Black Out (2014)

disgusting, overrated, pointless

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Black-hearted sort of thriller without any really likable characters but a lot of twists, although many of them would be too contrived and coincidental to be believable in real life. Also, the "quirkiness" of many of the characters was over the top, even for a movie of this kind. I'm still rating it highly, because in spite of its flaws, it is short and rapid-fire, so it held my attention completely throughout, and I like movies that are a bit weird. I would have probably rated it a little higher, but, as I alluded to in the beginning of my review, even the lead character is only partially sympathetic, and, right now, the whole gritty anti-hero thing is starting to wear on me. (I love cars. Super clean classic notchback Mustang costars in this movie, which almost tempts me to up its rating on this basis alone.)

Jos Vreeswijk (Raymond Thiry) is a former criminal who wakes up with a gun and a dead man next to him. It's the morning before his wedding to innocent Caroline and his black out leaves him with spotty memory. He is accused of stealing 20 kilos of coke by gay gangster Vlad Omskorski. He has to recover the drugs before it puts Caroline in danger. He reconnects with former running mates; muscle-head Bobbie and coke genius Coca Inez.This is yet another Guy Ritchie wannabe gangster crime movie. It has some of the style, quite a bit of the energy, but it lacks a charismatic lead. He's more of a stiff henchman type. The story is convoluted which is the norm for this type of movie. It just doesn't have the originality. It's all very familiar and not in a good way.

This kind of works like a Hangover style thriller and it does so very well. I'm pretty sure an American remake is on its way or is at least in the development stage at this very moment. This is really good and you shouldn't let the fact this is a Dutch production put you off. Or the fact you might need to read subtitles. It's totally worth it, because it has all the ingredients a thriller needs.There is action, comedy and secrets. The comedy might not be everyones taste, but I really loved how politically incorrect the movie is. If you have a problem with those jokes you might not enjoy the movie as much as I did. Still you can't fault the movie for it's near perfect execution (no pun intended).

Not bad, not bad at all, with a bit of humor here and there coming from Willie Wartaal from the hip-hop band De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig. It is stated as the Dutch Tarantino but I wont go that far. Therefor we don't have enough blood and nudity. In fact, there isn't any flesh to see in Black Out. The editing was rather good and it is in fact that part with the voice over that refers to the Tarantino style. It isn't a grindhouse or an exploitation. It's just a flick about mobsters. What also is worth mentioning is the make-up used for the death people and surely for the corpse at the beginning of this flick. You will see some references to Pulp Fiction and of course the two nasty girls also brings back the Kill Bill feeling but for me those two girls didn't work out here in Black Out. They never are the though rough girls going out for a kill. I would like to mention the performance of Raymond Thiry (Jos Vreeswijk), he really was believable. Good story and acting, well filmed and edited (the accident with the car of Jos and a police car is worth mentioning). Never as brutal as a Tarantino flick but still it offers a few good scene's and situations.Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1,5/5