‘Scarborn’ Review: This Viaplay Thriller Outdoes Tarantino

Courtesy of Viaplay Content Distribution

I have an urge to watch Polish director Pawel Maślona’s newest feature Scarborn a second time.

Considering that’s something I never do, take that as a testament to how good this movie is.             Suffice to say, Viaplay - a Swedish video streaming service - has once again brought a seriously underrated production to the United States. In November of last year, I took my first real dive into Viaplay and reviewed Vanguard, a five episode drama series that sprinkled some more emotion onto a Wolf of Wall Street type story. In late March, I took a look at Double Stakes - Ukraine’s own spin on some classic 90’s cop procedurals. Even though there are many shows and movies to choose from on the platform (over 150 original productions as of 2024 - 2025) - the multi award-winning Scarborn (titled Kos in Polish) is a totally different beast than the two aforementioned titles that I’ve dissected in the past. While the most obvious comparison comes from the fact that this is a movie and not a series, this two-hour historical drama / revenge thriller has also already been compared - by other film outlets - to movies made by the great Quentin Tarantino. There are some definite similarities. It’s an honorable connection, no doubt.

But here’s the difference they don’t seem to point out. Starting with 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino’s movies tend to be action-filled theatrical flair-ups. Obnoxious-style overload and over the top silliness (at times). While Scarborn does have drops of that in its story of poor peasant(s) who want what they rightfully deserve and veterans who are trying to save their home country from outside invaders, the tension and sincerity take center stage here.

Jacek Braciak as Tadeusz Kościuszko, Jason Mitchell as Jean Lapierre, Bartosz Bielenia as Ignac Sikora and Agnieszka Grochowska as Maria Giżyńska could all be considered heroes in their respective causes. There is a fine character to be found within each of them, they are always serious about what they do and all their pasts are heavy as well. When it comes to monsters, Robert Więckiewicz as Dunin and Piotr Pacek stepping into the shoes of Stanisław Duchnowski play the role with such poisonous and bitter charm that it's hard to look away. There are others in the film of course, but the genuine showmanship from these six even makes the slower second act - which is a dining room face-off - a spectacle to watch. The cinematography, the shadows of the night, the slow but meaningful movements do this sequence more than justice. When it matters, the action is raw and brutal. Scarborn’s crew isn’t afraid to show the gruesome side of what happens when one is pushed to their limit. It’s quite surprising, but in a film where comedy is not a storytelling vessel, something else has to take its place - and the barbarity of it all captures viewers in a chokehold. Swordfights with very long sabres, gunfights with blunderbusses, full on assault waves - the third act is the most captivating part of Scarborn.

While this can be ignored, the only dilemma with Maślona’s latest movie is who the main character moniker stays with - if you choose to be so trivial. By all means, the movie begins and ends with Braciak’s Tadeusz (the beginning could have been done better, albeit). He is the no-frills crusader who comes back to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in order to start a revolt against the Russian and Prussian invaders. But compared to Bielenia’s Ignac who goes from being an everyday farm laborer to one of the most courageous characters seen in the movie - the former becomes lost in the shuffle - even possibly forgotten about (if it wasn’t for the haunted closing scene).

But don’t let this last note stop you from seeing Scarborn. You’ll be dealing yourself a great mistake. Like I said in the very beginning, this film is not a one and done adventure. You’ll watch it once and then want to go back in order to endure the vengefulness all over again. It’s better than Tarantino in that way.

I will give Scarborn (or Kos) a 4 out of 5.

Scarborn (Kos) is available to stream in the United States starting Thursday, April 30, 2026, exclusively on Viaplay. You can find it on the Viaplay app or via the Viaplay channel on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Xfinity.