The Gang of Oss (2011)

Directed by: André van Duren | 111 minutes | crime | Actors: Sylvia Hoeks, Marcel Musters, Frank Lammers, Daan Schuurmans, Benja Bruijning, Matthias Schoenaerts

The opening setting of ‘De Bende van Oss’ is almost Sicilian: the pastors are seedy and perverted, the houses are peeling and a genuine capo with bowler hat plays a central role in a community where local dignitaries turn a blind eye to organized crime. However, we are not in Sicily, but in the Brabant town of Oss in the year 1938. There is also not much fun there either – enough material for a film indeed, director and fellow countryman André van Duren (known for ‘Kees de Jongen’, among others) must have thought. to have.

As in films set in Sicily or in Little Italy, we find here an unflattering cross-section of a society, that of the Catholic culture of silence, which also predominates in this part of the pillarized Netherlands. The enemy is mainly the Protestant Dutchmen of the Marechaussee, who have to keep order in Oss. It is impossible to do that, with a large, violent local gang whose misdeeds are tolerated by the rest of the population. Because yes, they are villains, but our villains.

And then the parallels with the then approaching Second World War have not even been mentioned. The military police, who already have quite a bit of NSB sympathies here, are very reminiscent of the Nazis of a few years later, with their immaculate uniforms, imposing cars and bureaucratic precision. The themes of right and wrong known in Dutch historiography are therefore presented in nuanced form: Oss offers a battle between the arrogant, overly bureaucratic military police who are the only ones who still keep order and the local gang, a criminal and violent mess that record for the common man. It’s an intriguing undertone.

All this is put on the mat by a really select corps of actors; the list of familiar names and/or faces is endless. Frank Lammers, Theo Maassen, Pierre Bokma, Daan Schuurmans, Marcel Musters, Matthias Schoenaerts and Sylvia Hoeks are just the best known of the bunch. Usually with success: especially Musters as kingpin Wim de Kuyper, Maassen as a corrupt officer and Schoenaerts as another unstable lump of testosterone (the comparison with his previous role, in ‘Rundskop’, is obvious) make a big impression. With Hoeks (formerly in ‘Tirza’ and ‘De Storm’), who has the largest role, this is less so: her Brabant accent is suspiciously intelligible compared to that of Musters and Schoenaerts, and for such an ordinary folk girl her body language remains very delicate and thoughtful. You still have the feeling that she would hardly be out of place at a contemporary hockey club, which doesn’t really rhyme with the character she plays.

With all that drama and violence, the cast can really indulge themselves: failed marriages, mutilation, adultery, murder, and fraud fight for priority during the two hours running time. An average season of Good Times, Bad Times has less tragic developments. Hoeks’ character is the pivot of all this mess, gets almost every man in Oss after her and soon offers an indication that her nickname Johanna de Snol still tends to a form of understatement.

Perhaps this is a bit too much of a good thing. With this story one could have sketched a history of enormous eloquence, which the Netherlands mercilessly fillets on the basis of themes such as regional and religious differences, the pillarization and fascist undertones that clashed with anti-Randstad revolt – thus shedding a complex light on the distinction between right and wrong that has long dominated the aftermath of World War II. Not to mention any echoes or cross connections of these elements in current Dutch society. These elements are repeatedly discussed, but are not seized to really go into depth; after the first half hour of film, the point is actually made and only paraphrased repetition follows. Instead, the focus is shifting more and more to personal melodrama, which in almost all cases is made up of soap-like clichés: the ex-con who wants to stay on the straight and narrow; the secret love couple who want to flee together; who is the child’s father?

The ambitions of ‘De Bende van Oss’ are perhaps best made clear when Johanna picks up the brush and starts dyeing her hair blond. Indeed: the parallel with the blond Carice in Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Zwartboek’ is quickly drawn. And just like in that war drama, the emphasis is not on analytical, social expressiveness, which a film like ‘De Aanslag’ aspired to, but above all wants to be an emotional drama, good for a fun night out. That will work for most of the public, but with such a fascinating, at first sight unique history, you can conclude that it could have had more lasting value.

Shortly before the premiere of ‘De Bende van Oss’, it was announced that ‘Sonny Boy’ will be the Dutch Oscar entry for the 2012 edition. That last film was decent in its superficial competence, but doesn’t stand a chance to stand out from the jury on duty. According to the criteria used, a nomination from ‘De Bende van Oss’ for the next year is well under way: ‘De Bende van Oss’ is at least as good as a drama as ‘Sonny Boy’, and is awarded to anyone who has heard of previous entry ‘Zwartboek’. ‘ enjoyed recommended. Things must go crazy if ‘De Bende van Oss’ is not to be successful in Dutch cinemas; You certainly won’t win Oscars with it. It is to be hoped that now that Dutch film is attracting impressive visitor numbers, the opportunity will arise to bring an idiosyncratic, artistic vision to the big screen that also catches the eye beyond our narrow national borders.