kosmasp First of all, this movie is very well acted. Since this is a dutch movie, I never had heard of the actors before, but seeing them here, proves that they do have what it takes to lead any other movie, too. And it's shot as raw and real as a movie with a theme like this can be shot.Speaking of which (theme), this movie is anything but easy viewing. But it's pretty ambiguous. Maybe for some it might seem pretty straight(forward), but the ambiguity lies within, what the viewer is supposed to feel in any given moment of the film. Again, Kudos to the actors, who do their best. The script is pretty slick too. Recommended viewing, if you can handle it!

richard_sleboe Faced with life-long detention as a habitual offender, Johan (Theo Maassen) escapes from a mental institution. Tessa (amazing newcomer Lisa Smit) happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A teenage beauty on her way home from a night at the club, Tessa is right up Johan's aisle and promptly taken hostage. The trip that unfolds is in many ways a road movie, but at the same time, it's a chamber play: There are really only two characters, Johan and Tessa, and it's mostly set in cars. Until very late, we don't know whether Johan is essentially a good guy in a hard place or a dangerous madman out for a kill. Surely he can't be both? TBS is a flawless thriller with a great script brought to life by two terrific actors that keep you on the edge of your seat. Theo Maasen's Johan is an ambivalent character not unlike Edward Norton's altar boy Aaron Stampler in "Primal Fear", but rendered with even more subtlety and wit.

Bart van Engelen Strong points first. The acting is good, although I would never have casted Theo Maassen for this part. He does a proper acting job, but just thinking about his real-life carnaval hit while in the movie he is on the road with a 13-year old hostage who clearly gets Stockholm syndrome just makes me laugh.The plot is great throughout. The Stockholm syndrome is kind of predictable, but the rest of the plot really isn't. Lots of times I was thinking 'what the hell is going to happen next' which really doesn't happen to me lots of times when watching movies. The greatest thing about the story is that we get compassionate about the main character, as does his young female hostage. But in the end we're all fooled, we haven't seen past the insanity and brutality of this man. A good message that we should never underestimate the sickness of the minds of these people.But although this was all great, there are just some very simple things bugging me. Most notable is the complete unrealistic behaviour of police. It's just crazy that up to 2 times Johan stands next to the car, his hostage at the other side of the car, him pointing his gun at her, police all have a clear shot at him and nobody takes him down. The second time is the most crazy, policemen just drop to their knees and give him the keys to their police van. Just stupid, in real life Johan would've been taken out many times. Also the scene just after the tunnel when Johan loses the helicopter with ease is just unrealistic. And that's just painful. It just kills a potentially good movie and makes me chuckle.So it's good, but flawed. Still good, certainly when taken into the perspective of regular Dutch production value.

mc_polman Accidentally stumbled upon during a sneak preview in Leiden, in my opinion the best Dutch movie since 'Simon'! Apparently Pieter Kuijpers has a strong connection to some of the darker figures of the Dutch entertainment industry (Tygo Gernandt, Theo Maassen), and with that sense creates a very tense atmosphere, where everything seems possible at any given moment. The only relief comes when the girl Tessa, who is beautifully played by Lisa Smit, is seduced into a smile by Johan (Theo Maassen). The biggest impact of this movie is the constant urge to be compassionate for Johan, while either consciously or subconsciously you know he doesn't deserve it, whether you already guessed the ending (which is very predictable, but nonetheless the most powerful scene), or not. On top of the continuous suspense of Johans' capriciousness the movie is very claustrophobic (nearly all small spaces, even the wood scenes are mostly shot under cover of thick trees), has nervous music, fast cuts and long shots of Johan looking angry, which took me as a prisoner as well. I almost never felt such a sense of relief when the ending came along, and that's not meant as a criticism. It feels so real that it's almost like waking from a bad dream. I'd recommend this to everyone, very good!