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Knife in the Water Movie Review

Knife in the Water is a 1962 Polish drama film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Leon Niemczyk and Zygmunt Malanowicz. It’s a very strong debut.

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“So, you do know how to swim“

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An ageing man, Andrzej, invites a young man on his sailing trip. The young man ends up fooling Andrzej and makes love to his young wife Krystyna. This is one of those movies that are dependent on mood and atmosphere to carry it through the finish line having in mind the plot is only basic. It explores jealousy, but besides that, there is nothing particularly sophisticated in terms of themes and dialogue here. It’s a standard love triangle storyline that is elevated by other terrific aspects.

One of those is the aforementioned mood. The movie isn’t a thriller, but it is a very suspenseful drama. Simply following the power play and competition between these two men was very interesting and Polanski managed to utilize this simple premise to the fullest degree. Yes, the first half is slower, but many of those details mattered as the men’s interactions are important.

Jolanta Umecka is memorable as Krystyna and she did what she could with such a slim role. It’s unfortunate that the only female character in the movie got so little to do, but she serves as a catalyst for the men’s friction ultimately. Both Leon Niemczyk and Zygmunt Malanowicz have memorable looks and both delivered excellent performances. It is very interesting to see such an erotic movie from Polanski as the emphasis here is almost solely on male beauty and physique, which made the film unique in the context of its time period.

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Knife in the Water is gorgeously shot. I loved looking at this movie. Some shots were composed so beautifully that they instantly became wallpaper-worthy, especially the shots at the two men on the boat. The movie is very erotic, sensual and bursting with life and elegance. The score is also fine and the direction from Polanski is so strong, making this one of the better debuts in cinema history. I just wish the storyline was more intelligent.

Knife in the Water represents one of the better directorial debuts as Polanski’s directing here is remarkable and the entire movie is very strong. Yes, the storyline is far from brainy as it’s rather simple and straightforward, but the execution of it was that of a killer mood full of suspense. The character dynamics here are interesting to follow, but mainly the visuals are mesmerizing as many shots here are wallpaper-worthy how artistic and beautifully composed they are.

My Rating – 4