Mr Car and the Knights Templar Review: Directed by Antoni Nykowski and co-written by Bartosz Sztybor, the Polish film on Netflix is based on the novel (Pan Samochodzik i Templariusze) by Zbigniew Nienacki. It has a runtime of about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
The ensemble cast of the film includes Mateusz Janicki as Tomasz, Sandra Drzymalska as Anka, Maria Dębska as Karen, Jacek Beler as Adios, Anna Dymna as Laima, Olgierd Blecharz, Kalina Kowalczuk, Piotr Sega and several others.
Mr Car and the Knights Templar Review
The story follows a well-known art historian, treasure hunter and owner of an unusual car who stumbles upon a Templar treasure, which is the key to a great power that can upset the balance of good and evil in the world. In his quest to find the treasure, he is joined by an unlikely group of people and looming enemies, who will do anything to defeat him.
The film starts off by asking the question behind the obsession with treasure hunting. But it fails to answer its own question properly. The opening sequence shows Tomek fighting off a thief and racing against time to find the lost cross of de Molay. But the abrupt start only confuses you and then explains it after a good 10-minute scene. It is rumoured to be a hint that will lead the person to the hidden treasure. Thus Tomek makes it his next mission to find the treasure and display it in the National Museum. But he is not the only one looking for it.
Allegedly the treasure is said to include a magical power/object that can cure anyone and even resurrect the dead. The descendants of the legendary leaders who hid the treasure are also eager to find it and thus declare a competition. Leading people from around the world and regardless of age, come to the Yotvingian resort. Among them are three runaway kids from a scouts camp, Anka journalist, infamous thief Adios, Tomek and his former partner’s daughter, Karen.
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Tomek’s biggest issue is that he doesn’t want a partner and wants to find the treasure on his own, although he always is in need to be rescued by others. One might think that we will get some explanation for his repulsion against having any partner at all, but it’s just his overachieving personality that wouldn’t want to share the success with someone else. However, at the treasure hunt competition, one can only compete in a group of 6 and he had to reluctantly join hands with the scout kids, Anka and Karen.
Among the kids, Eagle Eye is the one who uses his deduction skills to find clues but Mr Tomek overtakes it every time. As a children’s film, it completely fits into the mould. But as an action-adventure film targeted at a slightly older audience, it fails to entertain. The characters have no development from the start to the end, nor does it have any hooking or turning point that would make it memorable. It is quite cliche and right from the start you will get the hint that the treasure won’t be something solid but some metaphor or a lesson.
It has all the elements needed for an adventurous film but somehow, it doesn’t excite you. The characters are quite disposable and don’t add any emotional value to the story. Even when they die, the main lead shows no remorse or feeling, he is so disconnected from everything else going on and only wants to get his hands on the prize. Yet their deaths are used as a leading factor for his journey forward. It’s an okayish film to watch with kids, otherwise, it’s a big skip for people interested in treasure hunting-based films.
Rating: 2/5
Mr Car and the Knights Templar is currently streaming on Netflix.
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