Plan C

Ronald, a Dutch cop, is down on his luck.  In debt to the local Chinese mafia and constantly frittering his illegal side-cash away on gambling, just waiting for luck to turn to his side.  When the mafia threatens his son, he has to take action.  Plan A: win enough to pay back his debt gambling.  Fail.  Plan B: borrow enough money to pay the mafia in time.  Fail.  Plan C: steal the money by enlisting help and robbing his gambling house....

Plan C is a thoroughly enjoyable story from start to finish.

Plan C
2012, 95 minutes, directed by Max Porcelijn

Taped

A Dutch couple, on vacation in Argentina to rekindle their failing marriage, witness a police shooting.  With no where to turn, tension rises as their situation grows increasingly desperate.  As the title might imply, part of the film is recorded shakey-cam style using the couple's camcorder.  Fortunately for the audience, though, that genre is falling out of favor, and the film quickly adopts a hybrid style where a professional third-party camera is used more than half the time.

I think the film hits all its marks, and while the overall plot is somewhat predictable the individual twists and turns make for a good, if suspenseful, adventure.

Taped
2012, 90 minutes, directed by Diederik Van Rooijen

Black Out

In this Netherlands crime comedy-drama, Jos:

• wakes to find a unknown corpse in his bed.
• discovers he stole and lost 20 kilos of cocaine, and both "owners" want it back.
• has a hole where the last two days of memories should be.

Oh, and he's getting married tomorrow.

He thought he'd left this life behind a decade ago, but somehow he's been pulled back in.  An ensemble cast of criminals interact to weave the story of one important day in Jos' life.  It's not remotely new or anything - it's been more than a decade since Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels after all, but I still enjoy the hell out of the genre.

Black Out
2012, 89 minutes, directed by Arne Toonen