Prawo ojca

Perhaps the least Polish film I've seen, PRAWO OJCA (aka Father's Law / aka The Right of the Father, 1999) is a perfect example of the Hollywood Effect.

A revenge movie in the Charles Bronson mould about a truck driver out to get the thugs that gang-raped his daughter It plays out, beat by beat, exactly as you expect it will. No surprises.

Not only is the plot familiar from Hollywood movies, but so is the emphasis on "production value" - here in the form of attention grabbing vehicles.

The film opens with the sight of a shiny American big rig (not the kind of vehicle you see on roads in Poland) and later, to take the action up a gear, a sports car is introduced for the hero.

49-year-old actor/director Marek Kondrat's character is a former rally driver and takes a moment to spin his Subaru wildly in the dust before heading off to get his vengeance.

Formulaic though it is, PRAWO OJCA's an engaging thriller with a good performance from Kondrat.