Pitbull is a 2005 Polish action film directed by Patryk Vega, serving as the first installment in a series of Polish crime films of the same name. The film was released on 8 April 2005 in Poland and runs 97 minutes.
Overview
The film follows five detectives from the Warsaw Homicide Department as they pursue a dangerous Armenian criminal. Each officer struggles with personal demons: Gebels (Andrzej Grabowski) fights for custody of his child; Metyl (Krzysztof Stroiński) is an alcoholic; Nielat (Rafał Mohr) is a heroin addict; Benek (Janusz Gajos) suffers from heart disease but wants to work two more months before retirement; and Despero (Marcin Dorociński) becomes involved in a romantic relationship with the daughter of the criminal he is hunting.
Production
Vega drew on his experience working on the Polish television documentary series Prawdziwe psy ("True Pigs") as source material. According to Vega, all events depicted in the film are based on real incidents, though they were compressed across different time periods and individuals. The film was shot in a documentary style with reportage-style cinematography.
Cast
- Marcin Dorociński as Superintendent Sławomir Desperski "Despero"
- Janusz Gajos as Inspector Zbigniew Chyb "Benek"
- Andrzej Grabowski as Inspector Jacek Goc "Gebels"
- Rafał Mohr as Superintendent Krzysztof Magiera "Nielat"
- Krzysztof Stroiński as Inspector Mirosław Saniewski "Metyl"
- Weronika Rosati as Dżemma
- Ryszard Filipski as Wor
- Małgorzata Foremniak as Kryśka Szymańczyk
- Danuta Stenka as a child killer
Awards
- 2005 – Directing Award for Patryk Vega and Acting Award for Marcin Dorociński at the Koszalin Film Meetings "The Young and the Film"
- 2005 – Special Jury Award for Patryk Vega at the Courmayeur International Mystery Festival
- 2005 – Zbyszek Cybulski Award for Marcin Dorociński
Film Series
The 2005 film launched a Polish crime film series. The series includes:
- Pitbull (2005) – directed by Patryk Vega
- Pitbull: Tough Women (2016) – directed by Patryk Vega
- Pitbull: Last Dog (2018) – directed by Władysław Pasikowski
- Pitbull (2021) – directed by Patryk Vega, the fifth installment of the series
A television series based on the film aired from 2005 to 2008, comprising 31 episodes, all written by Patryk Vega.
Box Office
The 2005 film grossed $458,874 at the box office.
