H4z4rd

80 minutes pure adrenaline from Antwerp in one of the most surprising movies of the year so far. An over the top rollercoaster. It helps if you have some knowledge of the Antwerp dialect and it also available to know a little about some Belgium political affairs to understand some of the surprising depth which is hidden in this not so subtile movie. The car, I don't know if Lexus was happy with this way of advertising, is used as the point of view of the camera and that really works. The acting, especially from the Flemish actors is superb, but it really starts with the 5 minutes Dutch actor. Frank Lammers makes his short entrance. Only dissonant Mobic Hendricks as Miss Brasschaat.

Cool Flemish action movie. Expect over the top action sequences. Also a lot of humor. Great acting debute of word famous dj Dimitri Vegas. Ben Segers performance is stunning, Go and discover the city of Antwerp in a way you have never seen before.

No pun intended - especially because you may think of something different than what I mean. Point of ... car is what my summary stands for. And it is because of the movie being inside ... for most of the time. And even when we go outside it has something to do with the car ... like a shot from a part of the car ... reflections and all that.

The main character is played by a Greek and he seems to be "connected" to his car ... like a lot! Don't get it wrong: he loves his girlfriend and his daughter at least as much as the car ... he also knows a bit Greek, though grammatically speaking he is not on top of his game.

A lot of swearing, a lot of action ... combined they make quite the fun movie. (Un)fortunately the rap song has not been released digitally at the time of writing as a friend has confirmed ...

I'm writing this review to tell you that: watch the end credits and almost till the end. There is a fun addition or two that they have :)

The movie itself is a quite fun and lightweight popcorn movie. I would like to rate it 6.5, but I can't, and I think 7 is just a bit too much. It's because some scenes are overplayed and exaggerated, and they lose their impact and realism. Or maybe everything else is underplayed and sometimes a bit dull.

At some point, it feels like a black comedy, but not all jokes are on that level. The drama is there, but I think they rushed a little bit with these scenes. A few more minutes given and it might even pull a tear.

Nevertheless, it's a fun watch and a good effort.

Probably you have heard of him, or perhaps you haven't, but the lead protagonist of "H4Z4RD" is world-famous, and one of the export products my lovely country Belgium is most proud of. Together with his brother Like Mike, Dimitri Vegas has been elected several times already as the best Techno/House DJs in the world. But Dimitri Thivaios also has another dream and ambition that he often and openly promotes in the Belgian media; namely that he wants to be an - preferably international - actor. He already played minuscule roles in major productions, like "Rambo V" and "Jurassic World: Dominion" but the big debut takes place in his homestead of Antwerp.

Without immediately putting a label of good or bad on the film, the least you can say about "H4Z4RD" is that it's a very eccentric and highly unusual motion picture for Belgian standards. Think of a combo between "Crank" and "The Fast and the Furious"; - a fast paced and hectically edited hour and a half music video full of deranged characters, unrealistic situations, gratuitous violence, offensive and borderline vulgar humor, loud music, and a bit of Flemish couleur locale. It certainly isn't new or innovative, but it's unique for Flanders, and I'm still amazed that a bonkers project like this received funding from the (normally very traditional and boring) cultural institution VAF.

The story? Obsessive car tuner Noah Hazard agrees to a "job" as getaway driver for his recently released from prison - and totally whacko - nephew Carlos. Obviously, they steel from the wrong people, resulting in Noah's daughter getting kidnapped and the challenge of returning the loot before nightfall. Some of the stuff they encounter is fairly standard (thugs, police chases) while others are totally absurd (pervert guards, rabid dogs).

Dimitri Vegas isn't a good actor just yet, but I reckon he can become one. At least he's already well-surrounded. Co-star Jeroen Perceval is terrific, as usual, and gives a phenomenally OTT-performance as the white trash wannabe gangster-rapper with a speaking disorder and aggressive temper. Jonas Govaerts is one of the rising star directors in this country and put himself on the map with the slasher "Cub" and the thriller series "Tabula Rasa". Like that other Flemish blockbuster of 2022, "Zillion", "H4Z4RD" has an exhilarating soundtrack full of Belgian dance classics from the nineties and plenty of inside jokes. It won't be the greatest film you'll ever watch, but it's a fun ride.