“The Getaway King” (“Namjro”) is a mad polish movie in appearence, selected for the “Director’s Debut” Competition and for the official competition as well.

Based on a true story, “The Getaway King” retraces Zdzisław Najmrodzki’s story, a theif with a 29 hit and run record, in the 1970s and 1980s under the polish communist government. The cinematography is both impressive and comic : car barrels shot in slow motion on Phantom, insane stunts, endless falls, frenetic dances… This feature film cinematographed by Jacek Podgórski borrows from the music video industry a very unusual and much refreshing look. The audacity produced by some shots’ staging are truly striking, despite some deviations towards a sickening kitsch.

The chromatic range turns out to be very restricted, set on saturated cyan and orange tones, both from production design and lighting, punctuated by fairly soft but omnipresent red flares.

Some shots stand out and remain engraved in mind. One of them overbids by adding, on top of two speed variations in a “Requiem for a dream” style, a circular tracking achieved in stop motion.

At that time in Poland, stores were constantly running out of goods, but Najmro and his sidekick particularly enjoyed stealing from luxury Pewex stores. During the robbery, the main character comes across cigars, and at the moment his eyes land on them and as he grabs them, his movements slow down, just like his own time perception. At the same time, the other character is moving in time lapse, speeding around the store.

Another shot that seemed rather classic at first suddenly surprised the whole audience in a fairly good way. A man in a nightclub rubs cocaine on his teeth, then walks facing a backwards tracking shot. When the bitter taste starts to act up, he walks through a door, grimaces, and is suddenly lit by ultraviolet light that brings out dripping blue makeup, completely invisible the previous second. A purely cinematographic effect that brings us closer to his feelings. The blue makeup only appears very briefly on the screen, without any other effect, increasing its strength.

“The Getaway King” is a surprising time travel journey that stands out for its staging and unusual technical choices taken whole-heartedly until the end. Director Mateusz Rakowicz is to be watched out and may soon bring out more remarkable movies after this colorful debut feature.