Jack Strong (2014)

Again I didn't have much time for movies this week, and I decided to vary a bit. "Jack Strong" is mostly a Polish production, having a historic fact as subject. Ryszard Kuklinski, aka "The Seagull" aka Jack Strong, was a colonel in the Polish army during the cold war, who sick of the Soviet domination and apparently scared by the increasing chances for a WW3 decided to give the Americans everything he could get from Kremlin.

The movie is a spy story in the most classic sense, where classic doesn't mean James Bond by Ian Fleming, but more something like John LeCarre or Frederick Forsyth, only that there's no literature here but a real case. This might make it seem slow in the beginning, until Kuklinski decides to spy for the West, but it slowly gains some dynamic once the tension rises after the Russians find out they have a leak. I'd even say that while in the first part seemed a bit boring, in the end I got to think that the dynamic of the actions spoils the realism of it.

There are some elements that are clearly added extra to what happened, but overall the movie is surprising authentic and credible, starting with the people, cars, furniture, even the weather (= when the winter was really winter), all specific for that time. Even though it romances a bit the history of the main character, it has some documentary value too. Clearly it's a better option than the average Hollywood action movie, but also clearly it's not the most engaging production ever. Depends on your mood.

Rating: 3 out of 5