Mother's Day

The usual "Hero saves/protects the innocent." which is typical of the genre and that's ok. What I didn't like are the unrealistic fighting scenes, hero and foes and the excess of unneeded special effects.

The heroin is allegedly a retired special forces operator who doesn't know how to handle firearms, has no situational awareness and loves to pick the most complicated and dangerous way to neutralize the enemy while displaying superpowers like ubiquity, super-strenght, an anti-pain/shock absorbing body. Her foes? Same thing just more stupid and without superpowers.

Could have been a great move.

Or a Polish badass girl, who, as the recent Netflix THE MOTHER, proceeds in the NIKITA rip-offs list. Or if you prefer JOHN WICK in skirts who would meet DIRTY HARRY. OK, watching this once in a while, I agree, but too much is too much. I was determined to watch this one, because it is Polish, and I was curious to see how Polish film industry could make such a film, and second, to review a movie without seeing it is totally idiotic, non sense isn't it? So, I saw it and that confirms what I was a bit scared about in the first place.... The villains are here totally f...up and only this could justify to watch this action flick only for what it is. An agreeable time waster but rapidly forgettable.

The big difference between the two is that this one wasn't a big Hollywood production with 3 well known prolific writers, yet this film was still more enjoyable. Sure it had some plot and technical issues, but considering it's a low budget international B film with fairly new filmmakers and an unknown cast, this one shined compared to The Mother. It had a Pulp Fiction theme, feel and overboard colorful characters, and although the lead actress Agnieszka Grochowska as Nina didn't really fit her character, this Polish actress still managed to pull it off and be more convincing than J-Lo in the action scenes. And I will also say, the action scenes were pretty impressive and well-styled and choreographed for a non-Hollywood production. Had some of the nonsense that attempted to be funny (that wasn't, more like cringe) been omitted, and the colorful overboard characters toned down a bit, I would've easily given this an extra star. Nevertheless as an international B action thriller, flaws and all, it was still more fun and entertaining than the J-Lo version. So it's a decent one-time watch, and a good way to redeem your entertainment experience after being disappointed as much as I was after watching The Mother. This mom film was awesome in comparison.

This is a solid action flick that offers an unbeatable woman who takes on a battalion of bad guys to rescue her teenage son, who has lived with his step-parents all his life. Our superhero is Nina Nowak, a former special ops agent played by Agnieszka Grochowska, who gave up her son to protect him from her inherently dangerous lifestyle. Despite her sacrifice, her son Max (played by Adrian Delikta) is kidnapped by the bad guys and used as bait to lure Nina out in the open. Their maneuver works, much to their regret.

The confrontations are swift and violent and Nina's fighting skills are top notch, but she doesn't win every battle...but we know she's going to win the war. I like that Nina actually suffers a variety of bloody injuries during her conflicts, which aren't always realistically portrayed but at least the film gives a nod to combat consequences.

Inevitably and forevermore, "Mother's Day" will be compared to "The Mother," a film starring Jennifer Lopez that was released just months earlier and has a very similar plot. "The Mother" is weak sauce compared to this Polish production and Lopez (who I actually like) doesn't hold a candle to Grochowska when it comes to gritty action heroes. Lopez always looks like a runway model -- an aging one, but still in bloom -- even when she's in the midst of a brawl. Grochowska sustains all the aches and agonies you'd expect from so many battles and skirmishes.

I gave "The Mother" a 4-star review but "Mother's Day," skillfully written and directed by Mateusz Rakowicz, is worthy of its 7 stars. It's one of those movies where you need to completely suspend your disbelief to enjoy, but if you relax and don't pick too many nits, you're bound to have a good time.

A lot better than I thought this film would be. If you like action and thrills and a bit of suspense then this should hit the spot. The story is simple it seems at first, a kid is kidnapped out of revenge on the main character the mother. She is very highly trained and a master at defending herself against a pack of thugs, and it looks like she can't be beat. A little exaggerated, a little unreal but it is one of those films; a lot of fighting and a lot of gruesomeness so take it or leave it.

What I liked about this film was when I thought the story had reached its conclusion, there was more and a bit more than I'd bargained for so that's why I gave it such a high rating. The acting was fine apart from her son and it wasn't drawn out it was fast paced and engrossing. Give it a try if this is what you're after.