How I Became a Gangster is a Polish film about the journey of a nameless gangster from being the son of a taxi driver to his rise to the top of the criminal world. With music playing constantly in the background and smug dialogue from the lead, the film is utterly pretentious and formulaic. Although the protagonist did not have a troubled childhood and was loved by his parents, the streets of Warsaw turned him into a fighter and then a gangster. He was easily angered from a young age and often ended up fighting those who dared to challenge him. His father was an honest man who expected his son to choose an honest life, but that was almost impossible for him.
spoilers ahead
How I Became A Gangster Plot Synopsis: What is the movie about?
The protagonist found the world of gangsters amusing. He drove his father's taxi at night with his friends and visited hotels frequented by gangsters and sex workers. He wanted to belong to the world that he worked at night, and as a boy he really wanted to be one of those rich hoteliers. Growing up, he looked for business opportunities that would help him carve out a place in the gangster world. He started his first business as a trafficker, supplying sex workers to Saudis desperate for Polish women. He attacked those who dared to harm sex workers and began to make a name for himself through his service. In 1996 he started working for Magi and had a team of 30 people working for him. He and his team focused primarily on armed robberies, which they carried out with the help of those who chose to report them for a percentage of the stolen money. Although the robbery was successful, the negligence of his team members led to his arrest. Our protagonist was also arrested, but not for robbery; He was serving time for hitting a man.
After 18 months he was released from prison and that's when he decided not to work for anyone else again. He would make his own rules and follow his instincts; he didn't want to go under like the other Polish mobsters. The first person he took under his wing was Walden. He met Walden when he was young and the two met at a nightclub before his arrest. Walden admired him and his lifestyle. He knew that Walden would be loyal to him because he would always be grateful for introducing him to the underworld. He had few trusted members of his team and they were the only people he knew personally. The team still had Crater, the group's trainer, and Golum, the muscular one. He wanted to remain invisible to the world, so he preferred to operate in silence. His rules were simple: he wasn't in the business for fame; He only wanted to rob the rich and was very careful not to harm women and children. He soon developed a feud with his former teammate Crowbar Jr., humiliating not only him but his entire team. His team tried to get revenge on all the members of Crowbar Jr.'s team and discovered that they were the next Polish gang to watch.
When he saw Magdalena for the first time, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He knew he wanted to get closer to her and managed to introduce himself to her when he ran into her again at a local bar. He did not share her truth with her and led her to believe that he was the owner of a company that traded with investors. Though Magda had reason to doubt the stranger, she was deeply drawn to him. When she agreed to meet him at her house, he bought a house with a yard just to impress her. As she rose to the top of the gangster world, her parents believed that he was working in an auto shop. His father offered him a taxi to help him earn a living now that he was in a relationship. He used the taxi to do business without arousing suspicion. At this point, Magdalena knew that her partner was involved in shady dealings, but she chose to live her entire life in denial.
What has Walden changed?
Walden was the right hand of the protagonist. He was a young man, ready to take on anyone who dared to question his mentor. When Marian offered a large sum of money that required the kidnapping of a child, Marian turned down the deal, but Walden believed the offer was worth accepting. There was a fundamental difference in the way they saw the world, although the protagonist was always trying to teach him the need for rules, even in the type of business they were in. Walden kidnaps and presents Crowbar Jr. at his wedding. The protagonist realized that Walden could do anything to show his love for him. He knew his mentor was desperate to find a way to get back at Crowbar Jr. and she got it. On his wedding day, he murdered Crowbar Jr. and then recited his wedding vows. On his wedding day, he was overwhelmed by the love and affection that his gang members and his wife showered on him. Later, at the wedding party, Walden met Violetta and they fell in love with alcohol and cocaine.
As the gang grew in popularity, Walden became addicted to cocaine and constantly hyperventilated. He was determined to take revenge for the slightest inconvenience, and it was always his mentor who kept him from making bad decisions. The protagonist soon met Daniel, the last gangster of the Proszkow gang, whose appearance was extremely deceptive. Daniel wanted the protagonist to join his group, but first he had to rid the streets of thugs whose gossip brought unwanted attention to his business. Walden helped his mentor carry out Daniel's bidding, but in the process he came to enjoy him taking life. He believed that no matter how many people he killed, he would get a life sentence the day he was caught, so until then he wanted to enjoy the thrill of killing. Walden couldn't trust Daniel because he used to be a police informant. He believed that they could easily ruin Daniel and rise to the top without his help. Walden knew no limits or rules, and the protagonist was afraid of the monster he had created.
How I Became A Gangster Final Explanation: What Happened To Walden At The End? Did the protagonist survive?
While Daniel wanted him to clean up the streets, CBI officials advised him to share details about notorious gangsters he knew of in exchange for a safety net. The protagonist could not imagine sharing information with the police; he couldn't live with himself knowing that he had turned himself in to the police. Daniel promised the protagonist that if he could clean the streets and handle a load of 500 kg of coke, he would take over the delivery service. Before he could take on the role, he was arrested, not for being a gang leader, but for an ancient statue the old couple left behind before they left home. Walden believed that Daniel was somehow involved in the arrest of his mentor. Desperate for world domination, he simply wanted his mentor to support him. The protagonist advised him to stay away from Daniel and go on vacation to the country. But Walden was out of his control now. The protagonist was released from prison as soon as he could prove that the statue did not belong to him and that he was not responsible for the crime.
After his release from prison, Daniel offered him 10% of his earnings in exchange for being his right-hand man and building his security team. But before that, he was told to get rid of Walden. He managed to find Walden and shoot anyone who got in his way. With a few shots, he discovered that he had killed Walden. Daniel trusted him and accompanied him to the place where they delivered the 500 kilos of cocaine. When they got there, the protagonist expressed his doubts about the place and told Daniel to run. Shortly after, the police entered the place to confiscate the drugs. However, we later learn that it was organized by the protagonist to get revenge on Daniel; He hired men who dressed up as policemen and got hold of the cocaine. He couldn't trust Daniel after forcing him to kill Walden. We learn that the protagonist did not kill Walden; Instead, he injected her with a dummy drug to trick Daniel into thinking he was dead, he took a stick of cocaine given to his men and boarded a ship with his wife Walden and Violetta. When Walden came to his senses and realized that they were fleeing from Poland, he couldn't accept it. He always believed that one day he would be punished for his crimes. He didn't want to start over; he just wanted to get out of the life he led and punished for his mistakes. He had killed a child on the job and he could never forgive himself for it. Unable to live with his conscience, Walden shot himself in the face and died on the ship.
The protagonist returned to Poland with his family and served a sentence for his crime. After years of imprisonment, he was finally released. Meanwhile, Daniel published a book about the life of the protagonist. He tried to present himself as the good guy who intentionally destroyed drugs to protect the younger generation. Always someone who only cared about himself, Daniel could snoop around and even write a book to save his life. The fact that Daniel was not jailed and managed to publish a book suggests that he found a way to break free and frame the protagonist for the operation. By bringing up the life of the Polish mob, he destroyed his business, and the protagonist's release suggests he might find a way to get back at Daniel. It is said that "How I Became a Gangster" is based on real events that occurred within the Polish mafia. The people and events are meant to be inspired by reality, but the protagonist is still a nameless character, perhaps an amalgamation of various mob characters trying to find humanity even in their criminal lifestyle.
How I Became a Gangster is a 2023 drama thriller film directed by Maciej Kawulski.
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