The Battle of Warsaw 1920 charts the bloody descent of the Bolshevik Red Army on Poland and their inevitable failure to seize control of Warsaw. Told entirely in Polish and Russian, it makes for a visually stunning, gripping affair that, fortunately, relies little on explicit gore, trading gratuitous blood and guts for more atmospheric, large-scale set pieces.

What the film appears to sacrifice in detail and historical rigour, it gains in theatrical impact. Offering a breath of originality, The Battle of Warsaw 1920 proves to be unique in its ultra slick finish, courtesy of HBO. This makes the war heroes and villains of the film vividly realised, and thus somewhat palpable to the audience.

Yet it  is true that this war epic has traded truly engaging, insightful acting for majestic visuals. In other words, the performances here are occasionally cheap. The audience is left to digest the caricatures of deluded, Communist fanatics and the unconvincing gallantry of their patriotic Polish enemies.

Hoffman’s work, intriguingly, plays like a theatre piece, with every scene dazzling the audience with its polished, if not chic style.