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Knife in the Water

Play trailer Poster for Knife in the Water Released Mar 9, 1962 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
On their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej (Leon Niemczyk) and Krystyna (Jolanta Umecka) nearly run over a young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz). Inviting the young man onto the boat with them, Andrzej begins to subtly torment him; the hitchhiker responds by making overtures toward Krystyna. When the hitchhiker is accidentally knocked overboard, the husband's panic results in unexpected consequences. This was the first feature directed by Roman Polanski.
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Knife in the Water

Critics Reviews

View All (34) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety Middle-aged cocksureness, arrogance and incomprehension versus teenage revolt, with a young woman as a sort of arbiter, is the theme of this lively and inventive little pic. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out Polanski's first feature, a model of economic, imaginative film-making which, in many ways, he has hardly improved upon since. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Kim Newman Empire Magazine Polanski arrived on the scene with an almost super-human knack for tension; one of the great directorial debuts in cinema's history. Rated: 4/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Polanski presents, in the key of grounded suspense, an observation on the struggle of social classes, but navigates irregular tides where the tension comes and goes with the breeze. Full review in Spanish Rated: 6/10 Apr 27, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Polanski's first great film of many. Rated: 4/4 Mar 20, 2022 Full Review Jonathan Miller The New York Review of Books Polanski has played a cool trick by taking this ordinarily social squabble out of the city and putting it down in the middle of a watery nowhere. Mar 12, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leaburn O Not much happens as per art house norm. However, the dynamic between the three leads is enough to carry the psychological plot along whilst keeping your interest. Bought it for a bit more than usual on DVD as it was in Empire top 100 overseas films and I’ve only a few left unseen. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review pierce k Although the movie takes place mostly on the boat in the middle of the ocean, there are some good scenes and acting performances in this film. so i think this film deserves a 4.5 out of 5. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/11/23 Full Review G B I haven't seen any other movie with only three actors and probably extremely low budget that was this great. A simple story and such great execution. It shows how much humanity lost by moving the entire film industry to Hollywood, sacrificing everything for money. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/30/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Movie is not what I expected, Stunning photography for a early 60s movie, A relationship drama that hits more than it misses. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/25/24 Full Review Shioka O Polanski's early polish work. Great cinematography beautifully filmed. I like the use of its score, makes it thrilling yet somewhat lighthearted. The story is run by only the three people, and all of them are unlikeable, but the confident lady is the core as the yacht name suggests. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Christopher B Early Polanski, that is a wonderful black and white psychological thriller with wonderful camera work. Tension builds very subtitle throughout, finally exploding near the climax. Great acting and wonderful cinematography really elevate this film and make Knife in the Water a must see in Polanski's work. This is a great example of how less is more and how even three people on a tiny boat can create such thick and heavy suspense and create a complex and moody atmosphere! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/02/22 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis On their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej (Leon Niemczyk) and Krystyna (Jolanta Umecka) nearly run over a young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz). Inviting the young man onto the boat with them, Andrzej begins to subtly torment him; the hitchhiker responds by making overtures toward Krystyna. When the hitchhiker is accidentally knocked overboard, the husband's panic results in unexpected consequences. This was the first feature directed by Roman Polanski.
Director
Roman Polanski
Producer
Nick Kendall
Screenwriter
Roman Polanski, Jakub Goldberg, Jerzy Skolimowski
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Fox
Production Co
Zespół Filmowy "Kamera" [pl]
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Polish
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 9, 1962, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2009
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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