Mixed by Erry review: Piracy has always been a lucrative but crooked business 

Netflix recently released a sensational new crime/comedy biopic, Mixed by Erry, on Wednesday, May 31. After watching, it is safe to say that the film did a perfect demonstration of how the sinister art of piracy ascended from just a simple hobby. Although piracy has been drastically controlled in recent years, it is impossible to completely eliminate it, especially when the internet is at the height of its power.

This brilliant new Italian biopic narrates the story of three brothers from Naples, who create a formidable underground empire of audio piracy. Directed by Sydney Sibilia, the Netflix film stars Luigi D'Oriano, Giuseppe Arena, and Emanuele Palumbo.

According to IMDb, the synopsis of Mixed by Erry reads as:

"The rise and fall of the pirate mixtape empire of three brothers from Naples and their "Mixed by Erry"-trademarked cassettes that brought pop music to 1980s Italian youth."

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Mixed by Erry review: Three brothers, one dream -- to run the underground audio piracy business

Mixed by Erry is basically a shop opened by Enrico, Peppe, and Angelo Frattasio, from where they build their infamous audio piracy business. These three brothers are normal people living in Forcella, a district of Naples, and even though their story is entertaining and slightly inspirational, the dangers of the underworld can never be ignored.

The protagonist is a youngster named Enrico, who is underconfident, shy, and timid. He has a burning passion for music and spends his leisure time making mixtapes for friends and clients. He works in an appliance store and uses their equipment to copy music.

Enrico's dream was to become a DJ but he soon realizes the money-making potential piracy business poses. He gradually makes his hobby his profession and begins selling thousands of audio cassettes on the black market. He is not alone in this, as his criminal brothers support him through and through in his venture.

The film has an amazing story and is very well made. The actors have done a fine job and the screenplay and direction maintain equilibrium. While other films and shows about drug trafficking and money laundering have been milked to the core, this Italian film follows the same blueprint but feels fresh and one-of-a-kind.

At the end of the day, this movie is based on a true story. The operation became so famous that there were even copies of the pirated copies created. In an interview with The Guardian, Enrico Frattasio, aka Erry, stated:

"With the entrepreneurial experience of my brothers, we went from 50 copies to 300,000 of our great hits. I was the YouTube or Spotify of the 1980s. The money was not the point. I was building compilations. Each one took me a couple of days. I was doing a serious curator job."

The camerawork and cinematography are satisfactory and the music certainly hits the mark. Even though it's technically not a musical/film about music, the theme allowed the makers to put some classic 80s anthems which are guaranteed to make you groove to the beats.

Lastly, one complain about Mixed by Erry is that the entire story could be wrapped up in a much shorter timeframe; at least 15 to 20 minutes of the movie felt slightly monotonous. Nevertheless, the Netflix venture is very enjoyable and certainly has that "multiple-time watch" charm.

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Mixed by Erry is streaming on Netflix worldwide. It was released on the streamer on May 31, 2023.