Baantjer het begin

But it's still one of the best Dutch productions and greatest movies our country has to offer. It's a good story, the cinematography is great and the acting supurb. Especially Tygo Gernandt, who plays his role magnificently!

OK, this is not bad for Dutch standards but I don't like it either. At least it doesn't have a cast of all the popular teen soap stars of the moment like most Dutch movies. But apart from the main character being called Jurriaan de Cock this has nothing to do with the Baantjer books. It seems they only adopted this name because it's very popular in the Netherlands, but this Jurriaan de Cock seems to be a completely different person than the one from the books. Cheap action flick, film noir, blah

I watched Baantjer Het Begin yesterday at the cinema and i was blown away, based on watching the trailer i expected it to be good and i was right. The movie is set in a dark gritty and dirty Amsterdam in 1980, full of violent cops, prostitutes and squaters. The film takes place a few days before queen Beatrix gets crowned, newbie Jurre de Cock (Waldemar Torenstra) starts his first day at the police station. And soon teams up with the experienced kinda dirty cop Tonnie (Tygo Gernandt at his best), i won't reveal too much but it's the best dutch movie i've seen in years. And political incorrect as they come, squaters getting beaten up by the police. And one hell of a brutal interrogation scene, so you don't have to worry about it having a lack of action, and the acting is top notch. They did a great job on this one, i hope the movie wins a golden calf.

Okay, the armosphere and sets give you the idea it really is a time warp back to the years of the story. The bad cop interrogation is unnecessary and not like Baantjer would have written a script. Also he would be disgusted by the many swearing and cursing, something he always did not like about the TV series made. Some scenes are funny and touching but leaves some questions unanswered at the end. Waldemar and Tygo play great must be stated.

Amsterdam in the early 80's. Great acting, suspense and good story. Really enjoyed this!