Very well executed

The greatest movie ever made..!

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

I don't know why as being a Belgian myself I didn't watch this movie before now. I remember I saw the trailer in the movie theater and it didn't reveal much except it had something to do with pedophiles. It's a disgusting theme and I didn't think too much of it at that time. But now that I saw De Behandeling I must admit I should have watched it when it came out in the theaters. It's a top class movie, certainly when you know that Belgian movies don't have the high budgets. But every time they manage to come with new gems. This one is a dark thriller, a very dark one. There are some scenes that are hard to watch, without being explicit though. But it all adds up to the story, that is very well build and that will keep you on the edge of your seat multiple times. The suspense building increases every minute of the movie. The cast is excellent, not well known actors but they all did an excellent job. Geert Van Rampelberg that has the lead role is top notch. His role as the mentally abused detective is just one of the better Belgian roles I saw. It's a long movie but it flies by, and if you can sit through the Dutch language and just read the subtitles you won't regret watching this movie. One of the better movies I saw this year.

I am a big admirer of modern Scandinavian and British crime films, but, from time to time, it is fresh and broadening to watch similar films from other countries. Belgian/Flemish ones are rather uncommon, but as I know Dutch and have been to Flanders as well, some joy of recognition and background information (e.g., national characteristics as well as topics that shocked the country) did help to follow De Behandeling from the "intimate" point of view.The script was smooth, the thrill was there, but I was not much impressed by the protagonist, Geert Van Rampelberg as Nick Cafmeyer - both performance-wise and character-wise, there were too many references to other individualistic policemen. Moreover, it was a clear a bit too early who the wrongdoer was and what was all about, so some distractions were not convincing and provided no additional value to the film, yet prolonging it... But still, if you like tense feature films without lots of shootings and chases, then De Behandeling is worth watching, at least for comparison.

British crime novelist Mo Hayder's series of Jack Caffery potboilers have been gaining quite a fan following since 2000's inaugural entry Birdman. Surely even the author herself could hardly have hoped for a better introduction to cinema audiences than this Belgian adaptation of its 2001 follow-up The Treatment. Chauvinism aside, a concept largely alien to the majority of the Belgian population let me assure you, this ranks as one of the most accomplished thrillers produced worldwide this year. Underrated director Hans Herbots, most frequently employed in TV but also responsible for one of the more exciting domestic big screen debuts with the English language adaptation of Anne Provoost's popular young adult novel FALLING in 2001, has style to burn but wisely never lets it get in the way of a complex and compelling plot, expertly bowdlerized by respected screenwriter Carl Joos who also adapted Jef Geeraert's classic lowlands noir The Alzheimer Affair for Erik Van Looy's well-received THE MEMORY OF A KILLER.The Jack Caffery character has been "Flemicized" into Nick Cafmeyer (Geert Van Rampelberg in what should be a star-making performance), hands on police detective carrying the heavy emotional burden of having been a near witness in his early teens to the kidnapping of his kid brother Bjorn. Pointing the finger towards a suspected local pedophile, the creepy Ivan Plettinckx (a devastating turn by Johan van Assche from another Geeraerts adaptation, Jan Verheyen's solid DOSSIER K.), but lack of evidence prevents his conviction. In the twenty-odd years since, Plettinckx has tormented Nick with every conceivable scenario of what might have happened to his sibling, whose body was never located. So when a home-jacking goes tragically wrong and the couple's 9-year old son is abducted, things are about to get profoundly personal for Nick who suspects a link to what happened some two decades ago.To reveal anything more would be a crying shame as the film (at least for the source novel's non-readers) pulls one shocking surprise after another out of its magician's high hat with nary a false note credibility-wise. True, the culprit's nominal motive for his heinous deeds did strike as a little far-fetched, going as far as raising an unintended smile, but bearing in mind that this emanates from an extremely twisted mindset to begin with quickly puts the narrative back on track. While the movie pulls no punches in detailing the detective's downward spiral, much more is (strongly) suggested rather than explicitly shown, which is a good thing as it involves several unspeakable acts committed on young children, at least one of which is bound to hit you like an 18-wheeler cruising down the highway. The beyond bleak ending cynically bars all exits from this "hell on earth".A major plus for domestic audiences is that Herbots recruited most of his cast among the reliable but faintly generic second stringers from his TV heritage where more instantly recognizable faces (such as the ubiquitous Jan Decleir or Koen De Bouw) would have harmed the film's brand of stylized semi-documentary realism. Handsome Van Rampelberg has been building an intriguing body of work since the turn of the millennium and brings a febrile intensity to the troubled anti-hero faced with an unbearable judgment call when he has to choose between upholding the law or finally learning what happened to his brother. Although he definitely gets into hot water morally, the viewer will root for him every step of the way. Burly Dominique Van Malder, following an indelible bit part in Peter Monsaert's uneven OFFLINE, equally impresses as a severely socially handicapped neighbor who may unwittingly (?) hold the key to the whole mystery. A prime suspect, scrawny swim teacher Chris Gommaer is played to twitching perfection by Michael Vergauwen whose arrest ranks among the film's most heartbreaking moments, a magnificently composed image shot overhead, indicative of the director's effortless technical brilliance.

Bare with me as this is my first review.This is a film of the British author Mo Hayder's book of the same title. Having read the book I was aware of the uneasy subject matter. It is a difficult watch and content is extremely dark. but that said overall the film was very good. For those who haven't read the book i feel will be in suspense and hooked throughout, right the way to the climax at the end.I was very impressed with the acting especially the lead, who carried off the angst ridden detective extremely well.The production values were high. The direction of the film was in keeping with the story being told with its solemn photography and use of lighting. It is definitely not your average film and I am not sure it would appeal to the average cinema goer, but i would highly recommend it. Even more so if you haven't read the book.My only gripe, and it is only small, is that certain things were left out from the book, which would of enhanced this film but I guess that is down to time/budget constraints.Lastly I would like to commend the director for taking on this film, being a fan of the Mo Hayder series of books involving this detective I can only hope someone else will take one of the other books. I thought maybe it might get picked up as a series like wire in the blood.