Traffic Department (Drogówka) is a Polish crime drama from 2013. It tells the story of a group of seven friends who are police officers in the Warsaw traffic department. Each of them represents one of the seven deadly sins. When one of them ends up murdered, Sergeant Król—who represents the sin of pride—must fight to prove his innocence. In so doing, he uncovers a vast network of political corruption.
Culture.pl reported that the film received positive critical reviews. Reviewers noted in particular its realistic dialogue and its attention to detail. The director, Wojciech Smarzowski, had previously made a TV show about the same subject, so he had some background knowledge for the film. He has said that the film was not only about the police-officer characters but about the city of Warsaw. Interestingly, a Polish film site reported that Polish police officers had been told that they were not allowed to comment publicly on the film.
The film was unusually popular when it was released in theaters, with more than 100,000 ticket sales in its first weekend. Only three Polish films total achieved that feat that year. In its first several months in theaters, almost two million people viewed the film. It was nominated for a number of international and Polish film prizes, including six Polish Film Awards. It won two, for best supporting actor (Arkadiusz Jakubik) and best screenplay (for Wojciech Smarzowski, who also directed the film).
Director: Wojciech Smarzowski
Stars: Bartłomiej Topa, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Julia Kijowska, Eryk Lubos, Robert Wabich
Production company: Film It
Official trailer:
