Wikipedia
Vabank is a Polish film from 1981, the first film directed by Juliusz Machulski and a popular criminal comedy, set in 1934 Warsaw (although filmed actually in Łódź and Piotrków Trybunalski).
The film received several awards and nominations, among them:
- Polish Film Festival 1981 – Best Debut Director
- Mystfest 1982 – Best Film
This film, sometimes referred to as the Polish The Sting, tells the story of Henryk Kwinto a legendary safe cracker with a score to settle. After taking the fall in a bank robbery, Kwinto is released from prison and hoping to return to a quiet married life and playing trumpet in a jazz band with his friend Tadeusz. However, these hopes are soon dashed when he discovers his wife has a new man in her life and that his music partner Tadeusz has apparently committed suicide due to financial difficulties.
When two young jewel thieves approach Kwinto to hit a bank run by Gustaw Kramer, a ruthless and criminal bank president, Kwinto tells them he is not interested and that he is nothing more than a simple musician.
However, when Kwinto realizes the cut he received from Kramer in exchange for his prison time is little more than 20 Złoty a day and that Kramer himself is responsible for Tadeusz’s death, Kwinto decides to get even with him. He tracks down his former associate Dane and with the two jewel thieves, plan a robbery of Kramer’s reportedly heist-proof bank.
A sequel, Vabank II, was made in 1984.