Chiko (18)
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A young Turkish immigrant named Isa prays at his local mosque, but out on the mean streets of Hamburg he trades under his thug moniker Chiko.
The director Özgür Yildirim plots his resistible rise from dealing hash for a crime boss (Moritz Bleibtreu) to a Scarface-lifestyle of cocaine and nightclubs, while the resentful figure of his loser best pal broods in the background like Banquo's ghost. Denis Moschitto, as the bantam gangster, apes the slow-burn menace of a young Robert De Niro, and his explosive bouts of violence are of a similar stripe. There's nothing here to challenge Fatih Akin's tough drama of Hamburg immigrants Head-On, and too much of its urban grit seems in thrall to American precedents.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments