funkadelic-4
I have seen this film today and must say I was surprised by the acting and the setting of this movie.Most of the scenes in the movie (the ones where they got transferred to another jail) have been taken in a prison for about 10km from my home at Tongeren (BE)...as this prison is now a museum I was able to go there and feel what it's like in jail. I must say the claustrophobic and unpleasant feeling you get if you walk trough that place is really good shown in the movie.Further I think for the low budget producers and directors of movies in Belgium got it's the best they could make out of it. No, the story isn't original and Axel is not the best actor in my point of view, but the movie touched me somewhere..especially the feeling brought out of what the family of a convict goes trough...Conclusion: go see this one.
dignaf
I nearly cried when I finally reached to the end of this movie, Marcel is the focus of the movie, but his family, which had done so much for him to rescue him made me shocked. This movie was said to be adapted partly from the truth in 1996, if it is, the ....prison life in Morocco is really ... horrific. The attitude of the Government makes people feel disappointed. Marcel survived finally because he has his wife and daughter and his brother in law and all the people who have conscience with in their hearts support him. Rudy's end is a pity. I debt whether Marcel could have been survived from the hard beginning of his jail life if he had never met Rudy. whatever inside or outside jail, people who in their life can find such a good friend, and survived from such bad situation could be so called the lucky ones. Anyway, a very good movie, and very good movie music. All the elements in this film tell me to treasure my current life.
slake09
I had high hopes for this movie, I really did. I'm a big fan of the "Drug Smuggler Caught in Foreign Prison" genre, such as it is. Unfortunately, it does look like a made for TV movie - there aren't any risks taken with the genre here.Although you want to see the poor, imprisoned bus driver get out, you have to wonder why he keeps antagonizing the guards and his fellow inmates. My sympathy for him ended there; I couldn't see myself arguing with the guards in a Moroccan prison. There are probably healthier ways to spend your time.Check out Brokedown Palace or Midnight Express instead.
Adeir
De Hel van Tanger is already the third movie of the six originally made for TV movies to get a big screen release, after Verlengd Weekend and Dennis van Rita. Taken into account that wasn't supposed to play in theaters, it delivers quite well. The story is rather cliché, as are most of the characters, mainly the "evil" ones. What makes the whole sit-in worth is Filip Peeters' excellent performance as the unfortunate bus driver Marcel Van Loock. Yes, he went through great physical lengths to depict the downfall of a lively jolly middle-aged man, hats off. But when you see the startling gaze in his eyes when he hears the conviction, like saying "Come on, guys, you got to be kidding me?", you really hope he makes it back in one piece. When he eventually does and takes his grandson on his lap, I felt actual warmth for the guy. Doesn't happen often. Nice one, Filip.