angster Boys (2010)

Directed by: Paul Ruven | 87 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Yesser Roshdy, Önder Dogan, Georgina Verbaan, Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Beau van Erven Dorens, Cahit Olmez, Gamze Tazim, Salah Edin, Mimoun Ouled Radi, Fatma Genc

In the wake of Ali B, Yes-R, an Amsterdammer of Moroccan-Egyptian descent, conquered a place in the Dutch rap scene in recent years. Like so many hip-hop artists, in the Netherlands and abroad, Yes-R found it necessary to broaden its horizons and get involved in film as well as music. The result: leading roles in ‘n Little Love’ (2006) by Martin Koolhoven and ‘Gangsterboys’ (2010) by Paul Ruven. Both films piggybacked on the popularity of Yes-R, because the visitor numbers were impressive. However, the national (film) press razed ‘n Little Love’ and ‘Gangsterboys’ to the ground. Yes-R’s acting qualities leave a lot to be desired: it is not for nothing that he received a Golden Onion for his contribution to ‘n Little Love’. On the side of Önder ‘Turk’ Dogan, his opponent in ‘Gangsterboys’, things are not much better. However, that film also attracted a large audience. The specific target group that Paul Ruven focuses on apparently agrees with the corny adventures of the two.

‘Gangsterboys’ continues on the path taken with ‘Shouf Shouf Habibi’ (2004) and ‘Het schnitzelparadijs’ (2005). Yes-R and Turk play Apo and Mahmoud, two Turkish boys who hope to break through as rappers, but until then earn their money with small dark jobs. They are caught while doing a job as a drug courier. The police give them a choice: either they go to jail, or they dive into the Turkish underworld as an infiltrator. Because it seems to them to be a ‘gangster boy’, they decide to go for the second option. Initially she is used by the big boss Karan (Cahit Ölmez) as an errand boy, to do all kinds of dirty jobs. Just when the humiliation seems to be getting too much for them, they are called in for a serious job. ‘Gangsterboys’ largely revolves around the mutual bickering and endless bumbling of Apo and Mahmoud. Everything goes wrong with them. Those jokes are nice for a while, but Ruven keeps repeating them endlessly, so the fun quickly wears off. Ruven and screenwriter Orhan Sahin believe they should get humor from insulting gays, exaggerating cultural differences and silly jokes with penis sheaths and Viagra. There will be a target audience for it, but it will never really be fun.

Not to mention the acting performances of the two protagonists. They still come a long way with their natural charisma, but Yes-R and Turk simply have no taste for acting. To give their performances a little more attention, Ruven lets a number of well-known Dutchmen pass by, each and every one of them at their most unfavorable. Because let’s be honest: haven’t we seen better Georgina Verbaan, Dirk Zeelenberg and Jack Wouterse? It can always be worse: Beau van Erven Dorens makes a fool of himself as a slippery presenter who makes a sport of getting all his assistants into bed. Luckily Jeroen van Koningsbrugge doesn’t take himself too seriously and keeps it light as a crazy Brabant coke dealer. John Jones and Mimoun Ouled Radi (regular customers in this kind of multicultural comedies) also effortlessly adapt to the level. Rapper Salah Edin and comedian Jeffrey Spalburg are also unable to raise the level. The only one who really tries to make something of his role is the Turkish actor Cahit Ölmez. Alas, he is a voice crying in a wilderness.

The screenplay rattles, the acting is mediocre: is there nothing worthwhile about ‘Gangsterboys’? For the neutral film viewer, who probably cannot even follow the film well because of all the slang that is used in it, unfortunately not. But Paul Ruven makes films that are specifically aimed at a certain target group. Among the adolescent (immigrant) youth, ‘Gangsterboys’ probably does score high. They don’t lose sleep over the fact that the humor is of a sadly bad level, the acting leaves something to be desired and the plot is as flat as a dime. They wait for Yes-R and Turk to pick up the microphones and start rapping. Because then the gentlemen are suddenly in their element. They can’t act, rap all the more. Are you not waiting for slang, thumping beats and underwear fun? Then you can easily ignore ‘Gangsterboys’.