ZG80

I'd been wanting to see this film for years but it was a real struggle to find it with English subtitles. At long last I've been able to watch it and it was worth the wait! Storyline wise, the movie is reminiscent of The Warriors, insofar as it's about a gang stranded in enemy territory and the lengths they must go to to survive.

As noted, it's a prequel to the solid, if miserable, Metastaze but the tone this time is more light hearted. Rene Bitorajac continues to be one of the most charismatic actors in Balkan cinema and once again portrays Krpa, a fierce man unafraid of violence but with a natural aura that draws everyone around him, for better or worse.

I've seen other reviews complain that it's inaccurate, but it's not to be taken as a documentary. It's a story of brotherhood, albeit a dysfunctional and uneasy one at times, demonstrating the similarities arch enemies have and what even the most vicious of men will do to protect each other.

I want to point out that I just came back from the theatre so maybe I'll miss something, but I do feel that the impression of the film has settled.

To put it short, it was fun and I would recommend ZG80 to all who are interested in 'ex-YU' football hooliganism, just before 'YU' got it's infamous prefix 'ex'.

Apparently it was like a mad school trip to the football stadium, with almost no football, but with lots of alcohol, fist fighting and brutal jokes.

There is a lot of political/nationalistic subtext which will only be understood by people who grew up in the Balkans. However, I would like to encourage football fans from around the world to give it a try, it's a great way to learn about ethnic tensions between Croats and Serbs.

The film itself was made basically for two groups in Croatia, middle age male and young male audiences. The first group wants to re- experience their own memories, old hooligan anecdotes and urban myths, while the second group wants to check if those myths and anecdotes are true.

ZG80 is a fun ride but it has plot holes. In the beginning you see potentially interesting situations and characters that never fully develop. After a while I felt no dramatic suspense as I saw that nothing big or important will happen. It makes me a bit sad because this film could have and should have been made better. But then again it doesn't pretend to be something that it isn't.

Realistically it deserves a 6 but I give it a 7. Why? Because... Dinamo, Dinamo, Dinamoooo, Dinamo, Dinamo, Dinamooo, Dinamo, Dinamo, Dinamooo, volim te DI-NA-MO!

I actually enjoyed this movie very much. It's about a group of young football fans going to support their team to a town of their arch- rivals both as a rival football team and as a nation with historically based hatred between them.

Movie takes time to let us know each character and chemistry between them is what makes this movie very good. They of course get themselves in plenty of funny and awkward situations where they have to rely on each other and sometimes on the speed of their feet. Plenty good humour and unavoidable for this region a lot of foul language. Best understanding of the movie will have people from the ex-Yugoslavia, but I believe all the football fans anywhere would enjoyed it too. I especially liked the way movie shows that no matter of all the political differences and all the alleged hate between the two nations (Croats and Serbs), we, especially as we were young people with something to believe in, we are all much more similar than we care to admit.

If it weren't for a very poorly done narrating, I'd give it even higher score.

Probably the worst Croatians movies ever,I don't know where to start because verything is so terrible ,looks like bunch of mentaly ill people decide to film the movie ,nothing have any sense ,hooligans didn't behave like this ,poor acting ,poor story ,garbage movie