Niet Schieten

These words still resonate days after I've watched this film. It's the first one in it's kind that addresses a dark page in Belgian history, you know the hellhole/Chocolate factory.

This takes us back to the mid 80's when a local gang committed several robberies on supermarkets, all with excessive violence and low loot. This 'Gang of Nijvel' always made a lot of casualties with military grade weaponry and precision.

Storywise this focuses on one family and their pain as they are all gunned down except the little boy who survives after he witnessed the murder of his entire family. A this is a true story, this is also very real as this person is still alive today and fighting against all odds to get it solved.

The movie does a great job in recreating these events and you can't help to cry a couple of times to the injustice in the investigation. You really feel the pain of the lead characters. Stijn Coninckx is truly our greatest director and once again he proves his worth in the shooting of this terrible tragedy.

Main lead is Jan Decleir, our greatest actor, and does a fine job as the grandfather who takes care of his grandson after the murders. Jonas Van Geel however does a terrible job as the grandson, he is a comedian and not suited for a drama role. Terrible miscast and the only downside in the best Flemish movie of the year(s).

Conspiracy has always surrounded the dossier, the movie also shines a light on the several 'errors' in the investigation and the lack of goodwill to solve it. Since the tragedy the police has been rearmed with better material and a political drama was in the making. It seems there is some truth in this and that there were greater powers at work to destabilize our country. The movie doesn't end in a closure as it's still not solved.

The film starts in the mid 80s during the terror of the still unknown Gang of Nijvel in Belgium. This gang committed very violent robberies on supermarkets with no focus on looting, but more on causing victims and chaos.

Instead of choosing the big take on this dark history, this movie follows a young victim and his grandparents (especially his grandfather). In this way, the movie can focus more on the very personal pain and the suffering from a terrible familydrama. Not only feelings of loss, but also anger for the injustice of the slobbing police investigation and no communication towards the victims and family. Director Stijn Coninx succeeded very well in making a deep-emotionally touching connection with the victim and his grandfather. We can feel the pain, anger, sense for revenge and justice from the grandfather. A sometimes intimate cinematography emphasizes this even more.

It takes a real effort to keep this sort of special emotional band with a character throughout the whole duration of a movie, but Coninx succeeded with is work. The whole movietheater was sileced by the end, a proof the movie delivered it's message and reached most of it's goal.

Helemaal stil van geworden!! Echt pakkende scènes!!

This film follows a grandfather whose family suffers losses during one of a series of violent robberies that happened in the 1980s. This is a deeply felt and masterfully acted examination on the toll that external violence takes even on its survivors. It also convincingly indicts the indifference, incompetence and corruption of the Belgian police and politicians.

The movie is a bit too lengthy, with a long speech at the end. Our film festival thought the film would be 20 minutes shorter. One wonders whether the final speech wasn't included in some releases of the film.

The other problem is that while it makes a good case that an official cover up happened, it doesn't make any clear case for the why of it all. I don't really buy that police were themselves doing violent hold ups of grocery stores so that there would be generally more funding for the police and SWAT teams.

I read some critics, mostly because they don't know what the movie is about !!

We had a notorious gang around 1985. They hold up some grocery stores, and shot just many innocent people. All done with weapons, classified for specific highly trained officers. They were stolen, it's involved with a corrupt minister !! And extreme right people inside these 'legal' forces. It's untill today,.. still not clear!! And still in people's minds. It's a cover up without a doubt!!! And the truth will never come out !! Because there was also one of the royal family involved... !!!!

It's Belgian worst crime in decades !! And it shows how corrupt a system can be when it needs to !

The movie only shows the human loss and grief....