Furioza

Gang violence is a worldwide problem that will never be solved. No matter how much we would want the murders of innocent people to stop, there is no way to make sure everyone is safe. There will always be victims, no matter how effective some nations are in their police work. So should we loose all hope? No, if we do that then there is no reason to fight against gang violence. So the fight goes on, and if we do it correctly, we might save some people who wants to leave their criminal life behind. I remember back in 1992 when i met a guy at my school, who was a member of a criminal gang. He told me openly about the drugs he have tried, the money he was making, while he was wearing Dr. Martens boots. Unfortunately, he did not take his life too seriously and was injured really bad in a knife fight. He survived, but it damaged him really big, especially his mind. He changed completely when he came back from the hospital, barely talked to anyone, it was just like he was no longer the tough guy anymore, as if this knife fight affected him mentally. The last time i saw him was in a park around 1995, where he was sitting alone looking at the trees. I still remember his eyes, it was like he had no soul anymore. When it comes to gang violence portrayed in movies, there is especially one film that i really love. And that is the 1993 criminal drama Blood In Blood Out from director Taylor Hackford ( director of the 90´s classics Dolores Clairborne and The Devil´s Advocate ). Blood In Blood Out is a very powerful story of Miklo Velka ( Damian Chapa ), a 17-year-old son of a Mexican mother and a white father. After a violent confrontation with his racist father, Miklo leaves Las Vegas for East Los Angeles. where he stays with his cousins, Paco ( Benjamin Bratt ) and Cruz ( Jesse Borrego ). His cousins are in the local Vatos Locos gang, and Miklo earns his membership during an attack on their rivals, the Tres Puntos. Blood In Blood Out deliver a very powerful message on how damaged human souls can become after joining gangs, but also show that people who don´t feel welcome anywhere, finds a new home where they are accepted. The acting in this film is one of the reasons why this film is so powerful, and actor Damian Chapa have never been better, i would easily say this is his best acting performance. Director Taylor Hackford does a brilliant job capturing the thug life, with his camera technique and passion for the story. A must see on DVD, well worth having in your film collection. When you think of Poland, you might be thinking about dishes such as Pieorgi, footballer Robert Lewandowski or perhaps Jan Lewan, also known as The Polka King ( you should see the film based on his life, on Netflix with Black Jack ). But there is so much more that we could talk about Poland, such as films made in Poland. I have seen a couple, and most of them are good, except for 365 Days. But when i saw that Netflix have released a Polish crime drama called Furioza, i was actually curious to give this film a chance. Is this a film everyone should be watching on Netflix this summer, or is Furioza very easy to forget?

An event from the past seperates the fate of three friends. Police woman Dzika ( Weronika Ksiakzkiewicz ) confront her friend David ( Mateusz Banasiuk ) and make him an offer he can´t reject. Either he becomes a police informant, or his brother Kaszub ( Wojciech Zielinski ) will go to prison with a long-term sentence. To make this work, David decides to infiltrate the organized criminal group where his brother is located known as Furioza. He knows the risks, and that he may not survive, but he is willing to do anything for his beloved brother.

I have seen a lot of criminal films, and it is always easy to compare films in this genre and say that we have seen it all before. For the most part, a lot of these films borrow ideas from similar films, and combine them together with other genres. And there are elements in Furioza that we have seen many times before, but the one thing that makes this film interesting is the background story of the criminals. Since we are dealing with football hooligan gangster´s, you know from an early start that they don´t really care if they hurt anyone. The gang Furioza is a brotherhood, and you show the pride by fighting, no matter how injured you get. The one thing that makes Furioza especially stand out from certain criminal films, is the level of violence that this film deliver. And i honestly think they made the right choice, not holding back on the brutality. In real life, this is the way criminal football hooligan´s actually live, not knowing if they will live the next day. I have to talk about the best acting performance of this film, and that is from Polish actor Mateusz Damecki as the character Golden. This may be the best acting performance i have ever seen someone do in a Polish film, he is absolutely brilliant. The way he expresses his anger, hate, and struggle with personal problems, Mateusz manage to bring out all the emotions through his performance. I guarantee you will not see many acting performances this year on this level, so be prepared to feel emotionally affected by his performance. I also really enjoy the acting performance from actor Wojciech Zielinski as the character Kaszub, another damaged soul with a lot of bad experiences. As the story of Furioza moves along, you get a sense that a lot of these hooligan members don´t see any light in their lives, as if they are stuck, with no other option where happiness does not really exists. As if they only see one way out, a depressing but true image of criminal life, and this is without a doubt one of the reasons why Furioza feels realistic. Director Cyprian T. Olencki knows how to tell a powerful story, while making sure he capture the brutal lifestyle of criminals in a brutal and honest way. If you are looking for something good this summer on Netflix, you should definetely give Furioza a chance.

Rating: DDD