Zaman (1983)

An undercover inspector of the Antwerp criminal investigation unit faces problems not only in his professional life, but also at home. When he is partnered with a young, over-confident ... See full summary »

Director:

Patrick Le Bon

Writers:

Paul Koeck, Patrick Le Bon

Stars:

Marc Janssen, Herbert Flack, Gerda Lindekens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marc Janssen	...	Zaman
Herbert Flack	...	Frank
Gerda Lindekens	...	Magda
Mieke Bouve	...	Katie
Sylvia Sabbe	...	Valerie
Ann Petersen	...	Moe
Paul S'Jongers	...	Commissaris
Patrick Brabants	...	Zoon van Zaman
Dirk Luyten
Fred Van Kuyk	...	De Vos
Jan Moonen	...	John
An Nelissen	...	Vrouw van Frank
Marilou Mermans	...	Moeder van de kinderen
Herman Gilis	...	Kaplan
Dries Wieme	...	Schipper

Storyline

An undercover inspector of the Antwerp criminal investigation unit faces problems not only in his professional life, but also at home. When he is partnered with a young, over-confident colleague, he loses control over the case in hand, a situation that further takes its toll on his marriage. He's forced to ask himself whether his job is an addiction, a hunt for people that becomes more exciting the shrewder his opponent is.

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Plot Keywords:

police

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Genres:

Crime

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Details

Country:

Belgium

Language:

Dutch

Release Date:

21 April 1983 (Belgium)

Filming Locations:

Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Company Credits

Production Co:

Visie Filmproduktie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Katie: I'll start over again. But this time in Brussels and it will not only be with tits this time. They'll get everything, and they'll pay for it.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie Zaman runs into the office of the bad guy Collas who gets protection from powerful people of the city council to do his dirty businesses. When the door closes the screen turns black and 'The End' appears, directly followed by the line 'of a career at the police force'.

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Connections

Referenced in The Memory of a Killer (2003)

User Reviews

'Tranche-de Vie' Cinema

This is an excellent film. It tells the typical story of a non-conformist city-( Antwerp)-police-detective worn out by the city and his job and having to team up with a young flash new partner from the province.Of course he has to have trouble in his private life as well... A cliché, yes, but so was Maigret, and you never tire of him. The beauty of this work lies in the sincerity of the story and its characters. The actors in the film ( with the notable exception of Herbert Flack who is a spectacular ham) are all perfectly credible and speak and act as any real person would. Marc Jansens' performance as the title character is spot on and his understated reading of the role make him a maverick in Belgian movies.

Zaman may not be a Palme d'Or winner but it's a great little film and its influence can be traced in many of Belgian 'tranche-de vie' type TV series and cinema film on cops and crime. (some of the crooks depicted in the film are none too loosely based on real life gangsters).