Furioza

As other reviewers have said the story can be confusing at times, and there wasn't as much action as I expected for this kind of film, felt like more of a drama for the most part. The actors do a good job but the film could probably have been cut shorter, but an ok watch nonetheless.

As "Furioza" (2021 release from Poland; 139 min.) opens, a gang of thugs is causing mayhem on a train. We then go to the XOXO dance club, where we are introduced to a female undercover cop who is investigation a drug ring. Along the way she gets a gash wound on her head... At this point we are 10 min into the film.

Couple of comments: let me state upfront that I had never heard of this film, and only found out about it when Netflix "suggested" it to me (based on my viewing habits). When I realized that this was a foreign film, I did not hesitate. As it turned out, this film was quite the mixed bag for me. The plot is frankly confusing and I found it challenging to keep track as to who is who, with a no-names large cast to boot. Then there is the strange mix of "Fight Club" reminding themes vs. A typical drug crime type film. In the end, it's more a film about Polish macho types eager and needing to release a lot of pent-up anger and feelings. But with a running time of 2 hrs and 20 minutes, the movie is too long for its own good. Last but not least, please note that the movie's title "Furioza" refers to the name of the fight club which the cops are tracking, and should not be confused with/is not related to the Charlize Theron character Furiosa in the "Mad Max: Fury Road" movie.

"Furioza" recently started streaming on Netflix. If you liked the classic 1999 film "Fight Club" (yes, almost a quarter century ago!), I'd readily suggest you check this out, keeping expectations modest, and draw your own conclusion.

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.

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.

First Polish movie I've ever watched but call me a fan! There were several jaw dropping moments in the film that will stick to me the next couple of weeks. Please give it a try, the rating here is way too low!