Vet hard (2005) User Reviews

If you liked the French movies Taxi, Taxi 2 and Taxi 3, you should watch this one as well.

[philip_vanderveken · 7/10 · 1 March 2005]

"Vet hard" or "Volle gas" as it is called in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium (don't ask me why they changed the title, we speak exactly the same language as in Holland, so why shouldn't we understand it?) is certainly not the most original movie, but it is great fun for a night out with some friends. If you are a fan of the French movies Taxi, Taxi 2 and Taxi 3, than this is definitely another movie that you should see.

In this movie we follow Bennie, a fat, women hating snack bar owner who has been in jail for a failed robbery on a jeweler's shop. When he gets out of jail he finds out that his foster father Mast is dying and that there are only two options to save him. One is the liver of a person with the same blood type or even better a relative, the other option is an operation in Bolivia, but that will cost an enormous amount of money.

Mast tells Bennie that he has a son of his own called Koen, who has to spend his time in a Belgian jail. It is his last wish to see him once again before dying. This gives Bennie an idea. He'll get his half brother out of jail, kill him and bring his liver to the hospital so his foster dad can be helped with it. But when the time has come to kill Koen, Bennie can't do it anymore, because he started to like Koen too much. So now they have only one option: commit some crimes to raise money and save for the trip to South America.

The acting is OK. The Belgian as well as the Dutch actors all did a very good job, even though I never expected to see some of them in this kind of movie (for instance Kurt Rogiers an Peter Van den Begin). The story is nice, although it sometimes fails a bit when it wants to offer "too much story". This kind of movies doesn't need as much story as it needs action and jokes and that's where it sometimes went a bit wrong. And you better don't expect to see the most original movie either, because than this will be one big disappointment. This movie has been made with only one intention and that is to make as much fun as possible and to keep the audience laughing at regular times. And that's exactly where this movie has succeeded. It does make you laugh, especially during the car chase (In my opinion that's one of the most hilarious scenes in the movie). I really liked what I saw and I give it a 7.5/10.

Far from political correct or subtle but because of that also very entertaining.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 18 July 2006]

This movie is really a breath of fresh. After watching almost nothing else but heavy Dutch period drama's, drama's in particular and war productions, there finally now is a simple, spectacular and entertaining Dutch movie, in the form of "Vet Hard".

The humor in this movie is cruel and violent. Though it's far from subtle all, it still makes you laugh. To be honest, I think you have to be Dutch to fully understand and appreciate the humor of the movie. The movie however does goes a bit too far at times, even for my taste. I mean having one of the main characters being a necrophiliac serial killer just is not my idea of good taste and quality of humor.

The story is simple and almost non-existent. It's just a pile up of gangster movie clichés and over-the-top comical situations. You clearly shouldn't take this movie serious and watch it for what it is. This movie is a real no-brainer that certainly does entertain and give you a good 88 minutes.

As simple as the movie may be, the quality of it is certainly good. The movie is directed with lots of feeling for pace and handles the characters nicely as well. The action sequences are definitely the best elements of the movie. They are superbly choreographed and even brought better to the screen, also with the help of some excellent editing. It makes it obvious that Tom Oliehoek is a great new young action-movie director, who perhaps already is too big for the Netherlands. Of course the quality and size of it all doesn't hold a candle to an average overdone Hollywood blockbuster production. But this has nothing to do with the directing qualities and talent of Tim Oliehoek but more with the low budget, though for Dutch standards this still was a very expensive movie. At least the movie is no 'Hollywood wannabe'. It has quality and style of its own and it gives the movie its very own unique identity.

The acting to be honest surpassed expectations. You normally wouldn't expect quality acting in an action/comedy like this but his movie has some good actors in it, who all did a good job. Jack Wouterse normally doesn't play main characters and in some movies his role is even no more than just a bit part. I already liked him very much as an actor before this movie but I like him even more now. He shows that he can handle bigger roles and that he is capable of carrying an entire movie for most part on his own. Other fine Dutch and Belgian actors also portray some fine other roles. So, Tim Oliehoek is not just a great action director but also one fine actors director. Only thing is that the movie has a bit too many characters with as a result that not every characters works out as fine or comical as the other. The movie is also filled with lots of cameos of famous Dutch celebrities. I was afraid this was going to get an overkill of it but the did a good job at keeping it to a minimum and till a point were it doesn't get ridicules or distracting from the story.

The fact that I rate this movie only a 6 has nothing to do with its entertainment value. It's just as entertaining as some other movies which I rated a 8 in the past, it's just of lesser quality all. But seeing the circumstances (only 40 days of shooting, for many complicated action sequences included, a €3,700,000 budget.) you have to give credit to this movie and its entire cast & crew.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Great entertainment

[basrutten · 7/10 · 4 October 2005]

"Vet Hard", a remake of the Danish movie "Old men in new cars", is one of the very few action movies to come out of the Netherlands, and because of this it was received quite enthusiastically by the Dutch press. For once, the Dutch press was actually right. While it certainly isn't very original, it's a lot more fun than the somewhat awkward Danish original, and it's a great action comedy in its own right.

The story of "Vet Hard" revolves around ex-con Benny, who, upon getting out of jail, discovers that his friend and mentor Mast is terminally ill, and can only be saved by a new liver. Together with Mast's necrophiliac son and a girl who takes the term "femme fatale" a little too seriously (she constantly tries to kill herself) he tries his best to obtain the precious organ to save him, which leads to lots of car chases, random destruction and slapstick violence.

This kind of thing has been done dozens of times before, but not often this well. Just about everything works in this movie. First of all, it's very fast-paced, with the action sequences and jokes succeeding each other rapidly. The action is decidedly over-the-top, with lots of cartoony violence, people getting crushed under falling objects, etc. It all works perfectly since the movie fortunately doesn't take itself seriously at all. There are lots of very politically incorrect jokes (hey, it's a Dutch movie, what did you expect) that some might consider tasteless, but somehow the vast majority of the jokes work, and the amount of real "toilet humor" (as often seen in American comedies) is kept to a minimum. As an added bonus, many celebrity Dutchmen/women appear in cameos, and often meet their end in gruesome and hilarious manners.

On top of that, the actors all do a very good job. Jack Wouterse is great as the main character Benny, Bracha van Doesburgh makes a great debut as the suicidal girl, and even typical soap/teen movie actors like Kurt Rogiers and Johhny de Mol do a decent enough job. The funniest character, however, is eastern-European handyman Vuk (Peter van den Begin), who constantly manages to short-circuit, immolate, or blow up things (or people, for that matter). It's not sophisticated, but it works.

Well, what else is there to say? This certainly isn't a deep or thought-provoking movie, or one that you will remember for years, so there's really not that much more to talk about. Suffice it to say that "Vet Hard" succeeds marvelously at what it attempts to do, and while it lasts its damned fine entertainment.

***1/2 out of *****

fast, action packed entertainment!

[[e-mail] · 7/10 · 13 August 2005]

Well, I read in some of the reviews here that the story is not really highly original and that is indeed true. However, it is not that strange, since this movie is a Dutch re-make from the Danish movie "Old Men in New Cars", something most viewers seem to have missed. Not having seen the original I can't compare the two and maybe that is for the better, because often a re-make loses it from the original, simply for that is not the original.

Vet Hard is a good debut from new Dutch director Tim Oliehoek. It doesn't have any pretensions, other then to just simply entertain and that it certainly does. Jack Wouterse is perfectly casted as Bennie, the main character and also the rest of the cast is adequate. The movie evolves around some nice action sequences and slapstick humor and all in all this makes for an entertaining experience. Not a top 250 of all time movie, but good enough for a nice and relaxed evening.

Didn't Love It ... Didn't Hate It, Either.

[okcfilm · 5/10 · 12 September 2005]

As an American, I'm not quite sure what to make of this film. It's a bit too brutal for a "zany, madcap comedy", and a bit too slapstick for a "black comedy". Also, it seems more than a bit misogynistic. I'm guessing this is a Dutch flick for "yobs". Still, for entertainment value, I can't say that I disliked it, but I'm huge Nederphile. The ending was certainly different than I expected. A few things might be lost on a foreign audience - the institution of the Dutch "snack bar", for instance, and why Bennie gets so angry when he comes back to find that it's been turned into a "Quicherie".

Mindless fun, but perhaps not one you'll want to watch with a lady friend.

All points for the Danish team

[CoKeen · 1/10 · 20 November 2005]

I quit the movie after 36 minutes so one might think it is unfair to judge. Its just that by that time the Dutch team got so far behind the Danish original ("old men in new cars") there was no chance to make up the deficit. I did not know that I'm going to see a remake from the beginning so I just felt a little uncomfortable when Vuk was introduced. But soon they made clear whom they are going to challenge. From now on I couldn't help but to compare with the original. All of a sudden the actors appeared to be amateurish impostors. You might have experienced the situation someone's telling a joke that is not only well known but also badly presented. What a shame. Such a disgraceful defeat should not be published.

A very nice debut for a talented movie director!

[DutchMovies · 8/10 · 3 February 2005]

Vet Hard, the debut of the 25 year old director Tim Oliehoek, is a definite thrill. Throughout the entire movie, you will be bombarded with nasty, but pretty effective jokes, loads of one liners and all sorts of other fun n weird stuff.

The characters are also pretty wacky, ranging from a fat woman hating tough guy, to a necrophiliac serial killer. Even though we do not really get involved with these characters, its hardly an annoyance, as the movie is pretty much focused on the action scenes. These scenes have been done very well, especially for a dutch movie, some might even say that a certain chase in this movie, has the same sort of excitement level, as amsterdamned once had with the speedboat chase. Again, even though there is a lot more heavier stuff coming from Hollywood, for dutch standards, its pretty wild.

The story isn't very original as well, yet its brought with such enthusiasm and you can see that the actors all had a great time. The little cameos of a lot of dutch celebs is fun as well, and are guaranteed some laughs.

I definitely recommend this film, as it is one of the better dutch comedies and features some great and hilarious (action) scenes.

Regarding the director Tim Oliehoek, i think we will be seeing a lot more from this guy!

One of the worst Dutch movies ever.

[drex_inc · 1/10 · 23 September 2006]

I bought this movie on a DVD. After a big promotional campaign and not that bad scores on IMDb (normally quite accurate)I felt it would be worth the couple of bucks this would cost.

O my GOD. It is not even worth one cent.

As so many times before in dutch TV and Cinema the old trick of casting some young soap actors and/ or (local music television) presenters has been used to promote this movie. Mostly they have no talent what so ever. Take Johnny the Mol. He is the Dutch Torry Spelling. Father is a billionaire TV producer. But he can not act to safe his live. As a fact I have not ever seen any talents in this kid what so ever. Still he is very popular with young girls and some young boys I am sure.

So someone is pushing the right buttons.

I must say that this also did work for this movie. It has been all over the press. -Must be some good PR team for this one, maybe the same as Johhny?.- Anyway. The story, the actors, the dialog the, plot, the effects, the directing is all so cheesy you will not believe. I could not bare it for longer than an hour.

If you buy or want to watch this movie anyway. Be prepared to be disappointed. For this will happen. "Vet Hard" zelfs and that's a guarantee.

If you do watch this movie. And hate it, as I did. Please help to spare others the disappointment and vote. Also give input for the reviews that are honest and not from the producers and other makers.

For in my mind there is no other possibility than this for some of the good reviews up here.

Vet slecht

[vitachiel · 2/10 · 29 July 2007]

My God, what a rip-off! Dutch comedy at its lowest level, with your fair share of unfunny slapstick, simplistic misogynism and very stupid jokes. Even Luc Besson has not ever sunk to this level...

Can you blame the actors? Well, no second-rate soap actor would of course refuse a part in such a blockbuster, but I must say that I was disappointed by the fact that Jack Wouterse (who was magnificent in Temmink) accepted his part. Is it so hard to get a decent role these days? Or did he just misread the script?

The only reason why I give this movie 2/10 instead of 1/10 is the aircraft scene, which was quite spectacular. So just watch the aircraft scene and move on to some thing else.

Jokes? Too easy...

[ivontour · 3/10 · 1 March 2005]

I went to see this movie, expecting to see a nice humorous action movie, but I was VERY disappointed when I left the cinema... They tried to make a funny movie, but the jokes were sooo easy even a 5 year would understand them and that's not my kind of humour. The first half of the movie didn't really contain a story, which can be OK (see "Dude where's my car"), but in the second half they suddenly tried to make a story, in which they failed big time.

Everything that happened in the movie was so obvious that you could see it coming 10 minutes in front, so after a while everything that happened started to annoy me. I was like "I hope they won't let this happen" and then a few seconds later it happened, bummer... for me, cuz some people seemed to enjoy themselves, which was even more annoying

Conclusion: don't waste your money on this movie or, if your going to see it anyway, have a lot of beer before entering the cinema, it might work....

Pleasantly Simple

[schrambal · 8/10 · 13 February 2005]

I went to see Vet hard (or as it is called in Belgium 'volle gas' ) with expectations that weren't too high. My experience with former dutch attempts at action movies, especially the ones as far back as the 'flodder' movies and other dick maas attempts like 'amsterdamned', were not too good. And the trailer of vet hard did not promise any improvement.

What a sigh of relief I could breathe when I watched the movie! The story is erratic and makes no sense at times, but the movie does not aspire or pretend to be a feat of high story telling ability. Instead it focuses on it's best assets; fun action sequences which are exhilarating at times, despite the limited budget, and slapstick-like humor provided by a fantastic Jack Wouterse in the role of 'Bennie' and Peter van den Begin as 'Vuk'.

The acting overall ranges from adequate to excellent, the best being provided by Kurt Rogiers who portrays a necrophiliac serial-rapist in a way that he is almost likable. Jack Wouterse plays a convincing and extremely funny overweight Bennie and carries the role of the main character well. I wasn't too exited by the acting of Bracha van Doesburgh however, who looks great, but, as a fist timer tries her best to portray her character as believable as possible but fails in doing so at times.

All in all Vet Hard has it's weak points, a lot of them actually, but it is easy to forgive them. The movie was made with love and care and it is clearly visible the cast had a lot of fun making it.

An 8 out of 10

Not worth a second of you time

[billekenneth · 1/10 · 25 December 2006]

Stuff like this makes you want to ralph big time. It's unbelievable how people invest money and time in a project like this. The acting is abominable, it's a disgrace how actors like Kürt Rogiers even make a living, and trust me, they are well off! By making crap like this they sustain the low level of B-movies being produced in Belgium and The Netherlands and then they wonder how come Belgian films aren't that successful or aren't being appreciated... The director is an utter moron, the plot stinks; it's not even funny to a five-year-old. For those of you who read a review that this film is enjoyable for those who enjoyed Taxi(which is the only reason I watched this piece of crap), forget it. It is nothing like Taxi, movies like this should never see daylight, I'm ashamed to be Belgian when I see this horrible piece of filth. A complete and utter waste of time. Unbelievable how this gets funded, how this gets a 6,5 average on IMDb, if this were a non-paying service, everyone would be able to vote and it's score would be sub-zero.

Waste of time

[mkools · 1/10 · 11 December 2005]

This movie is horrible, the dutch film industry should be ashamed for producing crap like this.

The acting is horrible, the story is horrible, the jokes are horrible and not even close to funny, every ingredient in this movie is horrible and it's only getting worser throughout the movie.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the IMDb rating! If there was a number below 1.0 I would have voted that, because even a 1.0 rating is very overrated for this 'movie'.

Watching this movie is throwing two hours of your life in the trashcan, so don't go see it or be very disappointed.

How bad......

[mvanduinen · 1/10 · 3 July 2021]

Stopped after 20 minutes. It was no langer bearable.

Yiiiiihaawwwww

[tim-reimer · 8/10 · 28 December 2006]

This is , for me, the best comedy ever from Holland!! Its really funny and strongly entertaining, you will not believe what you see sometimes... Our neighbors gave us many many hours of good movies, i also like "Amsterdamed" or "Flodder" but this is very Good. Its for a bunch of people sitting around your TV and drinking beer or something like that... I don't know this original Film "old men in new cars" so...don't think twice if you can catch this movie in a videostore!!!! I hope to see many more films from this young dutch guy. Maybe Hollywood need some more dutch people like Verhoeven or DE Bont?? Great actors, great camera and very very unique characters what do you want more?