Review of Knife in the Water (1962) by Nick A — 17 Apr 2010

This movie is brilliant -- one of Polanski's best. It's not as surface-level a psychological indictment as most Hollywood fare, but it is stronger for that reason; and Polanski uses the simplicity of the story -- the characters' relationships, the setting, the sparse dialogue -- to create symbolic analogies to profound themes such as individualism, existentialism, and the process of love.

And, of course, it is directed with incredible panache and artistry by Polanski. With the exceptions of Repulsion (1965), Chinatown (1974), and The Pianist (2002), Knife in the Water is his harrowing work as a filmmaker (it's better than Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant), and one of the more philosophical, deliberate additions to the pantheon of all-time great thrillers.