Beautiful visuals and aesthetics. Stylized, but still quite realistic - especially in dialogues and language. Very typical for V4 countries underworld. And devilishly funny. Psychedelic, even Lovecraftian overhangs. Works on so many levels - gangster flick, thriller, comedy, horror, existential drama... Beautiful music and shots of winter Warsaw. Casting is superb. All actors and actresses play well, but Jan Frycz (Dario) and Robert Wieckiewicz (Jacek) are pure gold! Dario is one of the most creepy and weird antagonists I ever see. Every episode is unique, but especially last few ones are SO dark and tense.

OK, you might have seen similar plots before, like in the danish "Pusher" movies: drug dealer with everything under control, makes a few wrong steps and it all spirals down. Its true to its genre as a gangster serie, but still it adds something new and interesting. I really love the atmosphere: it's none typical soundtrack, creative use of CGI, beautiful cinematography and locations that either helps to tell the story or adds atmosphere - or both (the location scout has done an excellent job indeed).

The acting is excellent. Kamil Nozynski, playing Kuba, gives us a main character we care about without playing on more strings then what is absolutely necessary. Jan Frycz, playing Dario, is giving us the best bad guy since "Herr Starr" in Preacher. Marta Malikowska is making a stunning performance, as this interesting female character, Pazina, which has depth and is far from stereotypical - something I often miss a lot in this genre.

Yes it's violent, it got some dark humor, some really interesting dialog, and it also got something you don't expect. Like the scene when the characters sing a little bit from the same song...

This is the first polish TV-serie I have seen in many years. But this has definitely made me open my eyes for polish TV-drama in the years to come.

If you like organized crime themed movies with dark, gloomy and existential vibe, you will love this show. Music and shots are great, fantastic acting, lots of violence and an amazing atmosphere. I found it hard to stop watching till the end. Certainly recommended!

This series has some drawbacks like scenes that aren't necessary or hard to understand meaning, but you shouldn't look at it as just another tv series about drugs. You have to understand that everything that happens in it is 100% true and is happening on a day to day bases in Poland. That doesn't mean everybody in Poland or anybody thats Polish will understand this series. You have to be a part of the Polish streets to understand the full meaning behind it. From their brotherhood, trough coruption, to the impact that drugs have on somebodys mind and their whole life. It's honestly one of the best series I have ever seen and if you can emotionally connect with the main character, it's going to be a really emotional journey.

Hope this helps.

Since the premiere of the very good series Watah and Pakt, we've got another Polish raisin from under the wings of HBO Europe. The dark, ruthless, terrible image of Warsaw before Christmas freezes blood in veins, and evil and debauchery goes deeper and deeper than it might seem. Is it worth to get interested in this title?

The main character, Kuba Nitecki (Kamil Nozynski) is a dealer with rules. Perfectionist, pedant, gentleman, these three adjectives perfectly match the created character. Known throughout Warsaw, "Kuba", because they all turn to him, supplies all the important personalities of the capital city with cocaine, but no one really knows who he is or where he came from. He tries not to mix personal and professional life. He tries because, with the ongoing action, it becomes more and more difficult ...

The great risk of director Krzysztof Skonieczny and producers who cast the debutant in front of the camera in the main role brings a twofold effect. On the one hand, the perfectly tailored characteristics of a guy, an unscrupulous perfectionist, give freshness and respite, from the well-known and recognizable actors known from other productions. However, the lack of conversation and experience in the profession leads to scenes in which it may seem that Kamil reads his issues from the prompter placed next to him. The apogee, in my opinion, was reached at the end of one episode, when the action takes place in front of the burning building. In one of the scenes, the serial Kuba hesitated and sounds like he literally forgot the text. It is not happening all the time, but also because such moments become noticeable. The sumarum sum meant that the final reduction of my TV series rating by one eyelet. Much more, however, you can see the bright points of this title. A very good game known to all of us, partly compensates for the blows of the leading character. Phenomenal Jan Frycz in the role of "Dario", a former Warsaw gangster who just got out of jail and wants to build his position again in Warsaw salons. The brilliant Robert Wieckiewicz, playing the head of Kuba - the drug baron, also gave the character an amazing color. In smaller roles have been cast, among others Janusz Chabior and Cezary Pazura, who are on the level of the task and in a very good way add climate to the whole story. The script for the series was created on the basis of a novel of the same title written by Jakub Zulczyk. History is multifaceted. He talks about the dark, ruthless criminal world on the streets of Warsaw, shows the internal transformation of the main character who, with a man who fully controls his own life, becomes a person falling into the trap set by himself.

The series is steeped in symbolism, and most often we deal with biblical references. The main character asks God for rain, which is emphasized already in the first appearing heralds. The rain, which, like the Egyptian plague, is supposed to "sink this city". The dark vision of the apocalyptic picture of Warsaw, which is the only way to heal the city, intertwines with the blissful dreams of Kuba. They allow him to move to distant, warm countries, where he leads a blissful life alongside his beloved person. Is he aware of what is happening in reality, and what is only an illusion?

The title itself evokes the Old Testament Book of Genesis and the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those who, despite being aware of doing bad things, do not change their behavior are blinded by a stream of light. Who will lose sight then ...?

Summarizing. If you are looking for a show that is not a simple story that will allow you to relax in a cold autumn evening, but prone to reflection, a hard story, then this position is just for you! There is no shortage of small errors or small mishaps, but the overall reception is the most positive.

A good Polish series from the HBO library.

Warsaw presented from a different perspective not many people can see. Great acting and brilliant storyline.

Definily the best polish series I have seen. Greate plot, beautifly scenes, very good play. It's more or less the same time as 1983 on Netflix was released, however Slepnac od swiatel it's a totaly different level of the cinema. I can't wait for a next sezon.

"Blinded By the Lights" (2018 release from Poland; 8 episodes of about 1 hr. each) brings the story of Kuba. As Episode 1 opens, it is about a week before Christmas and Kuba is at the Warsaw airport. He has decided to take some time off, and is buying 2 one way tickets to Buenos Aires, leaving on Christmas day. We don't know who his traveling companion will be. Back in his apartment, he is preparing for the night to come, and is prepping drugs and pills to be delivered that night. He starts doing his rounds in Warsaw. A woman named Paulina calls him on his mobile, and wants to meet up... At this point we are 15 min. into Episode 1 but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: the TV series is based on the Polish book of the same name which became a runaway bestseller in Poland. Obviously I have not read the book and hence I cannot comment how closely the TV series sticks to the book. The show is set in Warsaw, which is ever as gray and overcast as it is outright depressing. That is, unless you love going to clubs where EDM is blasting through your body. The show is a gritty take on the drug scene in Warsaw and the main character Kuba's seemingly ice-cold attitude in it all: it's just a business, nothing more and nothing less. He works through the night and recovers during the day, although it doesn't look like he need much sleep, setting his smart phone to ring after just 15 min. Beware: the plot gets complicated very quickly. That aside, there are some random scenes that I felt were questionable (such as the Polish rap video in Episode 2 which does nothing to advance the plot).

This TV series premiered on HBO Europe in the Fall of 2018, and then on HBO in 2019. During the current Stay At Home Order dealing with the coronavirus, I was looking for binge-worthy TV shows that I had missed when they originally aired, and I recently binge-watched this mini-series in 2 days. Bottom line: this is a gritty Polish crime drama that doesn't mince any words (or actions for that matter). If that sounds up your alley, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

I have to say, this is one of the best HBO Poland productions. Dialogues, actors play, visual side, colors, music everything on top notch level so needed in Polish film industry. Plots is as well amazing and catchy especially for people familiar with Polish reality.

I strongly wish for HBO to continue this series even for one more season. Worth every second of your time!

We know today that Poland has good people who have stepped up in the worst of times.

Blinded by the Lights presents with the starkest of contrasts. Witness the cruel, merciless image of a morally decayed, decadent Warsaw. Although a fan of Eastern European crime dramas, and having seen only two episodes of BBTL, I'll say that the series gives us a deeply disturbing and ugly picture of the Polish capital. A dark, dark portrayal of the underbelly of a world-class city in permanent morass. Perhaps the Polish nation cannot escape the shadow of a heartless, corrupt past under Soviet domination. We are treated to a cast of largely misdirected, disturbed, angry characters. Unforgivably, the show perpetually gives us violence, it seems, for the sake of violence. Watching the full series might lead the viewer to grow accustomed to its ugly volume of brutality. Thus it joins a growing cadre of shows losing impact by promoting violence at the expense of the storyline.

As for the somber main character, we're not sure where he's going as he drifts from scene to scene, stoic, seemingly immune to the violence around him, disturbed by a misbegotten past, selling coke to friends, criminals, or dignitaries while dispassionately supporting sadistic thugs in his close association.

Don't let yourself be fooled by the excellent form and stick with the substance. Yeah, I know, there's another 'substance' at the front. So don't be fooled by it and all the other drugs: Siekiera's mesmerizing music, Magnolia hippy references, the uncompromising violence, the Lovecraftian and Stalkerian undertones, the budding metropolis' charm of Warsaw, the dark humor and over-the-top language.

There's God talking to you at the end, so stay on course.

Like other *post-communist Polish movies or series, "Blinded by the Lights" suffers from the same, consistent fault - poorly written screenplay. The dialogues is cringey, and robotic, and poor acting which results from a poorly written screenplay, which is further exposed by cliche character archetypes assigned to the characters, because the plot demands it. Speaking of cliches, the first episode has a few of them - from the opening credits sequence mimicking The Sopranos, to a Pulp Fiction reference when two of Jacek's goons, accompanied by the protagonist, show up to collect a late payment from a dealer. The plot is incohesive, some scenes make no sense. Random curse words are added for effect to make the characters seem more badass, but have nothing to do with the given scene and are simply put there because its HBO.

Take the gym scene where we are introduced to Jacek (the drug lord) - his exchange with his personal trainer over how out of breath he is from being pushed so hard is negated by the fact that he's yelling and hollering full of energy at everybody around him about how out of breath he is. A simple, but annoying continuity error that exposes the amateurism of the screenwriting.

The shows graphic scenes were a pleasant surprise and the cinematography is fantastic - it takes a modern and gritty look at Warsaw and the neon/almost cyberpunky aesthetic of the club/night scenes are definitely a great artistic choice and are eye catching. The casting is superb - the characters feel authentic.

The viewer is quickly brought back down to reality once the characters start talking.

*And I say "post-communist", because the reason why "Sami Swoi" and "Mis" are classics, is because they didn't attempt to be something they weren't. They didn't try to imitate western movies or stack the movie with cliches. They operated within a realm that was well known to everybody involved. Polish cinema would do itself a favor if it went back to that.

This is something you will enjoy if you prefer calm and organized protagonists, such as: Mr. Robot, Hitman and such. I find this TV series to be rather on the innovative side than what some of the other reviews are saying.

It is portraying quite the realistic image of the state some of the European countries find themselves in. From the real image of corrupt officials, the way dealers work.. to basic thugs and real gangsters.

There is nothing too fancy that is put to boost these characters nor situations like in Hollywood movies, thus you should get a very realistic image of these kind of people.

Sit back and enjoy this masterpiece.

One of the best (just the best?) Polish series for years. Excellent acting, keeping in suspense, music, a huge amount of perfect details, which in its entirety create a virtually perfect work, which is definitely worth seeing.

May be a bit unjustified, but I want you to see this series. It is really worth it. It is dark, it is cruel, it is sometimes impossible to watch (because of the cruelty), if you are sensitive enough. It is dark, it is about dark reality, we all think it does not exist, but it is there, in every place you live. Just confront it. To supply drugs, there is an army waiting. Kuba, the main hero (?) is one of them. He considers him a working man. He delivers orders. Simple. Isn't it? But he is special. So special that once you get to know him, you would like to know more. These episodes will keep you waiting, you will want more, and more... Almost an addict ;-)))) The main actor, Kamil Nozynski is a perfect guy for this role. He is the most sensitive person one could imagine for a drug dealer. But he has his own world. His imaginations are what makes the film so different. You either love it, or you hate it, but it is always worth it to let your imagines work. Who knows, what happens to you?

Yet another remarkable Polish, grim-n-gritty cosmicized thriller. What's cosmicized thriller, I hear you ask? Well, it's those conspicuously dark and adult thrillers that used Lovercraft-style ('cosmic horror') tropes to represent the interior life of their protagonists. Think True Detective first season, or the fine Polish series Kruk.

That's more or less what Binded by the Lights sets out to do: a few days in the life of a drug dealer as the.vice tightens. But to a large extent, this is just an excuse for a series of excellent vignettes exploring the different milieu which buy their coke (because it's all coke) from our protagonist Kuba.

You get a dazzling portrait of Polish gangsta rap, half terrifying and half laughable. You get stunning techno nightclub scenes (with not a single shot using bisexual lighting, thank god!) You get dingy Russian restaurants, crime-fueled nouveau riche weddings, singing Vietnamese tailors, and much more. All this is beautifully shot, flawlessly acted by a cast of memorable faces and a remarkable soundtrack, ranging from piano sonatas to dark and hard minimal techno, via mainstream and alternative hiphop and what I imagine to be Polish turbopop. But perhaps the greatest achievement here is the writing, specifically the dialogue, which are always tense and terse, full of flavour and rousing, but remain credible throughout, which is a rare feat in crime films. Special mention to the subtitlers who did a great job btw.

My only complaint is that the second half is not quite as good as the first three our four episodes. Mind you, it's still very good, but as we get more tied up in the plot the directors indulge less of those little vignettes where Kuba really shone. Yet the plot is tight and everything comes together in the last couple of episodes, with long awaited reckonings and moral dilemmas, so I can't complain much!

Don't let the (rather generic) plot description and pink-lit poster dissuade you, this is very much worth your time! You'll thank me late.

I loved it overall, especially the atmosphere, the cast, the darkness and seriousness of it and of course the setting. Although there was one thing that I disliked about it, which were the dream sequences when Kuba's either having a nightmare or a nice dream set somewhere in the Caribbeans. Apart from that, it was a great experience and one of the best HBO shows in my opinion.

Very realistic tv series, especially language and dialogues. It's better to read a book frst (tv series were based on a book with the same title), because you can know what main character thinks and it's more detailed. The music and captured views of Warsaw are amazing.

The acting in it is terrible, except for Jan Frycz and Robert Wieckiewicz. Kamil Nozynski, playing the man character is the worst of them all. He's not an actor and it shows. His acting is painful to watch.

The director clearly didn't know what he wanted this to be. He's experienced in directing music videos and he couldn't help inserting them in some of the episodes, which was totally unnecessary and so badly done. That Magnolia lip-sync rip-off scene made me cringe.

It was also boring. Don't waste 8 hours of your life to watch it.

I just finished watching episode 8 and all I can say is this series is absolutely terrible. The plot is ok and was the only reason I kept watching. Acting performances were the worst I've ever seen. Most dialogues don't make much sense and every other word is a swear word. Do yourself a favour and watch something else. Anything will be better to watch and I mean absolutely anything.

I was really hyped to watch this show but couldn't even make it to the end of the first episode. First of all im still trying to uncringe from that acting and main guy face angles. Too much swearing and a lot of extras overact. There is a ton of small things that drove me crazy, like non stop flashing of disco lights or very dark scenes. I just didn't feel anything but the feeling of a wasted time while watching it.

Watched this series even though past series from Poland I have watched have all been disasters. Their story telling method (or lack of one) leaves much to be desired. This series is no better. It's like being trapped in a confusing dream that appears to have no end or beginning. The initial episode provides little context for the story. The only clear fact is that the guy sells cocaine. Other than that, the scenes are just a random selection, stuck together in the hope that it will make a coherent story. As with many European series, there are a lot of scenes without any dialog where the actors just stare at objects or at one another. As the series progresses, the viewer has no idea of who the players are or their role in the plot. After a while, the series make you feel as if you have taken drugs or lost your mind! It's that bad! Overall, it's a pretty pointless series!