The satire and intrigue of The Promised Land is leading somewhere very disturbing.

Perhaps when you can best sense Andrzej Wajda's genius is in his ability to be cold and distant when he feels and wants it; a militant witness, or satirical and mocking at times, without losing the thread of the narrative. [Full Review in Spanish]

The epic works as an observant and cynical look at Poland's social classes and industrialization.

**_Glum, arty drama about youths in the heart of the American West_** Three students from the class of ’85 in small town Utah go their separate ways: Hancock (Jason Gedrick) shoots for basketball stardom, but settles for being a cop; his girlfriend (Tracy Pollan) goes off to college to explore art and romantic possibilities; their meek friend Danny (Kiefer Sutherland) curiously quits school in pursuit of an ambiguous job while eventually choosing companionship with a reckless woman (Meg Ryan). When Danny returns home with his new girl it paves the way for a life-changing Christmas. "Promised Land" (1987) was the first movie to be commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival and, as such, is a true indie, costing $3 million in 1986 and written/directed by Michael Hoffman. It’s mostly an artistic coming-of-age drama and character study, yet mixed with a little road movie, crime thriller and bleak tragedy. It’s similar to the contemporaneous "Less than Zero" in both content and quality meshed with the locale of the original “Footloose” from three years prior. Like “Less than Zero,” it’s artsy and downbeat. While it’s almost on par with “Less,” it’s not even close to the excellence of “Footloose” in all-around entertainment or powerful themes, although it tries. On the positive side, the four cast members are convincing with Kiefer notable as the overly docile guy (the reverse o…