Cop vs Killer (2012)

Directed by: Simon de Waal, Hans Pos | 90 minutes | thriller, crime | Actors: Mimoun Oaïssa, Marcel Hensema, Jeroen Willems, Ariane Schluter, Kees Boot, Sytske van der Ster, Liza Sips, Rogier Philipoom, Mark Zak, Valerie Pos, Bart Klever, Carly Wijs, Manoushka Zeegelaar-Breeveld, Georges Devdariani, Dennis Rudge

Simon de Waal is a man who knows what he is talking about. He was originally a detective, specializing in serious crimes. He started writing screenplays when he was thirty. That he has an excellent command of that profession is apparent from the many successes he has since achieved with series such as ‘Baantjer’, ‘Russian’ and ‘Unit 13’. He received a Golden Calf for the screenplay of the crime film ‘Lek’ (2000). On the advice of publisher Oscar van Gelderen, who claims that ‘a good scriptwriter can also write good books’, De Waal published his first crime novel ‘Cop vs. Killer’. It was obvious that the book would one day be made into a film: many fragments from the book can be read as scenes from an exciting film. And so the circle came full circle again: the screenwriter wrote a book and edited it into a screenplay himself.

In the Telefilm ‘Cop vs. Killer’ (2012) a shrewd detective and a life-threatening criminal are diametrically opposed. Frank Spinola (Marcel Hensema) is an inspector at the criminal investigation department in Amsterdam. He and his specially composed team, which operate in secret, hunt Mirko Narain (Jeroen Willems), a ruthless and elusive top criminal. Frank believes in laws and rules, but when his wife Julia (Sytske van der Ster) and daughter are threatened by Mirko, everything changes. Narain is meanwhile embroiled in a brutal gang war with the Russian mafia. When he has to come to the rescue of his own daughter (Liza Sips), who has fallen into the hands of a loverboy, Frank strikes. For the ambitious detective it is the moment when he can catch Mirko, but also immediately the moment when he realizes that he is dealing with an opponent who will not just let himself be eaten.

‘Cop vs. Killer’ is more of a long episode of a police series than a feature film, but it does look very nice. Just as the book was not a heavy literary thriller, but was read in one sitting. De Waal takes a lot out of it by not only focusing on the psychological joust between Frank and Mirko, but also incorporating all kinds of other themes into the story: drug wars, Russian mafia, loverboys, corrupt police officers… It is very much true. Frank Spinola must go to war. To top it all off, there is – of course – also a leak within his own team (who that is, by the way, is easy to guess). Especially in the first half of the film, the spectacle (fire fights, torture) puts an emphatic mark on the story. While the psychological battle between Frank and Mirko ‘Cop vs. Killer’ so interesting. In the second half, Willems and Hensema are fortunately given more space to show why they are among the best Dutch actors of their generation.

The acting violence is more impressive than the physical violence we were presented with earlier. Because although the title ‘Cop vs. Killer’ suggests that we are dealing with a classic ‘good guy/bad guy’ story, both Frank and Mirko don’t seem to be easily pigeonholed. It is precisely this layering that makes ‘Cop vs. Killer’ just a bit more interesting than the average ‘Baantjer’ episode. In addition to the great Willems and Hensema, we also see well-known heads in supporting roles: Ariane Schluter, Liza Sips, Kees Boot, Mimoun Ouaïssa and Manoushka Zeegelaar-Breeveld also put their best foot forward. Cameraman Erwin Steen creates the right atmosphere during the dim gatherings in abandoned cafes and chilly warehouses. Had De Waal and Pos focused even more on the relationship between Frank and Mirko, ‘Cop vs. Killer’ probably had more impact. Now the superficial character of this Telefilm predominates. This does not alter the fact that De Waals’ fluently written directorial debut, partly thanks to two strong leading roles, is very pleasant to look at.