The Polish hit about the country’s football hooligans is back on Netflix, and it returns with the same force and provocative spirit. Far from the stadium lights, a territorial war is being waged in the shadows of Poland. It’s not about football, but about power. This is the brutal universe of Furioza, a deep dive into the subculture of Polish hooligans, where loyalty to a team is just a facade for more sinister criminal operations, including international drug trafficking.
Life here is governed by a violent code of honor and an unbreakable brotherhood. Being labeled a deserter is a death sentence, and disputes are settled in arranged clandestine fights. In this world, the ‘Furioza’ crew is an institution—a family forged in a violent past. But their bonds are about to be tested by the police, rival gangs, and the betrayal festering within.
The characters are defined by their relationship to this environment: some, like the doctor Dawid, are ex-hooligans desperately trying to escape; others, like detective Dzika, are driven by a personal vendetta born from a hooligan clash that took her brother’s life. The premise is grim and clear: once you’re in, there’s no way out.
Portraits of a Broken Brotherhood
The tragedy of Furioza is told through the conflicting relationships of four central characters, whose loyalties clash and disintegrate, driving the narrative toward its inevitable end.
Dawid (Mateusz Banasiuk): The Reluctant Informant
Dawid is a doctor who has achieved the impossible: leaving his hooligan past behind to build a normal life. But the past returns in the form of his ex-girlfriend, Dzika, who gives him an ultimatum: infiltrate his old crew, ‘Furioza’, as a police informant, or watch his brother, Kaszub, spend years in prison. Trapped between the life he has built and the blood ties that bind him, Dawid is dragged back into the chaos. His return is marked by the suspicion of his former brothers, who see him as a traitor, forcing him to play a dangerous double game as the guilt of his deception consumes him.
Ewa ‘Dzika’ Drzewiecka (Weronika Ksiazkiewicz): Vengeance as a Motive
Known as “Savage,” Dzika is a relentless police officer and the mastermind behind the infiltration operation. Her war against the hooligan gangs isn’t just professional; it’s deeply personal. The death of her brother, Daro, in a gang fight years ago fuels her obsessive quest for justice. Her ultimate target is the international drug trafficker Marcin Mrowczynski, aka Antman. Dzika operates in a moral gray area, willing to blackmail her former love and manipulate everyone to achieve her goal. However, her plan unleashes a chain of violence that spirals out of her control, leading her to discover that her superiors can be just as ruthless as the criminals she pursues.
‘Kaszub’ (Wojciech Zieliński): Honor Among Hooligans
Dawid’s brother, Kaszub, is one of the leaders of ‘Furioza.’ He represents the old guard, a man governed by a strict code of honor who values brotherhood over financial gain. Although he is initially suspicious of his brother’s return, their family bond prevails. His moral compass leads him to strongly oppose ‘Furioza’ getting involved in drug trafficking, a decision that puts him in direct conflict with the ambitions of other members of the crew. To the police, Kaszub is just a pawn to get to the bigger traffickers. His refusal to cooperate with the local kingpin Polanski seals his fate, making him the first victim of the betrayal that will tear the crew apart from within.
‘Golden’ (Mateusz Damięcki): Corroded by Ambition
Described as unpredictable and power-hungry, Golden is the other leader of ‘Furioza’ and, ostensibly, Kaszub’s loyal second-in-command. However, his loyalty is a mask hiding boundless ambition. He secretly forges an alliance with a rival leader to consolidate his power. Golden’s arc is a dark reflection of Dawid’s: if Dawid betrays the crew to save his brother, Golden betrays his brother-in-arms for power and money. His descent culminates in the murder of Kaszub, the ultimate act of betrayal. Afterward, in a calculated act of false revenge, he murders the kingpin Polanski to take over his drug business, consolidating his power and amassing a fortune.
The Gears of Betrayal
The plot of Furioza moves like clockwork, where each character’s decision tightens the gears that will drag them all to their destruction. Dzika’s plan, designed to dismantle a criminal network, becomes the very catalyst that annihilates everyone involved.
The story is set in motion by Dzika blackmailing Dawid, forcing him back into the world he thought he had left behind. His infiltration of ‘Furioza’ is a difficult path; he must regain the trust of those who despise him for abandoning them in a past fight. Through brutal acts of violence, Dawid earns his place back, including the respect of his brother Kaszub, all while feeding information to the police.
The true target of the operation is an international drug trafficking network led by Antman, which uses hooligan gangs as its muscle. The tension explodes when Kaszub refuses to let ‘Furioza’ work for the local kingpin Polanski, clashing with Golden’s ambition. This refusal is a death sentence: Kaszub is murdered in a way that points directly to his rival, Antman, unleashing the crew’s thirst for vengeance.
Seizing the opportunity, Golden executes his plan. In what appears to be an act of loyalty, he murders Polanski and takes over his empire, becoming a rich and powerful man. But the truth comes to light when the police discover a recording that incriminates him as Kaszub’s real killer. Disgusted by the corruption of her bosses, who are willing to make a deal with Golden, Dzika leaks the video to Dawid and the rest of ‘Furioza.’
The hooligans’ justice is swift and savage. The crew corners Golden; Dawid beats him mercilessly, but it’s the others who finish him off with machetes before turning themselves in to the police.
The result is a total failure. The police raid seizes a drug shipment, but Antman, the main target, escapes. Dzika is forced to turn in her badge. Dawid, finally free, tries to start over. But the past is relentless. In the final scene, on a beach, he is stabbed by a member of a rival gang—the last, brutal confirmation that you can never truly escape that world.
The Mystery of ‘Furioza Again’
After the shocking finale of the first film, the Furioza universe expands with a sequel, Druga Furioza (translated as Furioza Again). Cyprian T. Olencki returns to the director’s chair, demonstrating his commitment to the saga by also directing and writing a Furioza television series and planning future installments, ensuring narrative and stylistic continuity.
The plot of this second part focuses on Golden, who, after a murder, takes control of the crew and expands its criminal operations beyond borders, unleashing chaos upon the city. This starting point creates an immediate contradiction, as Golden was explicitly killed at the end of the first film.
The mystery deepens when looking at the confirmed cast. While the return of Weronika Książkiewicz as Dzika is coherent, the actor list reveals something surprising: Mateusz Damięcki reprises his role as Golden, and not only that, but Wojciech Zieliński as Kaszub and Mateusz Banasiuk as Dawid also return. The presence of three main characters who died on screen suggests that the sequel will not follow a linear structure.
A Legacy of Violence
The Furioza saga is built on the cynical philosophy of police chief Bauer, who claims that once a hooligan, always a hooligan. Dawid’s fate is the embodiment of this maxim. Despite his efforts to redeem himself, the violence of his past caught up with and consumed him, proving that some marks never fade.
The sequel is poised to shift its focus from the first film. If Dawid’s story was about a man fighting to escape the darkness, Golden’s appears to be about someone who embraces it to gain power. This turn suggests an even deeper exploration of criminality, stripped of the original protagonist’s moral conflict.
The sequel inherits a world in ruins: Antman is still free, Dzika is now a civilian with intimate knowledge of the system and a desire for revenge, and the ‘Furioza’ crew has been annihilated. The new chapter in this story will explore the consequences of this collapse, promising a continuation of the seemingly endless cycle of violence.
The film, from director Cyprian T. Olencki, arrives on Netflix on October 15th.
