Usually, thrillers have either one-note characters or extremely complex ones. The new Netflix film Freestyle is a fast-paced thriller that introduces you to the character of Diego. Diego is a bit of both. He is a complex character that is at once dealing with his career as a rapper, his absurd love life, and his friend Flour’s transgressions that get him into trouble. He is also one-note, as he shows the same energy and enthusiasm when he’s getting beaten up as he does when he’s excited to meet his lover. There are other characters in the film that make life hell for Diego. One of them is also his father, who is a gangster himself. The performance by Maciej Musialowski as Diego is decent, but he doesn’t get to explore his character deeply as he is constantly slammed by someone or another. Let’s take a closer look at Maciej’s character:
Spoilers Ahead
Maciej Musiałowski as Diego:
Diego gets out of rehab, and what does he have on his mind? Rap and Love. Miki was the love of his life, but it was a complicated situation. She was in a relationship with Baton, who worked for a gang called ‘The Brothers’. Diego was no stranger to the gangster world. He might have gone into rehab, but he had no plans to let the world be sober. Dealing drugs was the one thing he knew how to do, apart from rapping. Maybe he was a better drug dealer than he was a rapper, which was why he was constantly attracted to the drug world. His current situation, which got him involved in this world, was that he needed immediate cash to record his new song. The studio owner ousted him and his collaborator Flour as the two were accused of theft. Diego had nothing to do with it, but he had to delay his recording because Flour’s silence was incriminating. If Diego had friends like Flour, he didn’t need enemies. But he soon made a lot of them.
He had a scheme in mind to ensure his rap career wouldn’t be over. It didn’t come to him all at once. First, he went to his old pal Tuman. There, he had to deliver some pills to a Slovakian crew who fancied themselves as producers of music videos. Diego did not approach them to fulfill his ambitions as a rapper but found another opportunity when the Slovaks wanted to deal cocaine. Tuman did not mess with cocaine, so Diego came up with a plan. He approached ‘The Brothers’ for a kilo. But wait, didn’t the Slovaks ask for a two-kilogram minimum? This was Diego’s plan. He wanted to get the one kilo of pure cocaine from The Brothers, lace it with substandard coke and sell the two kilo of impure cocaine to the Slovaks. He would pay back The Brothers the price for their kilo, gratefully taking his share for working as the dealer, and he would also get to keep the extra amount managed from the remaining kilo. All this would be done right under the noses of one of the most fierce gangs in all of Poland.
He would have the money to repay the studio manager for Flour’s theft. Then, perhaps he would let him use the studio again. Diego had a haughtiness about him. Maybe it came from his father, who was known to be a fierce loan shark. When he was asked about his dad, he said he had no information about what he was up to. This could imply that Diego had decided his own path and knew that he would not be able to tread it under the shadow of his father. He should have asked his father for help and saved himself some trouble as things were about to go haywire.
Diego had his other crew headed by Waran and Tapczan, whose help he needed in mixing the pure cocaine with the impure one. He must have been feeling on top of the world when he came up with this plan. In jubilation, he phoned Flour and asked him to set up a meeting with the Slovaks, telling them to be ready for the deal because he had gotten the two kilos they had ordered. Little did he know that Baton had put a tracking device in his wallet because he suspected him to be the one Miki was cheating with. This made the Slovaks believe he was working with the police, and sure enough, just seconds later, a unit barged in and arrested the Slovaks. Flour was arrested too, but the super agile Diego got away. How the hell did the police come into the picture?
It turns out that it was all Flour’s way of ensuring that his debts to Diego’s father were paid. Flour had a gambling problem, and he owed Diego’s father a lot of money. Stealing the microphone was a direct result of Flour’s desperation to repay the debt somehow. Diego couldn’t trust a soul, but he just didn’t know how far the web of lies had been laid. The deal went bad, and The Brothers got to know about it. Diego still had the 2 kilos of cocaine, and now they knew that Diego had tampered with their pure product. They wanted the full amount for the two kilos now, or else they were coming for his life. Diego was a resourceful fellow, but he was running out of options. Flour’s sister had seen him hide the two kilograms of cocaine, and she replaced it with fake powder. This is why his deal with Jana’s father failed. Jana was one of his fans, and in desperation, he contacted her to get her to set up a meeting with her father. But when he gave them fake powder, they beat him up during a live show. Flour’s sister acted all innocent and blamed him for Flour’s arrest, when, in fact, the drug bust was all fake. The cops were not real. They were all Flour’s friends.
Miki was rightfully paranoid that Baton would kill her, as he had found out that she was cheating on him. Diego was given every chance to repay his debts. He was even forced to rob his own father and repay The Brothers, but he failed on all counts. Running away was the best option to save himself. He wasn’t going to leave Miki behind. He thought Baton was the one who had snitched to the cops, but only in the end did he get to know that it was his friend Flour, who simply wanted time to gamble and not be punished by Diego’s father. Diego almost got away with Miki, but the Slovaks got to him first. They would have killed him if it hadn’t been for Flour, who arrived just in time to save Diego and Miki. Diego must have been furious with him, but surely all the foolish treachery will be forgotten, as Flour had saved his life and Diego had the love of his life right beside him. They had plans to leave, and the rehabilitated Diego also had his albums with him. He will surely get away from it all now. He just would have to ensure that he isn’t dragged further into any drug dealing business, which he is so good at, or was!
