Pitbull- Exodus

‘Pitbull – Exodus’ is a new crime thriller from Polish director Patryk Vega, a genre veteran, back to his explosive best with a film showing some violent gang wars in Eastern Europe, available in UK / EIRE cinemas from 19th November.  

The film begins with the backstory of Nos (Przemyslaw Bluszcz) and how he became an expert bomb maker which brings him to the attention of the Pershing gang, the worst gang in Poland. His explosive talents are much admired and are put to good use in the waging gang wars but when he blows up a bomb disposal worker he attracts the attention of Warsaw PD Gebels (Andrzej Grabowski) and they become locked in a vengeful battle.

We then jump in time to what feels like a completely different film (largely because Gebels has taken off his wig and his moustache) to a group of polytechnic students who have decided that the only way to make money is to steal it, so they put their nerdy computer skills to good use and begin a robbing spree of rich households. But as each robbery gets them into more and more trouble their luck totally runs out when they end up robbing the wrong house with the wrong occupant, Nos, reigniting the old rivalry between Nos and Gebels. The result is some extremely violent tit for tat shootings, kidnappings and torture.

As can be deduced from the title, Exodus, there is a religious element which feeds the script and brings a biblical reference to the proceedings as a guide for Gebels’ not so moral compass. Although not all the violence looks believable the beginning segment really shows off some explosive special effects capabilities, and the big bangs and mass shootings keep the body count high. Slightly too long at just under 2 hours the tempo dips in the middle before its climatic hunt at the end, heightened by its suitably atmospheric music.

Written and directed by Patrick Vega the script is totally over the top but is full of likeable genre touches like when Nos introduces himself to his lovely looking date telling her about himself, the bombs he makes, the people he’s kidnapped and the ‘top notch amphetamine’ he produces, done in his slow deliberate Eastern European accent that is the endorsement of his gangster credentials and his affinity with evil. 

Amazingly Pitbull – Exodus was shot in English as well as in Polish for its global audience and whilst the dialogue doesn’t always ring true and the acting is far from flawless what it lacks in Oscar credentials it makes up for with some authentic Eastern European accents, menacing looking thugs and plenty of TNT.