Justice

Once Kacper realizes that the police are closing in on him, he turns increasingly desperate. He kills his friends Bartek and Marek to eliminate any witnesses, showing just how far he will go to protect himself. Eventually, Kacper himself is the one who ends up dead — shot by the police in a tense standoff outside a family’s house where he had sought refuge. Despite Kacper’s violent tendencies and his ability to escape arrest for a while, the police’s pursuit continues, and in the end, they are unable to bring him in alive. Gadacz, the old-school detective, relies on his intuition and old methods of psychological manipulation rather than modern techniques. His relentless determination leads to the final confrontation, where he finds Kacper hiding at a family home. Kacper, though willing to die rather than face justice, is shot by the police and dies.

This ending underscores the harsh realities of justice in a society still grappling with its recent past and the new order. Gadacz’s classic tactics and refusal to adapt to the political changes highlight the tension between old methods and new kinds of crime that cannot always be punished with modern policing strategies. Although Gadacz doesn’t succeed in capturing Kacper alive, his unwavering pursuit suggests that the quest for justice often involves moral compromise and the acceptance of tragic outcomes. In the end, the film leaves viewers contemplating whether true justice is achieved in a justice system that struggles between past and present, and whether the price of justice can sometimes be too high.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:03