Moonlighting

1982
7.3| 1h37m| en
Details

A Polish contractor, Nowak, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there. Nowak has to manage the project and the men as they encounter the tempations of the West and loneliness and separation from their families. Nowak is the only one of the group who speaks English, and he uses this as a tool over his team. When the unrest in Poland leads to a military takeover, Nowak is faced with a much more difficult situation than he expected.

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Also starring Jiří Stanislav

Reviews

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
LauraLeeWasHere This film is a mesmerizing and strangely addictive story about a man who buys a dilapidated condo in London and hires and transports several Polish builders to London to renovate it because they will work for a cheaper amount than the unionized English workers. Except for the foreman (in an early role by Jeremy Irons) none of them speak English and the foreman doesn't tell his employer or his co- workers when they overshoot the budget and run out of money.Trying to figure out HOW he will get the job done and WHY he is going to such great lengths and pains becomes all consuming mental and emotional puzzles as you become sucked into this well written story and tour de force performance by Jeremy Irons. By the second half of the film, you can't bare to watch but can't stand to look away. (It's as if you meant to eat only a few peanuts to suddenly discover you've consumed the entire amount and didn't even notice) I think this film is best described as "Escapism" rather than "Enjoyment" but either way you won't be focused on anything else while you're watching it. In fact the "taste" of it lingered with me for days after I saw it. It's full of a quiet yet constantly building tension, with a capital 'T'. No car chases, big explosions, explicit sex, swearing or violence. Just a well constructed screen gem that seemed to have fallen through the cracks when it was released in the early 1980's.
JoeKulik Jerzy Skolimkowski's Moonlighting (1982) Is a pretty good film. It's a film that really has no deep "meaning" or symbolism. It's just good storytelling. Very innovative storyline in a well thought out and well executed film.Although Jeremy Irons delivered a very good performance in the lead role, the film would've been better with an actual Polish actor who could speak English too. Iron's British accent was not very believable with a character who was supposedly from Poland.It is sort of weird too that the workers with Nowak had no dialogue in the film. We hear in English what Nowak says about them, but Nowak's coworkers never speak for themselves in the film.The film tried a little too hard at suspense too. The whole shoplifting scheme by Nowak (Irons) was too overplayed. Nowak's apparent emotional instability was too overplayed as well. Generally, the storyline was innovative enough and interesting enough that it didn't need the extra "baggage" that the screenplay put on the main character Nowak.It's still a very interesting and engaging bit of storytelling though. The cinematography was good too.
Parakh007 You can't expect anything, but to scream, every time Jeremy Irons character shoplifts. Every time the director, makes you believe that he is going to get caught now, but he gets out easily.I never felt so sympathetic towards any fictional character, as I felt for him, especially a character who is ripping every one off.And the director, without any close ups, screams the hell out of you.Its real horror, you wann shut your eyes, but still want to know, what happens next.Will he get out of country or not? And hands down,best movie ending ever.Please give it a watch.I have never left a comment for any flick, but after watching this one, and the poor response towards this Cinematic classic, I urge you, nope beg you, to please see it. U can't miss this one if you call yourself a die hard movie buff
Syl The story is told by Novak's point of view. Jeremy Irons learns his Polish to play Novak in this story. He is a Polish electrician traveling with three other works to London, England before martial law was enacted in Poland in 1981. Well, anyway as a Polish American, they are believable but are seen as buffoonish and dumb even by Novak himself. If Novak had told his workers the truth, I think they would have gotten along or understood their dire consequences. Jeremy Irons gives a pretty believable performance as the working Polishman. This film resonates a quarter of a century later because many Polish men and women are legally in London and England seeking to better themselves. I understand the Polish mentality because I grew up with Polish immigrants and the notion of Poles coming just to work and earn more money in America. I could see this story actually happening but I don't think they give the other workers credit because we barely see them act as anything other than fools. It's kind of heartbreaking because Novak goes to so much trouble to spare them from the lack of money and the truth of the situation back home in Poland where he is the only one who knows only what's going on but doesn't tell his employees under his command that Poland is in political turmoil. You can't help but wonder what happens when they do go home. Can you imagine walking 6 hours to Heathrow Airport? You felt pity and foolishness for Novak's actions at the supermarket and the stores. Of course, Poles are good at surviving and I know this from my personal experience. They have survived 2 World Wars and communism. Poles' biggest problem is living and to stop worrying about money. The stereotypes of Poles like Novak trying to stretch each pence is to survive nothing more. They didn't complain about the 30 miles to Heathrow. You felt that they were out of place there. Novak wondered about his wife, Anna, and the possibility that she was probably being seduced by his employer who sent him to London in the first place to fix up the apartment. With telephone services cut down and money tight, Novak does everything he can to protect himself and his men from the dangers of the police, immigration, and even Polish government under martial law. We don't know what happens to them when they go home or if they ever do or if they are stranded in London. There are still many unanswered questions about their predicament.