Furioza

A little bit of gangsta, a little bit of crime, a huge dive into bare-fist fights, machete slashing, blood and violence. Sometimes you don't expect to receive a good film, so when you get it, you're amazed.

It's not a deep psychological study of any sort, just a result of very good work done by all the people involved. The plot is decent, the play of the actors extraordinary (really, I wasn't a fan of Mateusz Damiecki, he's been just a pretty boy so far, but, wow, the man is talented!), the director fantastic, the people desiging fights - full pros! I got more than expected and I'm sure that if you like this type of films, you won;t be disappointed.

OK, there are cliches, in characters and plot development, it's not like after the film you have a sense of any revelation or you think of it all the time. But the hours spent on it won't be regretted.

Ex-hooligan, who is now a doctor, is asked by his former lover, now a policewoman working on a drug-case, to infiltrate his (and hers!) old group of friends to save his brother (still a hooligan) from jail. He manages to do so, in order to provide her evidence leading to "big fish" in drug smuggling. However, the events go wrong and everyone is paying the unexpected price.

Really good film. I strongly recommend it.

Life is not an easy journey - that I think is true for most if not all of us. That being said, the question is what we are willing to fight for. Or what we think is worthy fighting for. And even that ... like does it make sense to hit someone over sports? Or for a joke/verbal argument? And then there are nobler causes - like fighting for your family. Metaphorically and literally speaking.

So if you don't mind the violence and are ok with certain cliches that the movie will serve you - this really is well made. It does not hold back on its punches and while the beginning is tense, you know you won't stay there - but will get an explanation. Time lines are something that movies like to use freely. And why not? It creates tension and suspense ... decent thriller to say the least with convincing performances.

If you have liked UTRAS, two years ago, more or less a cousin topic and atmosphere, you will like this Polish. Unfortunately, you don't avoid clichés and the main lead is too predictable. It is brutal, bloody but the undercover scheme among hooligans is not new. I usually avoid this material but made an exception for this one. This is an efficient feature but not for sissies. A hooligan and crime film in the same time. Maybe it is accurate and close to reality in Poland. It is usually the British movie industry which speaks of hooligans and gangsters, because in UK, both go together; there are batches of such films in England. This feature remains however one of the best ever for me about this topic. Only the ending is a deception to me.

Furioza, a Polish Netflix action-thriller, is not just a higher form of the comparatively childish Fast and Furious; it feels like the real thing, as if the spirit of every serious gangster film were put on steroids and made into a brutal cop story pitting a gang of skinhead, immoral thugs banned together and fighting like a nightmare of Fight Club.

Three friends from the same gang: Dawid (Mateusz Banasiuk), Kaszub (Wojciech Zielinski) and Dzika (Weronika Ksiazkiewicz), his former girlfriend. Each takes a different life that converges again--this time Dawid is a doctor, Kaszb, his brother, stays in a gang, and Dzika (reminding me physically of Guy Pearce) joins the police. Dzika asks Dawid to infiltrate Furiosa for information and thus save his brother from being prison.

Bad boy gang leader Antman (Marcin Mrowezynski) is the object of their arrangement because his gang is not only responsible for drug trafficking, but it also mercilessly beats on gangs and civilians alike. For auds who like seeing realistic fisticuffs, Furioza is ground zero. For those who like to see brotherhood and romance play out thematically while accompanied by rough-housing, this adventure is nectar.

It's enjoyable and culturally instructive to see a gangster flick from a European country like Poland with enough eurotrash to make us feel good about our own tough-guy trash. Furiozo is fast and furious with enough evil and love to make it a cut above our common mobster actioner.

The story is a little fragmented and confusing. Still it is a good watch. Well filmed with good acting and great fight scenes. The dubbing is not bad and the selected voices work well. Not an easy flow movie, still a solid watch.