Rent The Partisan (2024)

Confusing & Confused Muddle of a Movie (no English subtitles either!) Set in Poland in WWII - The Partisan review by PV

OK so this is from the low budget HIGH FLIERS studio, though there does seem a substantial budget here - though not enough for English subtitles, which is unfortunate as many character mumble their lines in a foreign against in competition with background music. I am not hard of hearing but had to rewind sometimes to try and work out what was being said, but sometimes just gave up.

The central issue of this film of one of comprehension, and cohesion. If the story is not clear, and the character's motivation or deceptions, then any reveal later on will lack much or all power. The viewer has to get the stakes involved! Subtitles may have fixed that.

I know the mantra SHOW DON'T TELL is oft-repeated BUT sometimes it is fine to tell, to just spell it out, to have a character state the set-up, the aim, the possible issues and so THEN when we have a big reveal about deception or lies, it matters. Here, it does not.

Some back story creepy guff about the main character - not sure if it's a real-life person and/or how loosely this is a version of her life - just muddles things imho. Cut that out for a start. Slice off the flab, make the stakes clearer and there could be a great film in here. Malcolm McDowell is a big name veteran UK actor of course (in Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE early 1970s), phones it in here for the fee. Roman Polanski's daughter stars.

Sadly, what we have is a mediocre and annoying film, though impressive in locations (Poland), authenticity, action, budget. It all means little if the viewer hasn;t got a clue what's going on and why. If we cared more about the characters and really knew what was happening, the end would have more power - as it is is, the ending wilts limp.

2.5 stars rounded up