The Rage (2002) User Reviews

Hope for the New Romanian Cinema

[dromasca · 8/10 · 24 November 2003]

The Romanian cinema is little known out of Romania. No directors from Romania came out to the attention of the international public, as some from other countries from Eastern Europe like Hungary, Czekoslowakia, or Yugoslavia succeeded to do. One of the few great directors in Romanian cinema is Lucian Pintilie, who 35 ago directed a great movie 'Reconstituirea' - quickly taken out of the circuit by the communist censorship. After that film, still a reference for the Romanian cinema, Pintilie was not allowed to create freely in Romania until the Communist rule fell in 1989.

'Furia' reminds me Pintilie's film 35 years ago. The title means 'The Rage' and I cannot imagine why the distributors chose to translate it differently. It is about a lost generation. While in the classic of Pintilie the root of evil is in the oppression and lies of the communist regime, here the young folks need to deal with the emergence of the sub-culture, and the moral filth that filled in the void left by the totalitarian rule. The end is tragic and painfully expected.

The movie is well directed, and the acting is good. Without too much complexity, it succeeds to create an emotional link between the characters and the viewer. One would say that some situations seem similar to '8 Miles' or 'The Fast and the Furious' - but look at the date of the production! This film was made at the same time, if not before the Western peers. If this is indeed the first film of director Radu Muntean, as IMDb says, it is an outstanding debut. In any case, a good movie, can compete and may sell well on the Western market.

There is hope for a new generation of Romanian films that with some luck and good distribution will make its place in the international cinema scene.

8/10 on my personal scale.

An urban story about teens. Gypsy mafia, jacking cars, crimes and punishment.

[f_mogo · 8/10 · 22 January 2007]

This is probably the best movie of 2002 regarding Romanian cinema. I do recommend it being an intense drama with no lack of action and thrills. The movie concentrates upon teen life in the Bucharest suburbs trough the main character, not focusing so much on the character's shape or definition but more on the anger that he and other characters feel. The title "Furia" means rage rather than anger, but could be regarded in the movie in both senses from the behavior of actors. The rather odd love story (not a typical romantic one, but rather a modern suburban conception) is well shaped towards the end. It is a captivating picture, and cinematography is pretty good in catching the suburban night life thus making it a nice movie to watch and.

You won't get bored for a minute, i promise!

Haven't expected it...

[yo_jolly_05 · 7/10 · 6 March 2009]

I have to say that I haven't expected that this movie to be this good. Usually, the eastern cinema presents the communist past in 90% of the films. However, this film surpasses the Romanian Cinema, being worthy of some more advertisement.

The acting is truthfully and not exaggerated, the plot is simple yet complex as it presents the life in the Romanian suburbia, the sound amazed me, the directing was good and what more can I say...

This "Crash" of Eastern Europe was drawn me into the film living each moment of it. I have even felt a desire coming out of me, a desire for adventure after seeing it.

Watch it! You will definitely enjoy it!

7/10

The beginning of a... new beginning!

[Mihnea_aka_Pitbull · 10/10 · 18 September 2008]

Looking backwards to that year 2002 when "Furia" was made, one can easily recognize the heralding sings of today's New Generation in Romania.

The main qualities of "Furia" stand in a very solid script, with a substantial dramatic core and a really professional developing, plus a cast of excellent actors. All four leading roles are admirably performed, both with depth and casualness: Dragos Bucur and Andy Vasluianu confirmed, since then, being two of our best performers today, Dorina Chiriac follows them closely, and Adrian Tuli, a non-professional (in real life, a graveyard manager!) cast as Gabonu, was a genuine revelation!

Further, Radu Muntean's directing is skilled and expressive, creating in a very compelling style that feeling of "a fateful night" and inescapable destiny. One can easily pass over the few awkward and even failed moments, since time proved them to be only the uncertainties inherent to a debut, never repeated in his subsequent movies: "Hârtia va fi albasträ" and "Boogie".

A new beginning

[sergiiu · 10/10 · 9 June 2004]

My teacher did this movie. It's a new beginning. Watch it, and you won't notice that it is a Romanian movie. The old boring style has gone. Now it's something else. A post-revolutionary movie. It is using the latest imaging technology and mostly unknown artists. They are unique. You won't even know that you're watching, you will be simply transferred beyond the screen and you'll feel every frame. Don't miss it, pay attention to the plot but don't ignore the details. They make the difference between this movie and the others Romanian movies. You will hear some music at some point. It's representative for a part of us, but it does not represent us. Please, just keep your head straight and leave your body free.

with a good promotion, this can be a Romanian success on the western cinemas

[marin-13 · 9/10 · 23 October 2003]

The movie has an excellent screenplay (the situation is credible, the action has pace), first-class direction and acting (especially the 3 leading actors but the others as well -including the mobster, who does not seem to be a professional actor).

I wish the movie, the director and the actors success.

surprinsingly candid comedy/action/drama that will leave you yearning for more

[andreiz2k · 9 April 2004]

I watched this movie with the Romanian Students Club at the University of Toronto. I was a bit late, so I missed the first few minutes, and at the end we talked about it. The opinions were divided: some felt that the movie is unfair to the Romanian reality as it focuses too much on the criminal element, others didn't like it because they felt it's too Russian, yet some saw similarities with "Snatch" or "28 Days Later" but most were either silent or seemed to have liked it. A singular voice claimed that the movie may be a reflection of the society (was he trying to incite comments?), while others felt that it was a parable. As for me, I found it hard to form an opinion, especially because of the complete lack of any frame of reference. Still, if a comparison is warranted, I've seen some ideas from Tarantino delivered with French candour (an Amores Perros made in Ro?!?). I haven't seen all the Romanian movies made after the fall of the stalinist regime. But of those few that I did see, most were very good, met or exceeded my expectations, and this is no exception.

The movie starts out on a light note, and seems to develop along the beaten path of Hollywood style teen comedies - fortunately, I missed most of this part. Luckily, the director abandons this avenue, the action takes off, drama unfolds, and we watch our heroes living - and dying - on the edge.

The main characters do represent indeed a generation, even though I did not identify with them. I wouldn't call them a "generation of sacrifice" as some did, because all generations in Romania have a claim to that qualifier, with the exception perhaps of those who lived in the interbellic decades (and even for them, those who had it best spent their retirement in prisons, in exile, or in a fetid basement overtaken by anxiety). There is a dark reality of Romanian life, strikingly apparent in the movie, a reality which cannot be denied through PR exercises: there's an appalling lack of horizons and opportunities for the young generation. It's no surprise then that most young Romanians, including our heroes, see immigration as the only way out, as the only hope, but few have the means to take this route.

Yet, despite the gloomy circumstances, the director/writer is able to present an involving, fast paced storyline. The premise is very credible and the actors lively and candid in their interpretation. Some scenes emerge from the uniform desperation as uniquely funny, but we don't even have time to catch our breath and realise it, as we are too involved (the movie was rated as Action/Comedy, but it's more of an Action/Drama in my view).

Certain characters are insufficiently developed, like the hardened thug who had to "take care" of the main (anti)hero. Certain scenes in the movie have their own rhythm and appear interconnected (maybe the scenes where emotions flow without words; words disappear in the background or simply sublimate), such as the spectacle with the two dwarf parents, the scene with Luca's parents or the very end, which is a nefarious conclusion to the search for a way out. The end shouldn't surprise. The hero engaged on a one-way street, and only a miracle could've saved him. But miracles don't happen in this part of the universe, so his struggle to keep his head out of the slimy, green water is destined to fail...

Perhaps the frequent comparisons to other cinema schools are rooted in the lack of awareness about movies from this part of the world. Is it not possible, then, that this movie, like several others before it (The Oak, Filantropica, Occident), is indicative of an increasingly assertive, independent, mature yet still largely unknown Romanian school of cinema?

Are u kidding me?

[xTHrance · 1/10 · 18 October 2006]

"The New hope of Romanian cinema"...if this is the new hope, then i wouldn't really like to see the saving hero of such a prolific cinema(Romanian cinema, that is). Now seriously, where should I start? 1. The crappy scenario: are you kidding me, this is not even believable not to mention it's high degree of stupidity 2. the Direction: what direction? This movie should have had psychological tension, at least that, since they have decided to make it look as trashy as possible. Oky, I admit, Radu Muntean is no Polanski, Hitchcock, Fincher or Lynch(the list could go on), but at least the minimum of effort would have been appreciated. 3. The language: Oky, I don't understand why (almost)every single Romanian director believes that if you make the movie as miserable and obscene as possible, then you have art. I don't mind explicit language or bad image quality as long as the final result makes it worthwhile. In this case, it doesn't. There is nothing to comment upon, since everything this movie wants to say was already told thousand times, the characters are far too thinly portrayed to become memorable, the "shocking events" that occur are also poorly illustrated and become unimportant. This film relies only on the self-induced emotions, on the "we must" hype. Someone was found murdered so "WE MUST" feel sad, frightened or panicked, someone went through this and that so "WE MUST" feel in a certain way. That's baloney. Because a movie is a piece of fiction, nothing is for real here. So the only true emotions are those that you discover when you wander deep into it's world(the movie's, that is)

*/* * * * *

very good

[mihneacolumbeanu4 · 10/10 · 24 January 2009]

now we know radu munteans movies, the excellent PAPER WILL BE BLUE and BOOGIE, but its worth to see again (or at last) this first FURIA, which shows perfectly clear his initial qualities.

its very interesting to see how his beginners talent developed into confirming him as one of the best romanian contemporary directors.

of course, the movie itself is excellent - intelligent and professional script, sure-handed direction, stylish photography. definitely, one of the best - in the most serious and competent sense! also, munteans storytelling sense is compelling and gripping - and he actors... well, they simply rock!

One of the worst Romanian movies I've seen in the last few years

[ctapus · 5/10 · 13 April 2005]

This is an unsuccessful imitation of Guy Ritchie's "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and other movies in this genre. It starts on a dynamic tone but it looses pace and seems a lot longer than its 84 minutes running time. It's not a funny movie, nor does it address a serious issue. It's a gruesome black movie with no message. This movie is also hard to follow for non-Romanians and leaves an empty feeling to Romanians and international audience alike. It could be a good student movie, but it's nothing compared to movies like "Occident" and "Filantropica", which are good Romanian movies made in the last few years. Very disappointing...

Furia , a tough movie about the tough life in the tough neighbourhoods of Bucharest

[malvolio_69 · 8/10 · 8 September 2005]

It is movie about love,violence,illegal affairs and romanian tycoons. A romanian story combined with an occidental adaption resulting in a modern international film that can be understood both by western audiences but as well by eastern European audiences that HAVE LONG forgotten about the conservative comunist regim over film-making.

A film full of violent fight scenes that are very numerous and create more and more tensed situations as the movie goes on .

A story that impresses because of its view over the hard life from the neighbourhood. Two young men do illegal car races. They work together as a team and prosper from their occupation ,but when they are asked by a local tycoon to lose one race things start to get messy and the fuse from the bomb lights up creating a very tensionated movie that will keep you close to the screen until the ending of it when you will still be asking yourself a lot of questions long after that.

Brilliant acting both by Dragos Bucur and Dorina Chiriac along with high quality directing and screen writing by the young but talented director Radu Muntean also give a unique charm to Furia. All this and many other elements that can be noticed while watching have created a must see movie by all the filmlovers around the world and its message is clear to all not depending of race ,language we speak or country. It is a real hope for the Romanian cinema as it tries to keep up with the more advanced occidental cinema.

I hope you enjoy watching it as I'm sure that all the people that have seen it liked it and understood it.

The screen-play is very bad

[thewavers · 1/10 · 2 January 2003]

The screen-play is very bad, but there are some action sequences that i really liked. I think the image is good, better than other romanian movies. I liked also how the actors did their jobs.