Xawery Żuławski’s credits include very different films in terms of subject matter – Chaos, Snow White and Russian Red, Bird Talk and Apokawixa are films from slightly different worlds, and yet each of them maintains a good level. It is no different with the film Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold first, it is very gratifying to see a biography of someone about whom, apart from people interested in the sport or who remember the boxer’s legendary successes, few have heard. This is neither the fault of the boxing champion himself, nor of those who care about his legacy – simply that so far no one has dared to invest more in telling the world (and especially the younger generations) who Jerzy Kulej was. 

The title role is played by the perfectly tailored and well-prepared Tomasz Włosok. The actor was paired with Michalina Olszańska, who plays the role of the wife – Helena Kulej. Here another big plus for the filmmakers that they did not equate this role with mere ornamentation and a classic “+1”, but on the contrary showed her as an extremely charismatic woman with a lot to say. This is especially notable in the later part of the film, where the choices she makes drive the subsequent plot. In addition to the aforementioned three, the filmmakers did not skimp on casting well-known Polish actors in both the second and third planes. Tomasz Kot plays the role of Colonel Sikorski, whose communist aesthetics are becoming more and more fitting. The most interesting seems to be the duo of Warsaw wiseguys (Bartosz Gelner and Konrad Eleryk), who not only aren’t just cloggers, but have a real impact on the plot, plus they’re simply funny. 

On the one hand, the narrative could be a bit reminiscent of Baz Luhrman’s film Elvis, in which we see the story a bit through the eyes of this master/teacher from the background; on the other hand, Andrzej Chyra’s role differs so much from Tom Hanks’ that the plot of Feliks Stamm, played by him, has been left out a bit. Of course, there is a lot of it, as he cleverly breaks up the successive elements of the plot for us as the narrator, but one would have liked to know a little more about this legend of Polish boxing. Nevertheless, it’s not that much of a detriment to the reception of the film with so many positives beaming from Xawery Żuławski’s production. 

Xawery Żuławski has made a very good biographical action film, whose multithreaded structure at times seems complicated, but allows the viewer to draw as much as possible from the story of the adventures of the two-time Olympic gold medalist. The script, as Żuławski has already accustomed us to, is excellent, and the attention to detail comes out as it should and does not become fatal to the filmmakers as is often the case with a complex form. Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold is a full film with some very interesting dance scenes thrown in for good measure. The cinematography by Marian Prokop, who has always worked with Żuławski, perfectly captures the atmosphere of communist Poland, and the choice of Kazimierz Dolny as the main location worked perfectly. 

Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold (dir. Xawery Zulawski) is to be seen at the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA as part of the Polish Feature Film Competition. 

List of screenings: 

• 03/05/2025 | 14:00 | Sala Duża | MOS Birthday Cinema MASTERCARD 

A Q&A session with the filmmakers will take place during the film screening on May 3 at 2:00 PM at the Małopolska Garden of Arts – Mastercard Birthday Cinema.
Please note: the Q&A will be in Polish.

Marcin Telega