For not Dutch readers, this film requires quite a bit of explaining. The title refers to a part of the Dutch containment system. With certain crimes and suspects, convicts can be send to forced psychological treatment for undetermined time which is called “given in availability to the state” (yes, strange term). For this reason the international title does not refer to this system at all, so it translated “No Way Out”.
Then there is ‘that other’ element of this film in being that one of the most famous Dutch comedians (Theo Maassen) plays the major part of this film.
“TBS”/”No Way Out” is a psychological thriller which starts with the (violent) escape of two TBS-convicts. The two split and “Johan” (Maassen) wants to find his mother in order to convince her that he was convicted on false charges. In the process he kidnaps the 13-year-old Tessa and they travel to Belgium to find Johan’s mother.
As the film continues, we learn Johan’s version of the reason he is put in TBS, but slowly move towards the official and then the actual version of the events. The film has a nice tension-bow, with a rumbling soundtrack and Maassen’s sinister face. Also the way the viewpoint goes from Johan to reality is nicely done. Towards the end there are some action scenes and the ending is perhaps not completely unexpected, but still ‘unamerican’.
Not bad at all for the Dutch film.
