A different way of telling a story

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

One of the strongest Dutch movies of the year 2008 (the other one being Dunya & Desie) TBS is like a quality American TV movie, without the sentimental ending. Beautiful cinematography, excellent dark music, at their best moments create a creepy feeling like 7even. (A victim in a chest freezer!?) Theo Maassen, mainly known for his theater shows as a comedian, does a fine job, though he does seem to lose some of his focus towards the ending. Maassen plays a convicted criminal, already having served 14 years in jail, who remains under the supervision of the state until the therapists decide he's ready to return to society. (This is called TBS) Which is unlikely to happen as his supervisors want to transfer him to the long-stay, a place where you're basically stuck for good. Maassen escapes with a fellow prisoner (is he a figment of his imagination?) and, when alone, kidnaps a girl, as a trade-off, while he tries to prove his innocence. The girl seems to have problems at home (is her step dad nice to her?) and starts showing signs of the Stockholm syndrome. Which is at times hard to believe when you're kidnapped by someone who murders before your own eyes. A beautiful David Lynchian moment occurs when the two reach their destination, a typical Belgian camping site, where a little girl is singing while rocking a swing. Unfortunately, we don't hear the footsteps on the gravel, as the music drowns out most of the scene. It sometimes drowns the dialogue as well, which is actually not a bad thing considering the notorious bad dialogue in most Dutch films! TBS is worth a watch if you're interested in Northern European cinema, as a Dutch film I would give it 8/10, in the grand scheme of things it's a 6.5/10.

I love this movie! The acting is great and the plot is very good. Theo Maassen plays a strong main character which draws you in. You begin to like him, but he plays is very subtle and you feel his edges from the beginning. It's a guy you're not sure if you can trust him or not. Was he wrongfully convicted or is he the beast that others perceive him to be. It gives the movie a strong foundation and he maintains a great performance throughout. A couple of others in the theater weren't able to totally separate his movie character from his career as a comic, resulting in some laughs in the audience in some strange places in the movie. Nothing to blame on Maassen though, he did great. The girl in this movie is brilliant. It's the first role of Lisa Smit (only 13 or 14 herself) and she plays her character very well. She is a typical teenager, with all the problems and issues that girls have at that time in their lives. The plot of the movie had a nice pace and the tension is built up nicely. There is never a dull moment and almost all plot twists are believable. Only problem I had was a strange scene involving a group of journalists. The way they behaved seemed a bit contrived and purely there to help the story forward. They didn't fall in the current Hollywood trap of making a movie too long, it's perfect as it is, an hour and a half of pure entertainment.

I was completely shocked after watching this film. The end was horrifying, upsetting and confusing. But even with a not-so-good-feeling after leaving the theater, I have to say I really loved this film. First of all the directing is great; Pieter Kuijpers made several really good based-on-facts films (DENNIS P., VAN GOD LOS, OFF SCREEN) and with this oeuvre he made a very worthwhile contribution to the Dutch (popular) cinema. He really understands both making grandiose action-scenes and scenes about subtle emotional human-interaction. So although I was shocked after wards, now a day later I come to really appreciate this film. Also because of the Oscar-worthy acting of Theo Maassen; his acting made him equally likable and charming as terrifying and fearsome. Brilliantly filmed and acted film! Applause! (but I think, I don't want to see it again..)

Awesome movie. Just came back from seeing it. Much better then most holy wood blockbusters.I never really was into dutch movies. But this really was something different. The story is really great, and the main Actor Theo Maassen does a great job. Apparently he's as great at acting as at stand up comedy. I never expected a comedian to do this good in a thriller, but he does a great job! The girl also plays her role really nice.The only thing some could sometimes annoy me in the movie where the rough cuts. There were ugly cuts throughout the whole movie. They probably chose to do it this way. But they really shouldn't have... But i guess it does have it's charm.Anyways, great movie. I would give this a 8.3, but since you can only give it round number, i give an 8. Great movie! Must see if you like thriller movies!