Jandino Asporaat
Ramon
Overview
When an overeager community officer and a reckless ex-detective are forced to team up, plenty of chaos ensues on the streets of Rotterdam.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Almost Cops Who Weren’t Quite There
I kept waiting for Almost Cops to become the movie it promised to be. Not a great one, necessarily—just the one it seemed to want: a scrappy, Rotterdam-set buddy comedy where the laughs land as often as the punches, where the underdog energy of its leads outshines the formulaic plot. Instead, it’s a film that’s almost funny, almost exciting, almost moving.
Almost, but not quite.
The premise is solid enough. Ramon (Jandino Asporaat), a dutiful BOA—those uniquely Dutch community officers with limited policing powers—dreams of making his neighborhood safer, haunted by the deaths of his police-officer father and half-brother. Jack (Werner Kolf), a disgraced ex-detective demoted to BOA duty after a botched case, is his polar opposite: reckless, cynical, and more interested in self-destruction than justice.
When they’re forced to partner up to investigate a murder tied to their shared past, the stage is set for the kind of odd-couple chemistry that’s fueled buddy-cop movies for decades. The problem? Almost Cops never quite figures out what to do with that chemistry.
The film’s biggest strength is its leads. Asporaat, a Dutch comedy mainstay, dials back his usual over-the-top persona to play Ramon as earnest and a little naive, a man who believes in the system even when the system doesn’t believe in him. It’s a warm, grounded performance, and it’s easy to root for him.
Kolf, meanwhile, plays Jack as a man who’s given up on everything except his own self-loathing. His deadpan delivery and stone-faced intensity should, in theory, create a great comedic contrast with Asporaat’s more expressive style. And sometimes it does—there’s a scene early on where the two argue in a cramped BOA office, their frustration with each other and their situation bubbling over into something genuinely funny.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.5/10
"A mismatched buddy-cop comedy with flashes of charm but uneven execution."
The odd-couple dynamic between the disciplined Ramon and the reckless Jack provides some laughs and tension, but the humor often falls flat, and the plot feels underdeveloped. latestnetflix.com's take is that Viewers appreciate the chemistry between the leads but wish the story had more depth and consistency.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead chemistry Jandino Asporaat and Werner Kolf play off each other well, making their clashing personalities engaging.
- Entertaining premise The buddy-cop setup offers potential for humor and action, keeping the concept fresh.
- Rotterdam setting The Dutch urban backdrop adds a unique flavor to the crime-comedy genre.
Common complaints
- Uneven humor Many jokes miss the mark, leaving the comedy feeling forced or inconsistent.
- Thin plot The story lacks depth, relying too much on the leads' chemistry without enough substance.
- Underwhelming action The action sequences fail to stand out, feeling generic or poorly executed.
- Weak supporting cast Side characters are forgettable, adding little to the overall experience.
Recommended for
Buddy-cop comedy fans Dutch cinema enthusiasts Light crime-comedy seekers Jandino Asporaat followers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports‘Almost Cops’: The Dutch Action-Comedy That’s Already Dividing Fans Before Its 2025 Release
Gonzalo Fernandez Carmona’s Almost Cops (2025) is shaping up to be one of the Netherlands’ most polarizing films of the year—before it even hits theaters. Marketed as a high-energy mashup of action, comedy, and crime, the movie has sparked early buzz (and backlash) for its chaotic tone and star-studded cast. latestnetflix.com's read is that but with a mixed early reception and limited behind-the-scenes details, is this cop-gone-wild romp a hit in the making or a misfire waiting to happen?
A Cast of Comedy Heavyweights and Action Newcomers
Almost Cops (original Dutch title: Bad Boa’s) assembles a mix of Dutch comedy royalty and dramatic actors in what appears to be an ambitious genre-blending experiment. Leading the charge is Jandino Asporaat, a stand-up comedian and actor known for his work in Dutch comedy films like Bon Bini: Bangkok Nights. His involvement suggests the film will lean heavily into humor, even as it dips into action and crime territory 
.
Alongside Asporaat, the cast includes Werner Kolf (The Resistance Banker), Mark Rietman (The Dinner), and Victoria Koblenko (The Lift), a lineup that bridges comedy and drama. The inclusion of Romana Vrede, a celebrated theater actress, hints at deeper character moments amid the chaos. But with such a diverse ensemble, the question remains: Can Almost Cops balance its tonal shifts, or will it collapse under its own ambition?
Early Reviews: Love It or Hate It
The film’s first impressions are… divisive. On SensCritique, Almost Cops holds a 4.3/10 rating based on 117 votes—a score that suggests early viewers are either underwhelmed or outright frustrated . The snippets don’t reveal specific complaints, but the low rating aligns with the risks of blending action and comedy. When done poorly, the mix can feel jarring; when done well, it’s a crowd-pleaser. So far, Almost Cops seems to be leaning toward the former.
Rotten Tomatoes has yet to aggregate critic or audience scores, but the platform’s listing confirms the film is on the radar—if only for its polarizing potential . Without full reviews, it’s unclear whether the backlash stems from the script, pacing, or simply mismatched expectations. One thing is certain: Almost Cops isn’t flying under the radar.
What We Know (and Don’t Know) About the Production
Details about the film’s production are scarce, but a few key facts stand out:
- Director’s Vision: Gonzalo Fernandez Carmona, whose previous work isn’t widely documented in English-language sources, is helming the project. His approach to Almost Cops remains a mystery, but the film’s 95-minute runtime suggests a tight, fast-paced narrative .
- Genre-Blending Risks: The film’s tagline (if it has one) hasn’t surfaced, but its description as an "action-comedy-crime" hybrid positions it alongside movies like The Nice Guys or 21 Jump Street. Whether it lands closer to slapstick or sharp satire is anyone’s guess.
- Rumor Mill: There’s no confirmed word on reshoots, budget overruns, or on-set drama—just the usual pre-release speculation. If the early ratings are any indication, the film might need a strong marketing push to win over skeptics.
The Verdict: Too Early to Call?
Almost Cops could either be a cult hit or a cautionary tale about genre overreach. With a cast this stacked and a premise this bold, it’s hard to ignore—but the early numbers suggest it’s not an easy sell. If the film leans too hard into comedy at the expense of action (or vice versa), it risks alienating both audiences. Then again, the right mix of chaos and charm could make it a sleeper success.
For now, the only certainty is that Almost Cops is a gamble. Whether it pays off won’t be clear until its 2025 release.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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