This Dutch film is set in 1980, at the time of the coronation of Queen Beatrix. Detective Jurre de Cock has just transferred from a small village; he is partnered with Amsterdam native Detective Tonnie Montijn. Tonnie introduces him to the seedier side of the city; the red light district and the various squats. De Cock soon learns that this is a place where the police are expected to take backhanders and brutal suppression of squatters and activists is considered acceptable. After chasing a suspect de Cock finds a body in one of the city's canals; Tonnie suggests it is just some drunk who fell in but as the case progresses it soon becomes clear it was murder... possibly part of a plot to attack the coronation. To complicate matters for de Cock he starts to take a romantic interest in Tonnie's sister, Pein, who is with the protesters; something that could but them both in danger.
I thought this was a solid, gritty thriller. It has the feel of a '70s cop drama; which is appropriate as it is set only a few months into 1980. The story works well with introductions to key characters before the discovery of the body sets the plot rolling. There are some good twists as the story progresses; these came as a genuine surprise to me. There is some action; a foot chase through the red light district; rioting and some shooting but no cliché car chases or explosions. The cast does a fine job most obviously Waldemar Torenstra as de Cock, Tygo Gernandt as Tonnie and Lisa Smit as Pien. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of gritty police dramas.
These comments are based on watching the film in Dutch with English subtitles.
