- Overview
On their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej and Krystyna nearly run over a young hitchhiker. 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.
- Release Date
09 March 1962
- DirectingRoman Polanski
- Budget
$0.00
- Revenue
$0.00
- Stars
Videos
User Reviews
See moreCRCulver
23 June 2021
Released in 1962, <i>Knife in the Water</i> (Polish: <i>Nóz w wodzie</i>) was director Roman Polanski's full-length debut. Married couple Andrzej (Leon Niemczyk) and Krystyna (Jolanta Umecka) are driving to the marina when they pick up a hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz). Though Andrzej is initially angry at the young man for standing the middle of the road, he invites him to come sailing. Once on the boat, tension arises between the two men because of Krystyna sexual appeal and the hitchhiker's poverty versus Andrzej's affluence. Not only is the title a metaphor for the boat as it moves through the lake, but it also refers to the intimidating knife that the young man carries with him. <i>Knife in the Water</i> is entertaining enough. The cinematography on the lake and the low-key soundtrack by jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda are memorable. But personally I don't find this to be an especially great film. It feels derivative of Italian cinema of the time, without an original touch. The casting of the weathered, 32 year-old Malanowicz as a 19 year-old student undermines its credibility. I suspect that the film gained so much attention on release due to its risque nature (especially novel in a film from the Eastern Bloc) instead of its intrinsic merit.
More Like This
Irreversible
A woman’s lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can’t be undone....
See moreJaws 2
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
See moreWild Things
When teen-socialite Kelly Van Ryan and troubled bad girl Suzie Toller accuse guidance counselor Sam Lombardo of rape, he's suspended by the school,...
See moreDead in 3 days
When Nina and her high school friends receive eerie text messages declaring that they will all die within three days, they dismiss it as a hokey...
See moreIn My Skin
Esther's life is panning out nicely. She will soon move in with her boyfriend Vincent and she seems set to get a permanent position at the public...
See moreSupine
Sylvie is a taxidermist content with being isolated from people in her house. That is until Oz, an American hitchhiker stumbles upon her path.
See moreFear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a...
See moreVisitor Q
In a dysfunctional family where the mother is a heroin addict and prostitute, beaten by her son, and the father is an ex-TV reporter, sleeping with...
See moreSummer '04
Sommer ’04 is a character study of a family on vacation. German director Stefan Krohmer examines the emotional abyss and problems behind the...
See moreJackson County Jail
A young woman stumbles into a nightmare land of hijacking and humiliation while driving cross-country from California to New York.
See moreDetour
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
See moreThe Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
A sadistic serial killer terrorizes a couple driving on a rural highway in Texas while killing numerous people and framing them for his killings.
See moreThe Trip
At the pointy end of a situationship and a sexuality crisis, Georgia and Jake are stuck on the side of the road with an overstepping hitchhiker on...
See morePerfect Hideout
A young couple on the run take a family father as a hostage and are shocked to realize that he actually is a serial killer who just murdered the...
See moreMute
Adapted from the Stephen King short psychological thriller, 'Mute' is a story within a story about a man who picks up a hitchhiker and unwittingly...
See moreThe Knife
A popular singer is found murdered and two police detectives are investigating his past in order to catch the killer.
See moreX_X
Following the discovery of a cryptic photo, the relationship between two best friends shatters, leading to a spiral of revenge, betrayal, and a...
See moreDahmer
On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the world's most infamous serial killers, was convicted of 15 counts of murder...
See moreHalloween
Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing...
See moreMy Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie
Susan has chosen a hermit's life on a dilapidated farm over the shallowness of her previous jet set modeling life. When Anton, a hunky courier...
See more