Manslaughter (2012)
5/10
Uneven
25 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The word doodslag means manslaughter in Dutch, and it begins with an ambulance responding to a stab victim, and after calming him down and telling him that he will be fine, but as they drive to a hospital, he flatlines. They stop and attempt cpr, but he dies. Max blames himself for the man's death for underestimating the seriousness of the injury.

He gets a new partner, Amina, a Moroccan woman, and their first call is for a bad drug reaction at a nightclub where a nasty, racist comic is performing. As they revive the girl the host insults them both, including anti Muslim remarks aimed at Amina. They leave and when watching television, see that they were being taped at the club.

The next emergency is for a woman with a difficult childbirth. On route, the two are stopped by Moroccan youth, demanding that they help one of their friends with a head injury. Amina bandages it and tells them that the kid will be fine, but they insist that he be taken to the hospital. Max explains the need to leave quickly for the pregnant woman's emergency. As they argue and one of the boys yells at them, Max punches him in the face, he hits his head on the curb and dies. Max and Amina manage to save the mother and baby but the police arrive and arrest Max. He serves one year in jail for manslaughter and can't get a job when he is released from prison. The vicious comedian who insulted him earlier in the nightclub hires him as a driver and has him join the act onstage, where he manipulates the crowd, depending on Max's responses to questions about the night of the trouble.

Max apologizes to the family of the boy he killed, but the harassment continues, including Max's girlfriends house being burned down. He is assaulted and responds by getting a gun for intimidation. He confronts the comic he drives around and the movie just fizzles out at the end. The story and editing are haphazard, with very poor structure, so at best it is a 5/10.
4 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed