Jak zostalem gangsterem. Historia prawdziwa

How I Became a Gangster (2020) is a bruising, stylish dive into the underworld of Poland's criminal elite, trading Hollywood gloss for Warsaw grit. It's not just another rags-to-riches crime saga, it's a study in obsession, loyalty, and the raw hunger that fuels the Polish mafia's rise. The film pulses with unflinching realism, drawing you deep into a world where charm is as lethal as a bullet. The narration feels confessional, almost conspiratorial, turning the viewer into an accomplice. Director Maciej Kawulski sidesteps cliché, crafting a character-driven story that never glamorizes its violence but lingers in its aftermath. The gangland hierarchy is depicted like a chessboard soaked in vodka and blood, where one wrong move means checkmate. This is Eastern European noir at its most captivating, it's icy, intense, and undeniably magnetic. For fans of gangster cinema craving something authentic, this is a brutal breath of Slavic air.

Do watch it, if you're interested in a bro-manship movie, on gangsters, on ethics and human values, on history. It will make you question a lot about the humans involved in this movie and how gray area some things can be and how despite the fact that the protagonist cared about human value, ethics etc he screwed himself up in an unethical business because of the need to feel adrenaline, or become somebody to someone else, the feel to feel important.

If I didn't have to value it among other movies I would put an 8-9, but there are many great movies and the enemy of the great is the greatest.

But this movie is definitely worth your time. I won't spoil anything, I feel you don't need to know much or else it will ruin your experience. I started watching it with the feeling of "are we romanticizing gangsters now? Really?", but it's not what this movie is about.

Watch it with remorse, empathy, value for everybody's lives inside even the ones killed. That way you'll get into the head of the protagonist and the writer(s) behind this movie, start understanding that it's not about romanticizing gangsters, but about humans as a whole, as a species. Try to see the bigger picture, and this movie will feel like an unpolished gem.

Atmospheric, well balanced and worthwhile. And, not the traditional 'violence and gangsta glorification' movie as we all know a bit too well from titles as & like Pulp Fiction.

We're being told the story of a Polish gangster, first hand. He takes us with him through his very first criminal steps during childhood, when communist Poland was part of the Warschau-pact, up to when he's become a seasoned capo in the 2000's.

Although it is obviously a movie and as usual scenes are therefore a bit romanticised every now and then, the entirety of this movie feels believable. Once it gets really started, the life of the main character enfolds and captivates the viewer. With realistic character development and a great music selection to add to the atmosphere, this movie progresses from a somewhat shallow story at first sight into a really captivating tale. Very well done.

A little gem afaic.

Great talented young actors, amazing plot, interesting, exciting and unpredictable. Great characters. The main character is complicated but relatable. Very smart fresh approach towards gangster movies.

Proud of such polish production!

And not directed by pathetic moron Vega. Nice story with a twist.