A wealthy couple on its way to spend a night on their sailboat picks up a strapping young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz), innocent but daring. Immediately, the husband (Leon Niemczyk), a cynical, ornery sportswriter, locks horns with the youth and invites him on to the boat -- if only to show off his superior seamanship and humiliate the kid. In the meantime, the wife (Jolanta Umecka) sheds layer after layer and seems to enjoy the presence of the third passenger. Over the course of the day, tensions aboard the sailboard rise.
The ensuing psychological thriller, written by Polanski with Jerzy Skolimowski, is a taut, tightly photographed drama that earned Polanski world fame and an Oscar nomination in 1964 (he lost to Fellini's "8 ½.") The restored version of "Knife in the Water" issued by Criterion comes with a frank introduction by Polanski and Skolimowski, but unfortunately lacks a commentary track. The second disc features a collection of Polanski's short student films, a treat for any fan.
