getaway King is a conventional and forgettable story of a charismatic thief; things only get interesting when characters turn themselves around unexpectedly. A criminal goes straight. A cop leaves the force and helps someone in need. A formerly pliant crew member goes rogue, sadistic, and vengeful. The oppressive government topples in favor of freedom. All of this redeems the movie and renews our interest in the characters and their situations.

Dawid Ogrodnik is a Polish Errol Flynn, fit, handsome, suave, dashing, and smiling, resembling a cross between Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can and the young Ernest Hemingway. The actor's overwhelming likability fuels a story that probably wouldn't work without him.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way the movie minimizes the damage the attractive thief does. Do you think his victims felt the same about him? Why or why not?

  • Why do you think the public sometimes seems to love criminals?

  • How much do you think living in an oppressive society contributes to criminality? What does the main character argue here about that?

Movie Details

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