directed by Wojciech Smarzowski, drama, 118 min, eng subtitles
written by Wojciech Smarzowski
with Bartłomiej Topa, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Julia Kijowska, Eryk Lubos
Highway Patrol, the latest film by award winning director Wojciech Smarzowski (The Wedding, Dark House, Rose) relates the story of seven policemen from Warsaw working in the traffic department. Their hermetic universe is disrupted when one of them dies in mysterious circumstances. Sergeant Ryszard Król is the main suspect. Trying to prove his innocence, Król uncovers a high-level corruption scheme.
Seven policemen, seven cardinal sins, all depicted in seven days. In this symbolic parable of the sin, Smarzowski examines the police's secret microcosm, drawing at the same time a very dark, horrifying contemporary image of the Polish capital.
As Smarzowski puts it, Highway Patrol is „an allegory about corruption, that begins on the back-seat of a police car, and ends... in Brussels". He explores police corruption with an uncompromising attitude, not sparing the viewer the drastic, raw, and realistic images.
The film was a massive hit with cinema audiences in Poland. Attracting great controversy, Poland's deputy highway police chief has even prohibited police officers from attending the screenings in uniform.
Awards:
Eagle - Polish Film Awards 2013 (Best Script, Best Actor)