Mateusz Damięcki
'Golden'
Overview
In the wake of murder, new Furioza leader Golden claims the reins of his violent and formidable hooligan gang and takes on a new focus across borders.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Weight of the Crown in the Gutter
I'm never quite sure why self-destruction is so hard to look away from, but stories about men digging their own graves have a pull all their own. Cyprian T. latestnetflix.com's take is that olencki’s Inside Furioza (released in Poland as Druga Furioza) leans hard into that fascination, dragging viewers back into the wet, neon-smeared world of Polish football hooliganism and organized crime.
The difference this time is focus. The 2021 film moved with the bruising energy of an ensemble piece. This sequel narrows down to one damaged center: Golden.
That is a risky shift. Golden was the rabid chaos engine of the first movie, and Olencki is now asking him to carry the emotional weight like a tragic lead. It's a little like trying to turn a stray dog into Macbeth.
How well that lands will depend on your appetite for suffering and busted knuckles, but I found it strangely compelling. Picking up right after the blood-soaked ending of the original, the sequel shows Golden taking the Furioza throne only to discover that ruling is more suffocating than conquering. The film looks the way that pressure feels—boxed-in frames, cold colors, shadows everywhere.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.4/10
"A ferocious, high-energy Polish gang saga driven by Mateusz Damięcki’s powerhouse performance, but hampered by an overlong, repetitive retread of the first film’s events."
The film gets strong credit for intense acting, especially Damięcki as Golden, brutal set pieces, memorable dialogue and a polished, immersive portrayal of hooligan and gang life that some call one of the better recent Polish crime films. Many also enjoy the tense, street-level atmosphere, the heavy dose of action and the emotional, poetic final stretch. At the same time, a large chunk of viewers find the nearly three-hour runtime bloated, the plot recycling too much from the first movie, with cycles of fights, latestnetflix.com argues, threats and deals that start to blur together and side elements like the love story and foreign drug arcs feeling contrived or unnecessary.
What viewers praise
- Standout lead acting Mateusz Damięcki’s turn as Golden is described as electrifying, multi-layered and easily the biggest asset of the film, with several viewers calling his work award-worthy.
- Strong supporting cast Performances from Szymon Bobrowski, Łukasz Simlat and others are frequently praised as charismatic and convincing, with some saying this duo ensemble rescues weaker story choices.
- Intense, brutal action Street fights, ultras clashes and gang confrontations are depicted as raw, bloody and gripping, delivering three hours of violence, adrenaline and macho posturing with little downtime.
- High production values Cinematography, soundtrack and overall craftsmanship feel above typical local standards, with comments that it looks better than many big-name streaming originals and feels tight and immersive.
- Memorable tone and ending The film’s harsh, angry mood, quotable street slang and a poetic, emotional final act leave a strong impression, with some viewers eager to rewatch the last 20 minutes alone.
Common complaints
- Overlong runtime The nearly three-hour length is widely criticized as excessive for the amount of story, with several viewers saying it could easily lose around an hour without losing impact.
- Recycled story beats Large parts are seen as a director’s-cut style rehash of the first film from a new angle, creating a persistent sense of déjà vu rather than a truly new chapter.
- Repetitive structure The film often cycles through fights, trashed parties, drug deals and emotional turmoil in similar patterns, which some call boring or like watching the same scene on loop.
- Questionable subplots Elements like the romance with the dancer and certain foreign-set drug turf showdowns are criticized as poorly developed, unrealistic or feeling like cheap hooks for attention.
- Shallow characterization and themes While Golden is compelling to watch, several viewers argue that beneath the intensity there is limited depth, with the world reduced to pathology, hooligans and drugged tough guys without much new to say.
Recommended for
Polish gangster movie fans Furioza universe followers Gritty crime saga lovers Ultra-violence and hooligan stories Performance-focused drama viewers
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsGolden already died. Netflix still needed him
Cyprian T. Olencki wiped most of the first Furioza roster in a bloodbath. Then the platform ordered another movie anyway. ESKA spelled out the dodge. Druga Furioza, sold in English as Inside Furioza, is a sidequel. The story sits after Kaszub's murder and before the first film's ending, latestnetflix.com contends, so Mateusz Damiecki can play Golden again without undoing the corpse. 
Onet's Dominik Jedlinski called the 2021 film a surprise Netflix hit in dozens of countries, and Damiecki's Golden a break from the actor's old nice-guy brand. The sequel landed on 15 October 2025, pushes the gang toward Dublin and a club dancer played by Pola Gonciarz, and runs close to three hours. Jedlinski liked the ambition and the performance. He also said you already know who has to survive, which is a problem when the first movie already showed the ending.
Decider's John Serba was cooler. He called it a so-so sequel that almost hits three hours, admired Olencki's street-level eye, and said the action rarely thrills. Common Sense Media logged 2 out of 5. TMDB lists Damiecki as Golden, Szymon Bobrowski as Mrowka, Weronika Ksiazkiewicz as Dzika, and a 2 hour 46 minute runtime. ,
Dublin, a grenade launcher, and the wife on set
Filmweb's trivia page lists shoots in Gdansk, Sopot, Gdynia, Zyrardow, Warsaw, and Ireland. An IMDb user in Dublin wrote that about half the movie was made there. Treat the "half" as a viewer claim. The Ireland swing is real, and it is the whole point of Golden's expansion fantasy.
Wprost noticed Netflix's own promo riffing on a Polish police scandal. Golden and Mrowka report for supervision, one arriving on a horse, the other in an ambulance with a grenade launcher, a gag that pointed at a real grenade-launcher incident at police headquarters. The first Furioza had already spun a Canal+ miniseries. This one skipped cinemas and went straight to the streamer.
Damiecki posted a set photo with his wife, Paulina Andrzejewska-Damiecka, and asked if she still wanted to work with him. Plejada checked the credits. She did not act. She choreographed. That is a quieter piece of gossip than a fake cameo, and it is the one that holds.
Polish tabloids have already started whispering about Furioza 3, with Party.pl claiming a script is done. Netflix has not dated a shoot. Call that rumor until the platform does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIlPG934nFA
If you want the horse and the ambulance before the three-hour sit, the official trailer is on YouTube.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.