One of the best things aboutNetflixis that among its voluminous catalog of both domestic and international movies, you are likely to stumble upon a true diamond in the rough every once in a while. It’s a satisfying feeling to come upon a thoroughly watchable movie with a unique and fun look into something new. Such is the case with the 2021 Dutch mafia filmFerry.Frank Lammersstars as the eponymous gangster who works for a Dutch mob boss in Amsterdam,the capital city of the Netherlands. Rarely do we get to see a film that focuses on the Dutch underground with a full-feature-length offering. So that immediately gives it a leg up on most garden variety mob movies. Amsterdam is a European melting pot with various cultural influences and colorful characters. One of those eccentric misanthropes, Ferry Bouman, takes center stage as a dedicated hitman who gets an assignment that will forever change his life.Ferryis also a prequel to the acclaimed television show calledUndercover, which is also available to stream on Netflix.
Ruthless Ferry Bouman is sent to his native region of Brabant by his boss Brink to avenge an attack on their gang. When he meets lovely Danielle and old family feuds resurface, Brabant starts to pierce his steel armour.
What Is ‘Ferry’ About?
Ferry Bouman is the right-hand henchman of a mob boss named Brink (Huub Stapel). He would do anything, including murder, for the man who had brought him into his crime family and treated him like a son. When Brink’s son Matthijs (Tim Linde) is killedduring a botched robbery carried out by a rival gang, Brink calls on Ferry to find the masked men who brutally killed his son. So, Ferry heads to the low-income, blue-collar area south of Amsterdam to look for the killers. His investigation leads to several twists and turns in the movie’s second act. Ultimately,Ferry comes full circle, testing his long-standing relationship with Brinkand finding a star-crossed romance in the third and final act ofFerry.
What Makes the Unorthodox Ferry Bauman Tick as a Mob Hitman in ‘Ferry’?
Lammers a Ferry Bauman is a drug-fueled force of nature. What he lacks in communication skills, he more than makes up for with an uncanny knack for banging heads together to get what he wants. He’s physically imposing, standing over six feet tall, brawny, and rugged. There is also a charming and magnetic side to Ferry, with his frosted tips and easy smile. Unfortunately, he is sometimes stymied by his reluctant heart of gold. Sure,Ferry can be a ruthless killer, but it must always be a business decision–never personal. He lives each day on a diet of a dime bag of cocaine and his own topsy-turvy code of conduct that will eventually lead him to the people responsible for Brink’s son’s death. It’s rarely pretty, but he is so sure of himself that there is an efficiency to his modus operandi that can only be compromised by his emotional attachment to his sickly sister Claudia (Monic Hendrickx) and love interest, Danielle van Marken (Elise Schaap).
‘Ferry’ Is Reminiscent of a Low-Budget Guy Ritchie Movie
The collection of oddballs inFerryand the international dialect make it feel like aGuy Ritchiemoviewithout all the slow-motion and special effects. DirectorCecille Verheydendoes a deft job of maximizing the drama while also inserting some levity in parts where it is warranted on a much smaller budget. LikeLayer Cake, a relatively small group of bizarre mafia families are shot in a compressed setting. Ferry’s second act is filmed almost entirely in a south Amsterdam campsite, somewhat reminiscent of a trailer park. And unless you are from the Netherlands and are a native speaker of Dutch, then the subtitles are a must. As despicable and morally compromised as Ferry and the other characters in the movie can be, their lovable qualities and downtrodden existence still make it easy to root for things to work out for them, and an overall enjoyable watch. The thriller effortlessly serves up twists and turns to keep viewers engaged. For instance,an unlikely romance blossoms between Ferry and the winsome, bubbly Danielle, who turns out to be the sister of one of the men he has been tracking and has already killed.
The Third and Final Act of ‘Ferry’ Perfectly Sets Up ‘Undercover’
Verheyden deliberately tried to cut Ferry into three separate and distinct parts. The first details Ferry’s relationship with his mentor and boss, Brink, and the loyalty he shows to him after Matthijs is accidentally killed. The second is Ferry tracking down the men responsible and exacting a measure of revenge. The third and final act hasa nuanced layering that cuts to the core of who Ferry is versus who he wants to become. Brink calls on him to hold on to the barbaric hitman persona that has come to define him. Ferry wants to share his life with a generous partner who wants him to move on from a life of crime and have an earnest relationship. When Brink asks Ferry to kill Danielle to tie up a loose end, it’s the final straw for Ferry.
One of the Best Thrillers on Netflix May Just Break You
This 2018 South Korean film also features one of the best performances of Steven Yeun’s career.
In a triumphant final sequence, Ferry decides that he is going to leave Brink and the mafia behind, but there’s a twist!The post-credits scene lays the groundwork for Ferry deciding he can’t give up a life of crime so easily. In what is the segue into the Netflix show Undercover, we see Ferry excited to get into the ecstasy business. You can watchUndercoverwithout seeingFerry, but you’d be robbing yourself of two solid hours of a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted piece of Dutch cinema that delivers an unexpected combination of compelling lead characters with a rich and textured storyline and arc for the titular leading player.
Ferryis currently available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
