Bumperkleef

I've watched lots of movies with lots of really dumb characters. But the lead character in this film is the dumbest of all. Every decision he makes is completely idiotic. I feel sorry for his family because they have to suffer due to his really lame decisions. The villain would be much less threatening if the main character had any brains at all. Having said all that the film is watchable and entertaining on some levels.

Already half a century old - that's fifty years, folks - and yet Steven's Spielberg's simple debut feature "Duel" is still one of the most influential, unsettling and disturbingly relevant thrillers ever made. In fact, the plot of a banal traffic dispute escalating into a life-altering nightmare is nowadays even more accurate than during the early 70s, since people - and particularly in traffic - have only become more obnoxious, selfish and aggressive over the years.

That's also what the Dutch, and clearly talented, writer/director Lodewijk Crijns must have thought when he penned down his modest but engaging road-rage thriller "Bumperkleef". Apart from the vehicle duel between the robust and clinically white transporter van of the killer and the family Volvo of his victim, the primary duel revolves around who is the most loathsome character. Is it the cruel killer who doesn't even hesitate to spray insecticides at young children, or is it the supposedly sophisticated family father who is too stubborn to admit his mistakes and needlessly puts his wife and kids in danger?

"Bumperkleef" is a solid little thriller from The Netherlands, with genuine moments of suspense and a couple of impressively staged bits of stunt work. The performances from the entire cast (even including the children) are terrific. It is truly regrettable this film didn't doo well at the box-office, and especially that reviewers around here are referring to it as lousy, because "Bumperkleef" honestly is as good as Dutch thriller/horror cinema gets.

This is just another movie about another unstoppable psychopath.

The wife is is extremely unlikable. She defends or sticks up for everyone except her husband.

Not by Dick Maas.

But still an enternainig and at times suspensefull Dutch thriller.

I liked it, and comments about screaming kids, sure. But that aside you are in for a fun ride,

Not bad at all.

I actually liked this movie quite a lot from the start. The opening sequence instantly sets the tension and I found it quite gripping. A bit further into the movie are a couple of situations on the Dutch motorway that are sadly enough quite recognizable. But this also makes the frustration and anger very understandable and you can see things are slowly getting out of control.

Surely there are some situations that are maybe not the most realistic, but if you're looking for that go watch a documentary. It's not less realistic than the average Hollywood movie in my opinion (meaning not too realistic in essence). To me, a good thriller movie can contain some clichés and comedy, als long as it's full of tension. And surely we're terrified of the psychopath.

This movie also let's you think about what is right and wrong, as the main character is clearly flawed in his own ways and certainly had his part in causing the whole situation. It's also not your standard Hollywood happy-ending movie, which for me also is a plus.