Nothing to Lose (2008)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Didn't know what to expect from this film and was very pleasantly surprised. Excellent performances, tight plot, suspenseful direction, and it kept me guessing until the unsettling and unexpected final revelation. If this were a Hollywood film it would be ruined by making the main character either totally evil or (suprise!) good at heart in the end. Congrats to the filmmakers here for creating a very flawed yet very human protagonist. Not a monster, just one screwed up human being. Thanks for trusting your audience enough to put a human face on the ultimate evil. Such a character is actually far more frightening and sinister that a stereotypically cardboard, black-hearted villain.

This film premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It's about a criminal who's under a special type of therapy, TBS. He manages to escape. The TBS method is very controversial and is often criticized in the Netherlands for the amount of escaped criminals lately. Director Pieter Kuijpers achieves to create an interesting mood, blending fear, violence, feelings of safety and dreamy thoughts in one paranoia mixture. This atmosphere is really powerful and easily keeps this movie interesting along the way. I'm not sure about the performance of Theo Maassen (he's a dutch comedian, couldn't really get that thought out of my head) but he's not a miscast. Lisa Smit surely fulfills her roll decently. The script is excellent and suspense is present at almost every moment. It's really powerful. I found the use of sound impressive, it's pretty special and powerful.Overall it's just a great movie. It's still lingers in my mind a bit. I would recommended this film to everyone.

I was completely shocked after watching this film. The end was horrifying, upsetting and confusing. But even with a not-so-good-feeling after leaving the theater, I have to say I really loved this film. First of all the directing is great; Pieter Kuijpers made several really good based-on-facts films (DENNIS P., VAN GOD LOS, OFF SCREEN) and with this oeuvre he made a very worthwhile contribution to the Dutch (popular) cinema. He really understands both making grandiose action-scenes and scenes about subtle emotional human-interaction. So although I was shocked after wards, now a day later I come to really appreciate this film. Also because of the Oscar-worthy acting of Theo Maassen; his acting made him equally likable and charming as terrifying and fearsome. Brilliantly filmed and acted film! Applause! (but I think, I don't want to see it again..)

Wow, I am impressed. I watched the movie at the premiere in Rotterdam and it really hit me like a hammer. The film isn't about shootouts ans cold blooded murder. Its more a tension, you don't know what is going to happen next. Standup comedian Maassen carries the movie without being funny, although there are a few comic relief moments. Lisa Smit plays a perfect naive 13 year old. Together they search for the truth. Is the man innocent or not? I see a remake in this. The director Pieter Verhoef made also Dennis P. and Van God Los, he is really into crime. But in his movies crime isn't black and white. We see also the good aspects of the criminal. In TBS we see that there are more sides to one story.