Godforsaken (2003) User Reviews

We're getting there....

[basrutten · 8/10 · 23 October 2003]

It's well known that Dutch movies have a notoriously (and completely deserved) bad name, but over the last couple of years they're starting to get better, as "Van God Los" clearly exemplifies.

First of all, there's finally some good acting in a Dutch movie, which is rather surprising since most of the main characters are soap actors that normally can't act their way out of cartboard box, but in this movie they all exceed themselves and deliver very convincing parts, complete with believable accents.

The atmosphere has also been done very well..I originally come from the region where the movie takes place, and the director really hit the spot with the ambiance by including things like Carnival parades and lots of greenhouses. Overall, the region comes across as just as dull as it is in reality, which in this case is a definite plus.

The story, although rather predictable (you know that the movie isn't going to end well), is again very plausible and well thought out. The characters show believable emotions and undergo believable developments, and somehow you care for them even though most of them would be aptly described as "scum".

All in all, "Van God Los" is a very realistic, strong and emotional movie that tells a slightly predictable but nonetheless fascinating and tragic story about friendship and crime. Dutch movies are definitely going the right way...

Privileged kid ends up as a cold-blooded criminal.

[antal-wahlers · 8/10 · 26 April 2007]

Intense movie with a plot that seems inevitable. "Van God Los" (which literally means "detached from God/to secede from God" and not "Godforsaken") is loosely based on the infamous "Bende van Venlo" (Venlo Gang) whose mostly youthful members allegedly committed over 250 crimes in 1993 and 1994.

The cold-bloodiness of the murders is acted out very well. It's hard to understand how a 15-year-old privileged dentist's son from the rural Netherlands can commit such crimes. The movie gives a very uncomfortable answer: That there is nothing to understand, that these things just happen because our society is the way it is.

In my opinion, the original title speaks volumes about the tone the movie sets and the answers it tries to give. Whereas "Godforsaken" implies that God "left" us alone, perhaps in disappointment, "to secede from God" means deliberately leaving him behind. Unfortunately, I have no information on the writer's intention here. It befits the film to have to think for yourself about what it means to you. The film will definitely get you thinking for a long while after the credits are over.

Good acting in a Dutch movie!

[HappyHenk · 8/10 · 20 October 2003]

Despite the fact that I'm Dutch myself, I don't enjoy Dutch movies very often. Maybe it's because I grew up with (mostly) American movies or it's just because the Dutch movies aren't so good. Especially the acting is often far below the level of American or other foreign movies. It's just not convincing.

This movie however displays a high level of acting. Especially the part played by Tygo Gernandt (Maikel Verheije) is very good. You can literally see the adrenaline in his eyes from time to time.

The story is about a boy (Stan) who's having a boring life and is looking for some action. By coincidence he meets Maikel. Everybody knows he's a criminal but Stan sees an adventure ahead of him. And so they become 'partners in crime'. Maikel has another partner (Sef) with who Stan doesn't go along quite well.

During a robbery they 'accidentally' kill someone and when the local mafia gets to know it. They offer them a job to kill several people for them. As they get more jobs they loose their grip on reality.

The story of the movie is good but what makes the movie better than other Dutch movies is the acting. So there's still hope for the future of the Dutch movies. (8/10)

Convincing acting

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 29 July 2004]

Van God Los, a crime story loosely based on the 'gang of Venlo', has some interesting elements. First off, the acting is rather good, and Gernandt truly shines as 'bad guy'. When having to play a more social character who wishes to become father, the problems arise just there. Keep on type-casting him for the bad guy, he can do that just fine.

Secondly, the movie keeps focussed on it's main story and doesn't wander off. This way it's high paced and it's what the movie needed.

The other actors convince as well and the story is sad, compelling and tough to watch at the same time. Too bad though the movie isn't wrapped up too nicely, the end scene when Stan wants to die was silly at best.

But overall, a decent flick. We've seen worse around these parts of the world. 6/10.

Van God Los makes a huge impression

[ThunderStrike · 9/10 · 13 May 2003]

I've seen quite a lot of movies, also quite some Dutch ones. Most of them suck quite heavily or are far too commercial, therefore i didn't expect much from Van God Los. But i was wrong.

The movie is very catchy, as it is being told from the perspective of Stan, a young Gymnasium student, who dislikes school and is mostly found being out on the streets. His parents don't care for him much, so he is quite left alone. Then he meets Maikel and they become very close friends. They start with some small illegal businesses, but end up being hired killers.

The story being told from a main character perspective, with commenting on Stan's thoughts, is quite unusual for Dutch movies and almost gives it a Hollywood feeling, with links to movies like the Godfather series. This makes the movie very impressive and really gets you into the main character and his feelings.

When the movie ended, i almost felt the urge of applauding for it, but since the entire cinema was silent, so was i. It was clear to see that this movie made a great impression on all viewers, it was a long time ago i heard so little noise when all people left their seats. This movie is in my opinion already a (Dutch) classic! A must see!

Its better than average (dutch)

[nickysantoro_1 · 29 April 2003]

After reading the true crime novell " bende van Venlo" translated the venlo gang. I went to the cinema expecting a sort of gangster flick with a sick twist. Afterwards I can fairly tell that this isnt't the case. The Venlo gang story was just picked as a thin story bottom. What we see here is an social dramatic, but yes sometimes shocking violent movie. The characters should have been given a little more depth, especially because the first quarter is quit slow, my guess is that time could have been uses more usefull. I am being dutch, not a great dutch film lover, although I have to say that exeptions are made (turks fruit, soldaat van oranje, zusje) and especially the recent Lek made a giant leap in the right direction. Problem in in holland is mainly financial, big movie producers are not here. Back to the movie, the Maikel caracter is very well acted by Tygo Gernand and its a shame that non dutch viewers won't be able to spot the hilarious dialect. The Stan caracter although the main caracter is actually wiped of the screen by the above. Angela Schijf playing the girlfriend, is just perfectly casted, and know how her role fits in the movie. The story is about 2 youngsters, who start up a violent lifestyle, and as usual the story ends sadly. The message that I got from it is, non-caring parents beware. Stan growing up without his real dad, with a substitute who doesnt seem to notice him, the girlfriend with a copple of weak parents who should have given the little tramp an ass woopin a long time ago and Maikel who didn't even meet his dad at all. All in all its a very interesting movie which certainly has some great directing moments to it.

Great acting

[whiteutopia · 6/10 · 17 March 2006]

At first i was drawn in when i heard it was about a gang of teenage killers - based on a true story. The story is quite raw, sometimes a bit shocking. Excellent acting from Egbert Jan Weeber, who plays the lead role of Stan. The movie is quite depressing at times though. Van God Los ( or Godforsaken) is about three teenage boys who begin to kill before for the mafia boss - this is where the "Godfellas" part comes in. I didn't think this movie was mind-blowing or amazing. It was an okay movie ; i thought the acting was great. Some scenes in the film are very violent, and it's shocking to see how out of control they get, especially the character Maikel - in various scenes in the movie - especially near the end ! I thought there would've been a better ending though - it was unpredictable, which is always interesting.

The Dutch "Goodfellas".

[Boba_Fett1138 · 9/10 · 21 July 2005]

This movie surpassed all my expectations. Its very raw in its violence and story. The characters are well developed and the actors that portray them are most excellent.

I couldn't help thinking about "Goodfellas" while watching this movie. Both movies have certain parallels. The main character doesn't begin his life as a criminal and murderer but slowly becomes so and transforms throughout the movie. Also the criminal activities in both movies are quite the same. Still this doesn't mean that "Van God Los" is a cheap Dutch rip-off of "Goodfellas", no not at all! "Van God Los" is a powerful movie on its own that is driven by its well developed characters. The movie has some pretty violent scene's, they were really not holding back here and I found it even quite shocking and disturbing at times but in a good way.

The story is very solid and well written and it's loosely based on true events. Yes people, these events and gangs are so rare in The Netherlands that they make movies about them. All of the events in the movie feel all very realistic which is I think also thanks to the fine actors. But it's not all violence in this movie, the movie is driven by some powerful emotions and the movie has several layers. It's a both powerful emotional movie as well as a violent one. In a way the movie shows that everyone has it in him or her to become a criminal. Basically there is no reason why this couldn't happen to any of you out there.

The movie is very well directed by Pieter Kuijpers, who is a great character director. The fine cinematography by Bert Pot impressed me and the music by 'Het Paleis van Boem' set the mood for the movie perfectly.

To be honest, I was kind of worried when the movie and its narration began. All of the main characters in the movie are speaking with a certain Dutch accent they speak in the southern province Limburg. I'm from the absolute most northern province of The Netherlands and Limburg is the most southern province of The Netherlands. Needless to say that the accents are completely different and in my ears even irritating, than I'm used to. But those worries were all for nothing, you get used to the accents very quick and after a while you don't even really notice them anymore. Of course for all the people outside The Netherlands who don't speak one word of Dutch, this isn't a complaint because they will simply of course not be bothered by it at all.

This movie most certainly surprised me in a positive way and I think that this movie deserves an international audience.

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A dutch movie, but not typical dutch.

[maddylover · 6/10 · 25 April 2003]

Actors play reasonable, but story sucks. Many errors in the movie (numberplate of car switches in seconds, cameraman can be seen number of times in windows, etc., etc., etc.). The only good thing that can be said about it that it isn't a 'typical dutch' movie: no nude (the first dutch movie i have seen without any nude!), lot of violence and, again, reasonable acting! 3 out of 10.

Really gets it your face

[Sandcooler · 8/10 · 12 February 2011]

This movie is loosely based on real events, and that's also pretty much the feel it has to it: real. This movie is not a vivid, lively crime drama, it's definitely no "Goodfellas" rip-off, it's one of the grayest and most depressing movies I've ever seen. The colors look, wait, what colors? The acting is excellent all around, I can't believe how convincing everyone's accent is. The plot is very basic and raw, even though the girlfriend issues do tend to get tiresome near the end. What I love most though is the ending narration, which consists of the most deadpan monologue ever. Those who can't be moved by this film have no pulse.

VAN GOD LOS (DIDIER BECU)

[Didier-Becu · 6/10 · 7 April 2004]

"Van God Los" (free from God) tells the story about a gang from three Dutch boys (and a girl) who are terrorizing their neighbourhood with the cruel murders and in some way it can be seen as a Dutch version from Trainspotting. The acting is rather good and it's definitely one of the best dutch movies since ages and of course it is all quite shocking (especially when one of the gangmembers let his young brother from eight kill a man to let him feel the vibes). Still this movie has some minor points like the language (it's done in some dialect that is rather ununderstandable for non-native speakers) and God (aha) only might know why they casted Angela Schijf for this, but all by all an enjoyable movie that gives hope for cineast who do it independently.

Finally some good Dutch cinema

[bartverberne16 · 8/10 · 23 December 2003]

Finally, since a long time, a convincingly Dutch product is made. What startled me the most was the good acting of Weeber and Gernandt. They convinced me with their characters. Especially Gernandt, who has a difficult role, gives good accent to the emotions he has to express.

What plays an essential role in this film is the dull ambience that governs the environment in which the story is set. I think we should give credit to the director who correctly emphasized how this ambience is essential to the main characters and the plot. With that, he gave this film the decisional key that makes it as a whole.

Because it is made with a relatively small budget, and it finally breached through the half-tone level of dutch cinema, I gave it a 9 out of 10.

Really good story, I liked this one!!

[nassie · 7/10 · 28 April 2003]

Really nice movie!! I saw this movie yesterday and I really enjoyed it. The movie starts a bit slow but after the introduction of the characters it really becomes a good story. We see the story through the eyes of Stan Meijer who gets the wrong friends. They start with little crimes, but once they get hired by the Turkish mafia the crimes get bigger and bigger. Go see this movie!!

Fairly weak Dutch thriller that degenerates into soap territory

[lambchopnixon · 5/10 · 31 January 2008]

The movie begins well, being from the protagonist's perspective with voice-over, which is a nice touch. His acting is a little limited though, with again and again the same wondering/worshiping reaction to the daring actions of his criminal acquaintance, despite the film having moved on and he necessarily having become more worldly. His idol has one tone to his acting, a wide-eyed energy that is sort of charismatic. It wears on you though the longer the movie goes on. The plot is simple, with little detail. The flashbacks to the protagonists' childhood are pretty amateurish and without subtlety. His closely-held motto that no-one should get too close as because that's when you get hurt, gets to be a bore, as it's repeated without embellishment. Though the first half hour keeps you looking despite the faults, the last hour or so has seen the film go downhill, turning into a plot of soap-style obviousness.

OK, sorry about all the stage actors

[jacco-1 · 3 July 2004]

To start off; i liked this film, particularly Tygo Gernandt's acting was plainly brilliant. The sorry thing about dutch films is, that mainly stage actors appear in dutch productions. Obviosously dutch directors find it very difficult to direct acclaimed theater actors, let alone telling them that stage acting(e.g. articulation and exaggerated physical expression) is a big no-no film acting. The southern dutch accent is very well performed by Tygo en Egbert, however most of the other actors 'slip back' to a pathetic attempt, particularly the ( here I go again) stage actors. The directing and the editing of this movie were very undutch and therefor very strong, the acting however........ three great actors can never compensate 10 mediocre to sloppy actors. Conclusion: A more dedicated and disciplined director combined with a less conservative casting director could have lifted this flick to a higher level and in the process would have put dutch film-making on the map.

true story !

[koen-elze · 7/10 · 9 April 2006]

I just wanted to add, that Van God Los is a truly happened story, about a gang in the Dutch city "Venlo". They murdered lots of people, especially elderly people, and robbed them at their houses... and tortured and slaughtered them... It took the police quit some years to catch them, but luckily they're behind bars now! It happened in 1993 and 1994. In 1997 18 guys were convicted for more than 250 criminal acts of violence. The precise number of killings is not discovered, but many. Only 7 murders were proved, but I must mention (as I'm Dutch) that the Dutch really sucks. About 10 % of the crime delicts are solved in Holland are solved by the police... The guys were convicted to sentences ranging from 10 years to life, with mentioning that punishes for crimes in Holland are too little, as everybody in Holland agrees.

The "Bende van Venlo" (gang of venlo) marks a black page in Dutch history.

A film in the same category as 'Het Lek'

[weste117 · 8/10 · 24 April 2003]

Its a good movie bout 2 mates that are by coincidence hitman for the Turkish maffia, Good performances by all actors. This movie makes a shocking impression, by the use of cassual violence and characters based on the real events in a city in The Netherlands called 'Venlo'. A lively movie with a touch of reality.

One of the better Dutch movies

[Bigideas_Baggins · 6/10 · 12 July 2021]

... but still just gets a 6, which is indeed saying something about the average movie quality from my country.

First of all, as others noted, this movie gets a plus for not having the gratuitous nudity that Dutch movies are often known for; the director managed to restrain himself here, even in the earlier scenes with Angela Schijf, which normally would have called for it.

Having said that, the movie itself is somewhat mediocre. It often tries everything to be overly dramatic, what with slow motion, grainy shots, actors trying to act "intense", religious imagery, the score, etc. That becomes a bit tiring after a while. Also, given how little the three main characters seem to know of one another, you sometimes wonder if the scenes in the movie are the only moments in their life they actually are together? Or maybe when they are together they don't speak at all, like the main character does: I'd be willing to bet at least two thirds of his dialogue is voice over of his thoughts, rather than actual conversation.

All in all, a nice little story that is okay for its length, very loosely based on actual events, though "the Dutch Goodfellas" it is not...

The best dutch film in years

[teunke99 · 8/10 · 25 April 2003]

The story about the 'bende van Venlo' has been the basis for this film. Which has resulted in one of the best dutch films ever. Featuring a good cast with very strong acting. Especially from tygo. The unknown (to me) E.J. Weeber makes a very good impression. This film really is going to make me watch more dutch releases. I'm anxious to see more from P. Kuijpers.

a well-made crime drama that shocks, moves and saddens

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 3 February 2019]

A young man called Stan lives in a small Dutch town where there isn't all that much to do. He has been raised by his mother and step-father, both of whom he considers shallow and fake. As a child, his attempt to get close to his biological father backfired badly. As a result he has become a conflicted loner, who both longs for and repulses loving kindness. ("If you don't let them in, they can't hurt you".) One day he meets Maikel, who was born on the wrong side of the tracks and already boasts an impressive resumé in juvenile delinquency. Recognizing a kindred spirit, Maikel introduces Stan to a world of petty crime. He also introduces Stan to his best mate (a criminal junkie with all the morals of a crocodile) and his buxom girlfriend (a sassy sl*t who likes Bad Boys). Everything is ready for a descent into ever deeper crime and depravity...

"Van God los" is a Dutch expression meaning "detached from God". Since God is seen as the source of light, intelligence, order and goodness this expression is used to designate a person who is mad - or a person who is mad, bad and dangerous to know. It is an apt title, because the movie describes the moral descent of a group of (very) young criminals who progress from petty crime to far more serious crime such as burglary, robbery and murder. Worse is to follow, as they become hit murderers and executioners for the local crime lord, a Turkish gangster involved in large-scale drug dealing. What is so frightening about their descent is its speed : within a matter of months, they are executing other human beings, most of them complete strangers, with all the seasoned experience of butchers. Even Stan, who lives in a large and luxurious house, steals and kidnaps and kills, because hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

"Van God los" is an excellent movie - but it is also a violent and sombre one, which ends on a note of deepest tragedy. Now you, dear reader, have been warned...

Sociologists, psychiatrists and psychologists may want to try and interpret the movie's events (which, sadly enough, were based on the crimes of a real-life gang) in terms such as "alienation", "anomie" or "peer pressure". Personally I thought of the words of Roman poet, now dead and gone for two thousand years : "For it is easy to descend into the Underworld ; but to try and climb back out, that takes hard and back-breaking work"...

Both ways

[diand_ · 5/10 · 7 July 2005]

Van God los / Godforsaken! is about the gang of Venlo. They committed a series of murders between carnival (hence the carnival scenes and the costumes) 1993 and 1994, were subsequently caught and sentenced to prison. The murders shocked because they were committed by people with little motive and committed against random targets. And because violence on this scale is known here mostly from large (foreign) drug gangs where the financial stakes to obtain a cartel are high (several gang-related murders in Amsterdam alone last year).

The real and complete story was a lot more complex and involved more people and more killings but is reduced here to the two main people convicted and a girlfriend they both loved. One (Maikel; Tygo Gernandt) has a deprived background but is very talkative and convincing; the other (Stan; Egbert Jan Weeber) more silent and from the upper echelons of society.

You make a documentary and get as many facts right and tell the whole story, or you make drama and reduce the story to its bare essentials and fantasize and invent everything else. Here they choose the latter, but can't do away with the documentary style. But you can't have it both ways and that's why this fails somewhat. So we end up with a strange mix where the love relation is probably not that accurate but the details of the killings are.

The difficulty is then to get some drama out of a series of random and senseless murders. There's some catharsis at the end, but overall this movie is too bleak and offers no redemption. There are no characters to identify with so the only shock comes from the murders that are brought with well-built tension here. (For a movie without these problems I refer to Boys don't cry).

Intensity does not equal good acting. The whole cast is performing above average, not just the intense Tygo Gernandt. A big mistake is the voice-over, because it neither has the dramatic intensity to impress and the movie gets stuck a bit by not letting that go somewhere along the way. In the story I found it strange to see the character of Sef disappearing and re-entering at random.

With its Gothic and catholic themes and classical music the movie has a sufficient overall art direction and design. Also the depressing town of Venlo is well projected. The movie sometimes looks too grainy and amateuristic technically.

Overall direction is not strong. This is not A Clockwork Orange, but some parts are interesting: for example the part where the Turkish gang is presented in the Godfather-way (in fact the godfather never looks the two Dutch gang members in their face and refuses to speak their language).

This movie is hailed as one of the best ever made in the Netherlands where in fact it is an average, but somewhat interesting movie. As about dramatizing actual events, wouldn't it be a good idea to pick up on the Van Gogh-murder.