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Knife in the Water

Play trailer Poster for Knife in the Water 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

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Variety Staff Variety 03/26/2009
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. Go to Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out 06/24/2006
Polanski's first feature, a model of economic, imaginative film-making which, in many ways, he has hardly improved upon since. Go to Full Review Kim Newman Empire Magazine 04/01/2006
4/5
Polanski arrived on the scene with an almost super-human knack for tension; one of the great directorial debuts in cinema's history. Go to Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times Nov 11
4/5
The cast is superb, with the non-professional Zygmunt Malanowicz judging his swaggering, youthful brio to perfection. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 04/27/2022
6/10
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 Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 03/20/2022
4/4
Polanski's first great film of many. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ben B. @suikofreak412 3d This movie sucks. I don't understand the praise. See more thiago s @Thiagostone 05/05/2025 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, os personagens sao fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom. See more Hector I @Hector1184BC 01/11/2025 Having not yet seen the beginnings of Polanski's work, I threw myself into his early films. We follow the story of a Polish apparatchik couple who go sailing in the WE and meet a young man. They decide to take him with them. But the differences between the two worlds are strong, and this is going to cause a lot of tension. First of all, I noticed the American tropism of this film: jazz is quite present, and the restful scenes are sometimes reminiscent of a Hooper painting. This is undoubtedly a film about jealousy, as the husband seems sure to master this ebullient young man. You never know whether he's really dangerous or just feisty! Polanski plays with our bearings throughout the film, danger, the times, jealousy, calm, even dangerous situations are treated lightly[spoiler](when the young man finds himself alone on the boat not knowing how to control him)[/spoiler]. I find this film formally very beautiful, like a weekend dream in Life magazine from the '30s. A must-see! See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 08/01/2024 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. See more G B @RT79070119 09/30/2023 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. See more CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni 06/04/2023 Movie is not what I expected, Stunning photography for a early 60s movie, A relationship drama that hits more than it misses. See more Read all reviews
Knife in the Water

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Cast & Crew

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Roman Polanski

Director

Leon Niemczyk

Andrzej

Jolanta Umecka

Krystyna

Zygmunt Malanowicz

Young Boy

Roman Polanski

Writer

Jakub Goldberg

Writer

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Knife in the Water

Knife in the Water (1962) Knife in the Water (1962) View more photos

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
Fox, Criterion Collection
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)