Product Details

• Actors: Janusz Gajos; Malgorzata Piecznska
• Directors: Janusz Zaorski
• Format: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Digital Sound, Dolby, Full length, Import, Letterboxed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Surround Sound, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: www.mge.tv
• DVD Release Date: January 2, 2004
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000BKLB7K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,088 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A story about controlling the outcomes of the game unbeknownst to the fans and most of the players, August 17, 2008

By 

Richard J. Brzostek (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soccer Poker (DVD)

Getting by in Communist Poland wasn't easy so those who were good at contriving got ahead. Of course, the contriving happened at every level of society. Soccer Poker (Pilkarski Poker) is a story of bribery and corruption; where those that own the teams try to control the outcomes of the game unbeknownst to the fans and most of the players for their own financial gain.

A referee is a symbol of honesty but also someone that has a lot of power in fate of the game. The main character in the movie is Laguna (Janusz Gajos), who was a star player when he was younger, and now is an alcoholic referee. His nickname for his wife is "bribe" and she urges him to see the scores end up a certain way. Although he wants to be fair, he is pressured to go along and fix the games. Naturally, he is going to get all he can out of the deal too.

I give the movie credit for presenting a story that may happen much more than we are aware of. I also like how Soccer Poker captures the feeling of Poland in the 1980s and has a bit of Polish culture mixed in. It has a very similar feeling to the several other 1980s Polish films about scammers/cheats, but each one takes a unique angle.