In Flanders there exists a television series about "your local police force". The series is probably best described as a pseudo-documentary "reality" take on police work, although it tends to shy away from subjects such as reality or actual police work.
There are other aspects the series doesn't much like, such as Belgian penal and criminal law (booooring) : I would not be surprised to learn that there are teams of criminal lawyers, all over Belgium, who like to organize drinking games around the various episodes. ("And there's another procedural error ! Drink, drink, drink !" "Calm down, Erik, we've still got ten minutes to go and we're already as drunk as skunks." "Wait for it, wait for it, wait... And there's another one ! Come to daddy, baby !" "That one doesn't count - it's simply a logical non sequitur." "Yee-ha ! Try that one in real life and your suspect walks out of the door, a free man, in three minutes flat. Wench, more beer !")
This is not a well-made series : the dialogue is dull, the stories are simple-minded and the plot twists are either predictable or WTF psychedelic, without a middle ground. Still, it is very popular in Flanders, which means that it has spawned a movie - to wit, this very movie. (The title translates more or less as "Your local police force : the great money theft".)
Now that I have seen the movie (not a happy memory, I'm afraid) I can confirm that it is very much like the series, only more so. It's a pity, since at least a number of the actors possess genuine charm and would do well if given a more sensible or compelling role.
By now it has become clear that the series and its accompanying movie have morphed into children's entertainment. This raises two problems. One : if you make movies for children, why not say so ? There is nothing wrong with making movies for children, just as there is nothing wrong with sewing clothes for children, designing tree houses for children or cooking food for children. Two, and most importantly : the movie just isn't good, even a children's movie.
As a child I was lucky enough to grow up during a Golden Age for Flemish children's television. Look at any five minutes of, say, "Kapitein Zeppos" or "Fabian van Fallada" and you will see more wit, wonder and suspense than in the whole running time of this movie. But then, these venerable series had been crafted with love and care by people who knew how to tell a story.
"The great money theft" did very well at the box office. A second movie is in the works. Armageddon is here.
