THE ROLE of the Polish resistance during WWII takes centre stage in Robert Glinski’s compelling yet brutally violent drama.

It’s based on Aleksander Kaminski’s 1943 acclaimed novel Stones for the Rampart — still apparently recommended reading for Polish secondary students — which details the acts of sabotage and armed resistance carried out by the Polish underground scout movement known as the Szare Szeregi (“Grey Ranks”).

The film depicts the true life story of a group of scouts following the nazi occupation of Warsaw, the capture of their second-in-command and the daring daylight raid, “Operation Arsenal,” they staged to free him in 1943.

Twenty-eight scouts took part in the mission to liberate Jan Bytnar “Rudy” (Tomasz Zietek) who was seized with his father by the Gestapo. Only eight survived.

Director Robert Glinski delivers a fast-paced and action-packed drama, at times difficult to watch, which realistically captures the frightening realities of life under nazi rule.

At the film’s opening the young men are eager, idealistic and naive as they commit minor acts of sabotage against the nazis.

Set to a fast-tempo sound track, which soon begins to grate, it’s almost as if they’re playing an unusually exciting game.

Yet the deadly reality of their actions hit home when Rudy is hauled into custody.

It’s at this point that the atmosphere menacingly transforms as he is tortured and beaten to an inch of his life for information on his comrades, in a sequence which so graphic it’s excruciating to watch.

It is also the juncture when the tension ratchets up in a race against time to save Rudy, who’s given a phenomenal performance by Zietek.

The group is initially thwarted by its hierarchical structure and one of the fascinations of the film is how the internal dynamics of that is resolved.

A very watchable yet thought-provoking film.