Timecode Video Audio
00:00:17 The one who pulls the trigger first, takes the loot.
00:00:21 It’s kill or be killed, man.
00:00:23 It’s obvious what happened here.
00:00:27 A deal that went wrong, I expect.
00:00:30 This kind of shit happens every day. This is the shit people don’t see.
00:00:35 This is reality in a simple suburb where everybody goes to work.
00:00:39 You look around and you see people. A man walking his dog.
00:00:44 And yet people are shot.
00:01:00 Here in Holland I just call it work.
00:01:03 For us it’s work. Just work. Every day.
00:01:08 You see? As long as you’re not the victim of a rip deal.
00:01:11 You must make sure you’re the winner in a rip deal.
00:01:15 That’s all I’ll say.
00:01:16 [sound of spray can]
00:01:17 [music]
00:01:24 PIETER VAN HUYSTEE FILMS AND REVOLVER PRESENT (opening credits)
00:01:30 IN COOPERATION WITH BNN
00:01:37 A FILM BY JOOST VAN DER VALK & MAGS GAVAN
00:01:53 [explosion]
00:01:54 STRAPPED ‘N STRONG (title)
00:01:54 [gunshots]
00:01:58 [music]
00:02:14 KEYLOW (caption)
00:02:15 founder and leader1997, helicopeter hijack; 4 years (caption)
00:02:21 SANTOS (caption)
00:02:22 wanted by Chinese and Turkish mafia1996, manslaughter; acquitted (caption)
00:02:29 B-LOCC (caption)
00:02:30 1996, attempted murder; not guilty 1997, double murder; not guilty1998, armed robbery; 3 years (caption)
00:02:44 C-HAWK (caption)
00:02:45 1993, drugs traffic; youth detention 2001, murder; acquitted (caption)
00:02:54 G-MILL (caption)
00:02:55 1996, armed robbery; 4 years2003, murder/attempted murder; 3 months (caption)
00:03:05 B CRA C (caption)
00:03:05 1994, helicopter hijack; 3 years2003, possession of firearms; 3 months (caption)
00:03:05 OG CRA C C (caption)
00:03:05 1984-200823 years in prison (caption)
00:03:11 CONE (caption)
00:03:12 no record found (caption)
00:03:14 CRIP – Community Revolution In Progress (caption)
00:03:19 We want to do something for our kind
00:03:22 Our race.
00:03:23 We want to build up unity again. So that we can help each other.
00:03:30 In different ways. So that we don’t need outsiders.
00:03:34 [camera shutter sounds]
00:03:39 I was three. We arrived in 1973, so I was three.
00:03:44 My father was a hard-working man in Suriname.
00:03:48 He left his job behind…
00:03:51 …and came with his family to have a better future…
00:03:54 …by coming to Holland.
00:03:57 He was a technician with a big firm in Suriname.
00:04:00 But here he only got offered fucking jobs as a cleaner or something
00:04:07 So in the end he had to get money some other way, you see?
00:04:12 In Suriname they call it the hustle.
00:04:15 He had no idea how to go and get money.
00:04:20 Only once it so happened that we had to help out.
00:04:25 Cleaning up a friend’s place.
00:04:27 They thought we were too young to realise what was going on.
00:04:31 But just looking at the wall you saw all the blood on it.
00:04:35 And the carpet was also full of blood.
00:04:40 We all went: my mother, my brothers…
00:04:44 …with buckets and sudsy water to clean up.
00:04:48 Everything covered in blood and stuff.
00:04:54 This is the room where I’ve spent all of my life, really.
00:04:59 My older brother slept over there.
00:05:01 This wall shows the beginning.
00:05:04 This is when I was still innocent.
00:05:08 But it shows where our thought were.
00:05:11 There you see: love of money, liberty, blah, blah, blah.
00:05:15 You pick up that shit.
00:05:18 You see players, the King Pin.
00:05:20 You can gather from all this where our thoughts were.
00:05:27 What does it say on the wall next to the mirror? (filmmaker)
00:05:30 This? (Keylow)
00:05:30 - That message. (filmmaker)
00:05:32 This was for a homie: Rest in Peace. When he was shot dead. (Keylow)
00:05:40 These homies are still alive.
00:05:42 And the ones with a coffin are homies, mates, that are dead.
00:05:49 (Keylow) [reading names out loud]
00:05:53 All dead.
00:05:54 All in violent ways? (filmmaker)
00:05:54 - All through bullets. (Keylow)
00:05:57 I always used to add a line for the men… (Keylow)
00:06:00 …who has dropped out and who is new.
00:06:06 So it’s always a new list. It’s the list of our lot.
00:06:10 The year 2000… He was dead. He was dead, too.
00:06:14 So this is the list of 2002.
00:06:17 That was the situation in 2002.
00:06:21 We have always believed in fighting for what you believe in.
00:06:25 And in the community of… in the foreigners’ community…
00:06:32 …it’s normal that you should have a strap or a weapon to defend yourself.
00:06:37 Could be a strap, could be an axe. Makes no difference.
00:06:42 You always need a weapon.
00:06:44 I remember I always had this one standing in the corner.
00:06:48 Just in case. Maybe I was too young for a strap.
00:06:52 But you needed a defence weapon.
00:06:54 It’s our alternative to ringing the police.
00:07:00 That’s how I see it. I’m not going to ring the police, am I?
00:07:04 [sound of knife chopping]
00:07:06 It costs a lot to eliminate somebody. (Santos)
00:07:09 And if you really want to do it well it really costs a lot
00:07:13 You need a farmer for a friend. One that breeds pigs.
00:07:19 A body…
00:07:21 …is eaten up completely by pigs. Bones and everything.
00:07:26 Except the teeth.
00:07:28 So either you have to go through the shit to find the teeth…
00:07:34 …or you have to knock his teeth out first.
00:07:39 If you don’t feed a pig for a week it’ll eat anything.
00:07:44 If you’ve got ten pigs, a man will be gone in half an hour.
00:07:54 Lots of us have been killed.
00:07:56 One man was buried in Suriname. They never found him again.
00:08:01 A friend of mine was found in his own house with his throat cut.
00:08:06 A cousin was shot in the mouth.
00:08:09 Friend of mine: riddled with shots at the traffic lights.
00:08:15 What are you making?
00:08:17 Chicken.
00:08:19 Green peas.
00:08:21 And potatoes.
00:08:21 - OK. (man)
00:08:24 It’s all good.
00:08:34 [music]
00:09:04 OGBORIGINAL GANGSTA BROWN (caption)
00:09:05 1998-2008; 12 years in prison (caption)
00:09:18 Come with me on Wednesday. That’s all I’m saying.
00:09:21 You know what they did? These were sprayed.
00:09:24 It didn’t stick together.
00:09:27 I can buy this for you. What you see here.
00:09:30 How big are they normally? (Keylow)
00:09:30 - 5 grammes, these are 8. (OGB)
00:09:34 You want to make three, you just chuck them in.
00:09:37 At somebody’s home you go…
00:09:39 You know there are three real ones.
00:09:42 Get it. (Keylow)
00:09:42 - You take one. (OGB)
00:09:43 It smells a bit like coke.
00:09:52 Let’s wait… (Keylow)
00:09:53 …till we get the real coke.
00:09:56 That glock, he shot with the Uzi, didn’t he? (OGB)
00:10:01 But he grabbed the other glock.
00:10:04 He only shot once with it but he didn’t hit him.
00:10:08 He wants to sell it.
00:10:08 - How much? (Keylow)
00:10:10 Don’t know (OGB)
00:10:10 - He can’t ask much. (Keylow)
00:10:12 If he doesn’t ask a lot I’ll take it.
00:10:12 - Look… (OGB)
00:10:15 What he said was: Get rid of the serial number.
00:10:19 You can get rid of it.
00:10:19 - I know the right people. (Keylow)
00:10:25 He says 1500. Too much? (OGB)
00:10:28 Very expensive. Very expensive.
00:10:31 And I’ve still got to get the number out (Keylow)
00:10:34 He says it cost him 2000. (OGB)
00:10:37 He says he has to remove the serial number first.
00:10:41 1000 is OK. (Keylow)
00:10:41 - He says 1000 is OK. (OGB)
00:10:51 1300?
00:10:53 Tell him I’ll let him know. (Keylow)
00:11:01 See you later.
00:11:01 - OK, see you soon. (OGB)
00:11:03 I’ll make these balloons hard for you, OK?
00:11:09 [whistling]
00:11:27 So what are we going to do today? (filmmaker)
00:11:30 We’re going to pick up Main. A homie of ours is released today. (Keylow)
00:11:36 He was inside for the standard shit. Trying to make money.
00:11:42 This is my Visa Card. When we collect mates we need our Visa Card.
00:11:49 In the past we’ve done things that weren’t right.
00:11:52 [phone rings]
00:11:53 So I always like to make sure.
00:11:59 If you’re here as a real criminal it’s no use.
00:12:04 They can’t keep us on the straight path with this bullshit.
00:12:11 He should be coming out here.
00:12:16 He’s not here. Perhaps they will let him out on the other side?
00:12:22 Main is my homie, my ‘road dog’.
00:12:25 He’s my double as they say in Suriname. He’s a real soldier.
00:12:32 He’s the basis of the set.
00:12:34 [gunshot sound]
00:12:34 SET; (noun) subdivision of the Crip movement (caption)
00:12:40 He committed murder and went inside for it.
00:12:43 So he had the necessary respect.
[Main and Keylow greet each other]
00:13:06 Motherfuckers! (Main)
00:13:08 Dirty bastards. (Keylow)
00:13:10 Such a fucking mess in there. (Main)
00:13:13 I’m never going back there.
00:13:15 Not that I never go to prison again, but not in here.
00:13:18 Heavy bag, man. (Keylow)
00:13:22 It was hard, man. (Main)
00:13:23 Main! (Keylow)
00:13:24 MAIN-C (caption)
00:13:25 1994, '187'; 8 years2005, cannabis; 7 months2007, possession of firearms; 18 months (caption)
00:13:30 Main, man. (Keylow)
00:13:30 - Back in the hood. (Main)
00:13:35 Main Triad for life, cuzz! (Main)
00:13:35 - We don’t play this shit, man! (Keylow)
00:13:40 Those fucking guys fuck you up. (Main)
00:13:43 Fuck to you all. 187. (Keylow)
00:13:45 [gunshot sound]
00:13:45 187; (noun)American police code for murder (caption)
00:13:51 That’s why I’m in touch with an organisation. (Main)
00:13:55 They’re going to help me with a course of action.
00:14:01 So that I can take responsibility for my kids, you see.
00:14:07 [car horn beeps]
00:14:08 [siren]
00:14:09 [music]
00:14:15 Back at last.
00:14:24 MAIN-C (caption)
00:14:24 Daddy has his own pigeonhole. Look, he’s got mail. (Main)
00:14:29 I have to check every time if I’ve got mail.
00:14:31 Every day? (child)
00:14:31 - Yes, I can check every day. (Main)
00:14:36 This is a special home for people who have spent time in prison…
00:14:41 …and after prison they can come and live here.
00:14:44 I came here because I want to be a real daddy for you.
00:14:49 So this is where daddy lives now. You understand?
00:14:54 Can you remember, when you were all little…
00:14:59 …I used to say I work in the street. Remember?
00:15:02 No, I don’t. (child)
00:15:02 - I don’t remember. (child)
00:15:04 I remember that you worked in a garage. (child)
00:15:04 - That’s right. (child)
00:15:09 When you were little you always asked: What’s your job, daddy? (Main)
00:15:13 And I said: I work in the street.
00:15:15 You always thought I was a road worker.
00:15:19 [children laugh]
00:15:19 Yes, you really thought so. (Main)
00:15:21 [boy continues laughing]
00:15:28 But really, daddy was not a very nice guy. (Main)
00:15:33 When daddy stopped working in the garage he did things in the street…
00:15:39 …that he wasn’t really supposed to do, says the police.
00:15:43 I’ve never told you that before.
00:15:44 When you were little, daddy wasn’t there.
00:15:48 When he came back, you were five.
00:15:51 Could you sit down quietly, darling?
00:15:55 Daddy doesn’t want to go to prison again so he doesn’t do naughty things now.
00:16:04 Things grown-ups call criminal.
00:16:08 Daddy was a criminal, but doesn’t want to be that now.
00:16:12 So from now on daddy is going to be a real daddy.
00:16:16 Every weekend one of you can come to me here.
00:16:19 I’m going to arrange with mummy that Jenero can come first.
00:16:23 I want to talk to him first because he is not doing well at school.
00:16:28 I want to talk to him, because if you don’t do your best at school…
00:16:33 …you’ll end up just like daddy.
00:16:35 You will also have to work in the street and do criminal things.
00:16:40 Daddy doesn’t want that. That’s why I am trying to explain…
00:16:43 …it’s better to work well at school.
00:16:45 You are not to give the teacher the middle finger, Jenero.
00:16:50 It’s just not done.
00:16:51 If it had been me I would have punished you.
00:16:54 That’s why I want to have you here first.
00:16:57 You don’t want to end up just like daddy, you really don’t.
00:17:00 [music]
00:17:26 Santos is wanted. He’s hiding in one of the set’s houses. He hardly goes out. (caption)
00:17:52 [man talking]
00:17:59 [man talking]
00:18:12 I’m showing it to you people now. (man)
00:18:15 But later it’ll be on my chest.
00:18:20 And then it’s not a game any longer.
00:18:22 This is my first tattoo.
00:18:26 To represent my set, you know.
00:18:28 I’m not putting tribal bullshit on my body.
00:18:32 I’m still unmarked, so in other words this is my first tattoo.
00:18:40 For life. Until the day I die. Know what I mean?
00:18:44 Main Triad, that’s the set.
00:18:47 This means ‘till death’. It means: stay loyal to your homies till the end.
00:18:54 You see? That’s got to be clear and simple.
00:18:58 Otherwise you say: Fuck it, I won’t.
00:19:05 Turn right?
00:19:05 - No, you’re fine. (Keylow)
00:19:13 That’s how we do it, homie! Get the money, man! (Keylow)
00:19:20 Hold this for me. (Keylow)
00:19:20 - Every day, getting paid. (man)
00:19:24 [music]
00:19:33 [they greet the tattoo artists]
00:19:38 Yes, that’s a nice one. (tattoo artist)
00:19:47 He’s been with the set for four, nearly five years. (Keylow)
00:19:52 It’s time he got one step higher up in the game.
00:19:59 I waited patiently for the day it came. (man)
00:20:03 It’s an appointment we made five years ago, and here we are.
00:20:08 You can’t ask for it. You have to deserve it, you see? (Keylow)
00:20:12 Especially the casket… look I’ll show you.
00:20:15 This is a small one.
00:20:17 That’s more or less the logo of the set.
00:20:21 You don’t get that easily. I don’t allow it.
00:20:25 I don’t want fake niggers wearing the family symbol. You must deserve it.
00:21:00 [man talks to camera]
00:21:07 [music]
00:21:45 Are we going to the hood, cuzz? (filmmaker)
00:21:45 - Yes. (Keylow)
00:21:51 I’m going to accept the responsibility for my kids. (Main)
00:21:54 I’m going to help them with whatever they need.
00:22:01 You’re saying you’ll stop banging. (Keylow)
00:22:04 BANGEN; Banging; (verb) (from gangbanging); taking part in gang activities. (caption)
00:22:09 Explain what you mean by that. (Keylow)
00:22:11 Have you really chosen the other side…
00:22:14 …or how do you see that? Tell me how you see it.
00:22:18 It would be a pity because we haven’t even started yet.
00:22:21 It’s only the beginning of everything and I don’t want to exclude you.
00:22:26 A child can never be the reason for you to say you’re quitting. (Keylow)
00:22:31 I just don’t want to do any more banging. (Main)
00:22:35 If I were to hear that Triad really needed a back-up…
00:22:41 …for a murder, that’s what worries me.
00:22:46 But just banging? No.
00:22:48 Jenero and Lashawn want to come and stay with me.
00:22:51 And Lashawn will be shuttling between Cheryl and me, you see.
00:22:56 But Jenero will be with me 24 hours a day.
00:22:59 It’s hard for me to go banging and be a father. That’s my problem.
00:23:04 I want to bang but I can’t.
00:23:07 I’d love to run into a bank and force everybody on the floor.
00:23:13 But I daren’t do it. I am doing this for Jenero.
00:23:20 For my kids.
00:23:22 If someone has to be shot over here, I can’t call on you. (Keylow)
00:23:25 I’ve got enough soldiers to continue our shit, to the fullest.
00:23:29 And anyway, with all respect, you are a weak spot now.
00:23:33 You can’t go on like this. You’ll regret it.
00:23:37 If they want you, MC, they know how to do it.
00:23:46 No worries, cool down.
00:23:55 You OK?
00:23:58 Can’t do two things at once, cuzz. I must take responsibility for my kids. (Main)
00:24:06 It’s a good decision. You’ve taken a manly decision. (Keylow)
00:24:11 You were never a bitch nigger and you’ll never be one.
00:24:14 “Give me time to solve this and I’ll be back,” is what I want to hear.
00:24:20 Because when we’ve finished, what do you think…
00:24:24 That you’ll have to struggle? We’ll have a penthouse for you with everything in it.
00:24:29 [phone beeps]
00:24:29 ----, are you there? (Keylow)
00:24:32 Can’t see you. Oh yes, there you are. (Keylow)
00:24:34 [phone beeps]
00:24:35 (Keylow) [shouts]
00:24:37 That’s what you get. But we’ll talk some more about it. (Keylow)
00:24:45 Tell me. (Keylow)
00:24:46 Don’t want to put pressure on people. (dealer)
00:24:48 No, but I must know…You haven’t told me… (Keylow)
00:24:52 Are those men armed or not? (Keylow)
00:24:52 - No. (dealer)
00:24:55 OK, but I want to know how many there are. So I’m prepared. (Keylow)
00:24:59 You’ve got to arrange it. (Keylow)
00:25:02 It’s not many people. We’re talking 150,000 euros. (Keylow)
00:25:07 It’s 9,000 per kilo? (Keylow)
00:25:11 No, we sell at 11,000 per kilogram. (dealer)
00:25:14 You know how much money that is? For 22kg, you said. (Keylow)
00:25:18 No, it’s 27 now… (dealer)
00:25:23 …and in the end it’ll be 23 kilos clean, good stuff. (dealer)
00:25:29 23 times 11 is… (dealer)
00:25:34 23 times 11 is… (Keylow)
00:25:38 Have you worked it out? It’s 200, 000. (Keylow)
00:25:42 I’ve always… wanted to have brothers. (Main)
00:25:47 And now I’ve got brothers and now I’m…
00:25:52 But I must take the decision…
00:25:55 …to distance myself from my brothers.
00:25:58 And every evening I think back to…
00:26:02 …what it was like to go and do stuff with Keylow…
00:26:09 More than 200,000. (dealer)
00:26:10 That’s what I’m saying. Look, you’re my friend. (Keylow)
00:26:16 It’s a choice. What do I do for 200,000? Go ‘bang bang’ and take the stuff. (dealer)
00:26:24 We’re going to find out today… I’ve bought a nice little load. (Keylow)
00:26:28 We’ll just see how it’s going. I’ll just check.
00:26:32 And we’re going to see how things stand.
00:26:36 [man talking]
00:26:38 It’s OK. (Keylow)
00:26:44 What’s the street value of this? (Keylow)
00:26:49 Estimated. (Keylow)
00:26:49 - Estimated? 40, 50. (man)
00:26:51 Fifty thousand. (filmmaker)
00:26:51 - Which fell off the back of a lorry? (filmmaker)
00:26:56 Something like that. That’s what the Dutch would say. (Keylow)
00:27:01 We just call it trade. (Keylow)
00:27:03 [Keylow and man talking]
00:27:08 You’ve got to go down. (Main)
00:27:10 (Main) [singing]
00:27:14 Hold on… hold on.
00:27:18 Once more, pull yourself up.
00:27:21 Come on, pull! I won’t drop you.
00:27:25 OK, love.
00:27:28 My cousin, I saw him as my little brother.
00:27:35 He’d been bashed up and he came to me for help. (Main)
00:27:39 At that time, anyone who hurt my family, had a problem.
00:27:45 I told the guy who did it not to touch him again or he’d have a problem.
00:27:50 He said it was all talk on my part...
00:27:54 …and blah blah blah, and that he would shoot at me.
00:27:59 I got angry and lashed out at him.
00:28:03 He said he’d call his father.
00:28:05 “Call your father,” I said. I knew it was going to escalate.
00:28:12 I then possessed a shotgun and a 12mm.
00:28:16 I’d put the 12mm in my pocket…
00:28:19 …and the shotgun…
00:28:24 …I’d put it behind the front door.
00:28:28 (Main) [laughing]
00:28:32 Go to daddy. (child)
00:28:34 The moment I got out of the door they came towards me, five men. (Main)
00:28:40 The father tried to stub out a cigarette in my face.
00:28:44 I pushed his hand away.
00:28:45 The moment I touched his hand they started hitting me.
00:28:52 I got the chance to work my way inside…
00:28:56 …I got the shot gun, cocked it…
00:29:00 …and as soon as they heard the sound, glock glock, they started running.
00:29:08 Somehow I followed the older man.
00:29:13 Because of the way he tried to push his cigarette into my face.
00:29:20 Kept running after him…
00:29:22 …kept shooting at and one point he slipped.
00:29:29 He stayed on the ground and I shot all my remaining bullets at him.
00:29:36 [gunshot sound]
00:29:38 (Main) [talking to child]
00:29:44 [music]
00:29:46 That’s when I met Keylow. Since then we’re very close.
00:29:50 [bell ringing]
00:29:50 If I’d gone inside like a bitch I wouldn’t have got to know Keylow, I think.
00:29:57 [birds singing]
00:30:11 [boom]
00:31:09 Yeah… I ehm… (Santos)
00:31:14 I’m going on a mission and I’ll either see them next week or not.
00:31:19 But in any case…
00:31:24 …it’s serious. And that’s what I do, you see.
00:32:02 With every mission you put your life at risk, don’t you?
00:32:06 It doesn’t come automatically. You’ve got to fetch it. Anything may go wrong.
00:32:11 But let’s hope everything goes all right.
00:32:15 And then I’ve got some cash to keep me going for a while.
00:33:06 Being a gangster is round the clock work. You eat it, live it, sleep it.
00:33:11 Everything, everything you do should be focused on your set.
00:33:15 Your family.
00:33:17 And if it includes stealing, robbing and killing, then that’s it.
00:33:49 Main tries hard to fit in, moving from one job to the next. He sees his children as often as he can. (caption)
00:34:04 Hey, everything OK? (Santos)
00:34:14 I started straight away. (Keylow)
00:34:14 - It’s got to be cleaned. (Santos)
00:34:21 (Keylow) [laughing]
00:34:23 The money’s in the bank. (Keylow)
00:34:30 That’s how we do it. It’s quick.
00:34:56 This year I’ll be going to Suriname for good. (Santos)
00:35:01 I’ll start a café, a small restaurant.
00:35:05 Perhaps a call centre.
00:35:08 Some nice relaxed job maybe.
00:35:11 Something I can earn enough money with so I don’t have to steal.
00:35:17 You know what I mean?
00:35:19 So I can spend some more time with my daughter.
00:35:22 And try to protect her from things that happened to me when I was small.
00:35:35 [music]
00:36:08 Look, I’m going to see Keylow soon… (Main)
00:36:12 …and he’s going to question me.
00:36:16 I have to tell him, and I have to talk about it twice. Very difficult.
00:36:30 I’ll tell you… My daughter had a very bad accident.
00:36:34 And she didn’t recover.
00:36:38 But it feels good to be back.
00:36:41 In the sense that I’m once more going to do what I’m good at.
00:36:48 What I feel good with.
00:36:53 I love my kids. I tried to do something that wasn’t on the cards for me yet.
00:36:58 Maybe it will one day.
00:37:01 But… I wasn’t happy.
00:37:04 I mean, I had to work with people I had no warm feelings for.
00:37:13 Coffee breaks. Smoking breaks. Having to listen to their bullshit.
00:37:18 First they tell you how nasty Kees is and 10 minutes later they’re laughing with him.
00:37:25 That’s not my thing.
00:37:40 [Main and Keylow greet each other]
00:37:56 How are things? I missed you all. (Main)
00:38:00 (Keylow) [low speech]
00:38:04 Her mother got her ready to go to school. (Main)
00:38:09 She wanted a different belt. The other one was too large.
00:38:14 She went to the kitchen and got a knife.
00:38:17 She’d tried to make a hole in the belt with the knife.
00:38:20 She thought she could do it quickly, not knowing the leather was so tough.
00:38:27 She stabbed the leather belt she wore and then the knife slipped.
00:38:34 Not in her knee, not in her thigh, but in her groin.
00:38:39 She stabbed the knife into her groin.
00:38:42 Within seconds all the blood was drained.
00:38:46 How is she now? (Keylow)
00:38:52 Fucked up. Really fucked up. (Main)
00:38:56 In medical terms she is in a vegetative state.
00:39:02 She’s got serious brain damage and will never get out of it.
00:39:05 The damage is in the very centre of the brain.
00:39:10 When I saw her I wanted to release her from her suffering.
00:39:14 That’s my problem. That was on my mind.
00:39:18 But I got over that. And now I’m back.
00:39:22 I’m glad you’re back. (Keylow)
00:39:24 I am fully active again, I am back. (Main)
00:39:28 Fuck everything, fuck the lot, fuck everybody.
00:39:33 The week before, I texted her. “I’ve got a house.”
00:39:41 So I could come and fetch her.
00:39:44 And get to know her better.
00:39:49 But it won’t be possible. Never again.
00:39:52 I don’t know what to say. All I can say is: fuck everything. (Keylow)
00:39:58 You can be angry, you can be furious, but what to be angry with? What can we do? (Keylow)
00:40:03 I would feel like hurting everybody. (Keylow)
00:40:03 - I’m going to hurt somebody. (Main)
00:40:09 I’m a time bomb, really. (Main)
00:40:12 It’s shit. Real heavy shit.
00:40:18 (Main) [crying]
00:40:51 Keylow receives a letter from Main C (caption)
00:41:00 Everything was ready. Everything planned to perfection. (voiceover)
00:41:04 Time to go.
00:41:06 Alcohol test.
00:41:07 When we were stopped for the check, I knew it was over.
00:41:11 We were handcuffed. I was not nervous or frightened.
00:41:14 I was relieved. I couldn’t believe it.
00:41:19 I can’t wait till he gets back and can go on the job again. (Keylow)
00:41:23 The system doesn’t work, not one fucking bit.
00:41:27 They keep locking niggers up…
00:41:29 …but they get worse, like animals, worse than they were before.
00:41:51 [men greeting each other]
00:42:05 It’s a combination of what they found and how they found it. (lawyer)
00:42:10 He was in a car with another youngster…
00:42:13 …and he was wearing a balaclava.
00:42:16 There was a weapon in the car, a stun gun…
00:42:21 …some tie wraps and a route description.
00:42:24 Sorry? (man)
00:42:24 - And a route description. (lawyer)
00:42:28 The prosecutor will say… (lawyer)
00:42:28 Preparation. (man)
00:42:31 Preparation for burglary or theft. (lawyer)
00:42:34 That’s not how you go out for a cup of coffee. (lawyer)
00:42:37 The law says that not only burglary and theft are punishable…
00:42:42 …but also the attempt in itself.
00:42:45 Acts of preparation are also punishable.
00:42:49 Having things with you that you use to commit a crime.
00:42:55 Please rise, all rise! (man)
00:43:01 MAIN-C (caption)
00:43:10 You don’t have to answer the questions. (judge)
00:43:15 But you may. Be very alert.
00:43:18 You are here as the suspect in a criminal case.
00:43:24 The prosecutor will now tell you what the charge is.
00:43:31 --- is accused of five offences. (prosecutor)
00:43:39 …you were prepared to commit an act of burglary or theft with violence…
00:43:43 …or blackmail or unlawful deprivation of liberty…
00:43:46 …in a stolen car with stolen number plates.
00:43:50 You had in your possession to prepare for the crime:
00:43:53 A fire arm, a cartridge with 14 bullets in it…
00:43:57 …a stun gun, two balaclavas, two pair of handcuffs, tie wraps…
00:44:03 …a roll of duct tape, a hair net, two panty hoses, a pair of gloves.
00:44:09 Can you tell us about your personal circumstances? (lawyer’s voice)
00:44:12 I was in a re-integration project offered by the Social Service… (defence lawyer’s voice)
00:44:17 …and things have happened in my life…
00:44:21 …that caused me to end up in a downward spiral.
00:44:24 Now I am here and I know I have to work on my inner peace.
00:44:28 God made sure I was caught in a road block.
00:44:34 I am going to hear from you how long I can work my inner peace.
00:44:37 I haven’t found my inner peace yet.
00:44:41 When I’ve finished with this period perhaps I’ll get the chance to start anew.
00:44:48 If the panty hoses hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t been wearing a balaclava… (lawyer)
00:44:55 …he might have got away with it.
00:44:59 But it was all a bit too obvious.
00:45:02 In two weeks’ time, we’ll know.
00:45:04 I know he hasn’t stolen the stuff. I’ve given them to him. (Keylow)
00:45:08 [man laughs]
00:45:09 Power. See you. (man)
00:45:13 It’s not too bad. (man)
00:45:13 - Twenty months isn’t too bad. (man)
00:45:14 [phone rings]
00:45:16 Yeah, twenty is not too bad. (Keylow)
00:45:17 Deduct three months, is 17, and deduct a little extra. (man)
00:45:22 Less the period in pre-trial detention (Keylow)
00:45:25 So how many months is that? (filmmaker)
00:45:26 14 months, deduct one third… (Keylow)
00:45:30 I think it will be 11 months altogether. We call that a summer holiday.
00:45:48 Listen, I need a car, Keylow. (Santos)
00:45:50 Just for a few days. I’m going to…
00:45:54 We’ll talk later. (Keylow)
00:45:58 In Amsterdam I know this woman… (Santos)
00:46:02 …and it’s safe there. I can get at it if I want to.
00:46:06 But that’s not the point. The point is that I need a kilo of hash.
00:46:12 I’ll send it to Suriname in a box.
00:46:15 Then I’ll have some money when I get there.
00:46:19 Good heroin is also OK.
00:46:19 - I’ve got that for you, too. (Keylow)
00:46:23 But we don’t want to work separately. That’s not the way I work with people.
00:46:28 We’ve done some jobs here and business is doing well…
00:46:31 …but I want to know…
00:46:33 You’re talking about a woman, but you should stay with homies, not people.
00:46:38 With your mates, you see.
00:46:41 It may be a nice plan, but I’m not impressed.
00:46:46 I’m happy for you, and you’re welcome to it…
00:46:51 …but I tell you I can’t see where we stand. Or the set. It’s nothing to do with us.
00:46:59 Now you tell me the stuff is with that woman…
00:47:03 …like when you left a gun with that Hindustani. That’s wrong.
00:47:07 You should stick with your homies. I don’t want to accuse you or anything…
00:47:12 …but you mustn’t work behind our backs Use our existing contacts.
00:47:17 No new people. You’ve got the set.
00:47:19 I’ll give you our contact, but don’t work without us.
00:47:22 I know a highly-placed guy at Schiphol airport.
00:47:27 He can pick up the stuff but I don’t even want to do that shit.
00:47:31 If we get somebody who’s trustworthy…
00:47:35 …he’s got to put it on the plane.
00:47:38 Listen, we’ve got the MPs there. (Santos)
00:47:43 Military Police. So we’ve got no problems in Suriname. Only here.
00:47:47 No problems, here. I have a whole team that can take it. (Keylow)
00:47:50 100%.
00:47:52 And you’re my brother.
00:47:54 Don’t worry, we can do it together. It’s a 100% certain.
00:47:58 Do you know when we’ll do it?
00:48:00 Tomorrow, right?
00:48:02 [tap running]
00:48:05 I said what I had to say. It’s up to him what he does with it. (Keylow voiceover)
00:48:08 I haven’t heard any more about it but he knows how it works.
00:48:13 If you can’t answer me… You either answer me or you stay away.
00:48:21 Like Santos now. I don’t know where he is and I’m not going to find out.
00:48:26 He has a few things he deals with and so he deals with them.
00:48:30 I just hope he does it in a clever way.
00:48:32 And that he thinks of the set, because if he doesn’t…
00:48:37 …he will fall back to another position, but he knows that.
00:48:42 What kind of position? (filmmaker)
00:48:44 The position of bitch nigger. The last thing you want. (Keylow)
00:48:48 If you are branded as a bitch nigger anything may happen to you.
00:48:51 Then nobody guarantees what people may do.
00:48:54 I’m not saying I’ll do it or who will do it, but we won’t protect him any longer.
00:49:00 Standard.
00:49:02 [sound of gun safety catch release]
00:49:04 [running water]
00:49:12 [music]
00:49:34 To date, Santos has not been seen… (caption)
00:49:47 New member, 14 years old.
00:49:48 New member, 13 years old.
00:50:06 [sounds of chess pieces hitting board]
00:50:14 [end credits music]
00:50:16 DirectorsJoost van der ValkMags GavanProducersPieter van Huystee Film RevolverCameraMarco Nauta: DigibetaJoost van der Valk: DvcamSoundMags GavanAd GrootorsTom HonkooTon HoogdRoderick HieibrinkErik Look, Joroon LonoEdwin de KosterMontagePatrick JanssensResearchRobby RoksSaul van StapalaSound design and mixingWiebe de BoerNaurits OverdulveOnlineRobin HancockColourJoppo@deBrotTranscriptionClaire van den CadeTara KosilcWendy van WilgenburgPublcityCurien KroonArt DirectionScale to FitPhotographyCarli HermesAccountsDiana de JongeBarbara BrouwerAssistant producersMirjam BalRosan BoersmaExecutive ProducersSylvia BaanAnnemiek van der HellBNN EditorsMaarten van DijkHans SchwartzDistributionJourneyman Pictures52’ Reversion by Journeyman PicturesProducer – Emma SimpsonEditor – Simon CowellWith Thanks To:All Eastside 200s Neighbourhood Crips for their cooperation and hospitalityKeylowLTCConeB LoccBig Mell Rip C HawkKrazeBlue DiamondBlu RainC DevilYung Active CuzzTiny CripC CanibalPooc LocDubb OoBrooOCBC Locc (rip)Chollo (rip)big Row (rip)big Og Dolf (rip)Tray Belly (rip)Big JaykeJay LcT Rex (Santos)PookieYung QueB Cra C CullitMain CG MillQuinn LocCra C ChiccenBarceyDough SaccBaby BluOCTiny CJTiny Kev MacTiny RidahTiny blu RaggNarcusRaw DawgGanxshah AceSin LoccJ Browne (rip)Chill (rip)big Earl (rip)O.T (rip)big Chenk (rip)_C6ixx PaccMike LoccLB TrayHigh QShort EThis film was produced with the support of the Dutch Film Fund Rotterdam Media Funds and CoBo FundsPieter Van Huystee Film & TVRevolver Media ProductionsBNNCoBoRotterdam Media FundsCinema Delicatessen (end credits)
00:00:17 The one who pulls the trigger first, takes the loot.
00:00:21 It’s kill or be killed, man.
00:00:23 It’s obvious what happened here.
00:00:27 A deal that went wrong, I expect.
00:00:30 This kind of shit happens every day. This is the shit people don’t see.
00:00:35 This is reality in a simple suburb where everybody goes to work.
00:00:39 You look around and you see people. A man walking his dog.
00:00:44 And yet people are shot.
00:01:00 Here in Holland I just call it work.
00:01:03 For us it’s work. Just work. Every day.
00:01:08 You see? As long as you’re not the victim of a rip deal.
00:01:11 You must make sure you’re the winner in a rip deal.
00:01:15 That’s all I’ll say.
00:01:16 [sound of spray can]
00:01:17 [music]
00:01:24 PIETER VAN HUYSTEE FILMS AND REVOLVER PRESENT (opening credits)
00:01:30 IN COOPERATION WITH BNN
00:01:37 A FILM BY JOOST VAN DER VALK & MAGS GAVAN
00:01:53 [explosion]
00:01:54 STRAPPED ‘N STRONG (title)
00:01:54 [gunshots]
00:01:58 [music]
00:02:14 KEYLOW (caption)
00:02:15 founder and leader1997, helicopeter hijack; 4 years (caption)
00:02:21 SANTOS (caption)
00:02:22 wanted by Chinese and Turkish mafia1996, manslaughter; acquitted (caption)
00:02:29 B-LOCC (caption)
00:02:30 1996, attempted murder; not guilty 1997, double murder; not guilty1998, armed robbery; 3 years (caption)
00:02:44 C-HAWK (caption)
00:02:45 1993, drugs traffic; youth detention 2001, murder; acquitted (caption)
00:02:54 G-MILL (caption)
00:02:55 1996, armed robbery; 4 years2003, murder/attempted murder; 3 months (caption)
00:03:05 B CRA C (caption)
00:03:05 1994, helicopter hijack; 3 years2003, possession of firearms; 3 months (caption)
00:03:05 OG CRA C C (caption)
00:03:05 1984-200823 years in prison (caption)
00:03:11 CONE (caption)
00:03:12 no record found (caption)
00:03:14 CRIP – Community Revolution In Progress (caption)
00:03:19 We want to do something for our kind
00:03:22 Our race.
00:03:23 We want to build up unity again. So that we can help each other.
00:03:30 In different ways. So that we don’t need outsiders.
00:03:34 [camera shutter sounds]
00:03:39 I was three. We arrived in 1973, so I was three.
00:03:44 My father was a hard-working man in Suriname.
00:03:48 He left his job behind…
00:03:51 …and came with his family to have a better future…
00:03:54 …by coming to Holland.
00:03:57 He was a technician with a big firm in Suriname.
00:04:00 But here he only got offered fucking jobs as a cleaner or something
00:04:07 So in the end he had to get money some other way, you see?
00:04:12 In Suriname they call it the hustle.
00:04:15 He had no idea how to go and get money.
00:04:20 Only once it so happened that we had to help out.
00:04:25 Cleaning up a friend’s place.
00:04:27 They thought we were too young to realise what was going on.
00:04:31 But just looking at the wall you saw all the blood on it.
00:04:35 And the carpet was also full of blood.
00:04:40 We all went: my mother, my brothers…
00:04:44 …with buckets and sudsy water to clean up.
00:04:48 Everything covered in blood and stuff.
00:04:54 This is the room where I’ve spent all of my life, really.
00:04:59 My older brother slept over there.
00:05:01 This wall shows the beginning.
00:05:04 This is when I was still innocent.
00:05:08 But it shows where our thought were.
00:05:11 There you see: love of money, liberty, blah, blah, blah.
00:05:15 You pick up that shit.
00:05:18 You see players, the King Pin.
00:05:20 You can gather from all this where our thoughts were.
00:05:27 What does it say on the wall next to the mirror? (filmmaker)
00:05:30 This? (Keylow)
00:05:30 - That message. (filmmaker)
00:05:32 This was for a homie: Rest in Peace. When he was shot dead. (Keylow)
00:05:40 These homies are still alive.
00:05:42 And the ones with a coffin are homies, mates, that are dead.
00:05:49 (Keylow) [reading names out loud]
00:05:53 All dead.
00:05:54 All in violent ways? (filmmaker)
00:05:54 - All through bullets. (Keylow)
00:05:57 I always used to add a line for the men… (Keylow)
00:06:00 …who has dropped out and who is new.
00:06:06 So it’s always a new list. It’s the list of our lot.
00:06:10 The year 2000… He was dead. He was dead, too.
00:06:14 So this is the list of 2002.
00:06:17 That was the situation in 2002.
00:06:21 We have always believed in fighting for what you believe in.
00:06:25 And in the community of… in the foreigners’ community…
00:06:32 …it’s normal that you should have a strap or a weapon to defend yourself.
00:06:37 Could be a strap, could be an axe. Makes no difference.
00:06:42 You always need a weapon.
00:06:44 I remember I always had this one standing in the corner.
00:06:48 Just in case. Maybe I was too young for a strap.
00:06:52 But you needed a defence weapon.
00:06:54 It’s our alternative to ringing the police.
00:07:00 That’s how I see it. I’m not going to ring the police, am I?
00:07:04 [sound of knife chopping]
00:07:06 It costs a lot to eliminate somebody. (Santos)
00:07:09 And if you really want to do it well it really costs a lot
00:07:13 You need a farmer for a friend. One that breeds pigs.
00:07:19 A body…
00:07:21 …is eaten up completely by pigs. Bones and everything.
00:07:26 Except the teeth.
00:07:28 So either you have to go through the shit to find the teeth…
00:07:34 …or you have to knock his teeth out first.
00:07:39 If you don’t feed a pig for a week it’ll eat anything.
00:07:44 If you’ve got ten pigs, a man will be gone in half an hour.
00:07:54 Lots of us have been killed.
00:07:56 One man was buried in Suriname. They never found him again.
00:08:01 A friend of mine was found in his own house with his throat cut.
00:08:06 A cousin was shot in the mouth.
00:08:09 Friend of mine: riddled with shots at the traffic lights.
00:08:15 What are you making?
00:08:17 Chicken.
00:08:19 Green peas.
00:08:21 And potatoes.
00:08:21 - OK. (man)
00:08:24 It’s all good.
00:08:34 [music]
00:09:04 OGBORIGINAL GANGSTA BROWN (caption)
00:09:05 1998-2008; 12 years in prison (caption)
00:09:18 Come with me on Wednesday. That’s all I’m saying.
00:09:21 You know what they did? These were sprayed.
00:09:24 It didn’t stick together.
00:09:27 I can buy this for you. What you see here.
00:09:30 How big are they normally? (Keylow)
00:09:30 - 5 grammes, these are 8. (OGB)
00:09:34 You want to make three, you just chuck them in.
00:09:37 At somebody’s home you go…
00:09:39 You know there are three real ones.
00:09:42 Get it. (Keylow)
00:09:42 - You take one. (OGB)
00:09:43 It smells a bit like coke.
00:09:52 Let’s wait… (Keylow)
00:09:53 …till we get the real coke.
00:09:56 That glock, he shot with the Uzi, didn’t he? (OGB)
00:10:01 But he grabbed the other glock.
00:10:04 He only shot once with it but he didn’t hit him.
00:10:08 He wants to sell it.
00:10:08 - How much? (Keylow)
00:10:10 Don’t know (OGB)
00:10:10 - He can’t ask much. (Keylow)
00:10:12 If he doesn’t ask a lot I’ll take it.
00:10:12 - Look… (OGB)
00:10:15 What he said was: Get rid of the serial number.
00:10:19 You can get rid of it.
00:10:19 - I know the right people. (Keylow)
00:10:25 He says 1500. Too much? (OGB)
00:10:28 Very expensive. Very expensive.
00:10:31 And I’ve still got to get the number out (Keylow)
00:10:34 He says it cost him 2000. (OGB)
00:10:37 He says he has to remove the serial number first.
00:10:41 1000 is OK. (Keylow)
00:10:41 - He says 1000 is OK. (OGB)
00:10:51 1300?
00:10:53 Tell him I’ll let him know. (Keylow)
00:11:01 See you later.
00:11:01 - OK, see you soon. (OGB)
00:11:03 I’ll make these balloons hard for you, OK?
00:11:09 [whistling]
00:11:27 So what are we going to do today? (filmmaker)
00:11:30 We’re going to pick up Main. A homie of ours is released today. (Keylow)
00:11:36 He was inside for the standard shit. Trying to make money.
00:11:42 This is my Visa Card. When we collect mates we need our Visa Card.
00:11:49 In the past we’ve done things that weren’t right.
00:11:52 [phone rings]
00:11:53 So I always like to make sure.
00:11:59 If you’re here as a real criminal it’s no use.
00:12:04 They can’t keep us on the straight path with this bullshit.
00:12:11 He should be coming out here.
00:12:16 He’s not here. Perhaps they will let him out on the other side?
00:12:22 Main is my homie, my ‘road dog’.
00:12:25 He’s my double as they say in Suriname. He’s a real soldier.
00:12:32 He’s the basis of the set.
00:12:34 [gunshot sound]
00:12:34 SET; (noun) subdivision of the Crip movement (caption)
00:12:40 He committed murder and went inside for it.
00:12:43 So he had the necessary respect.
[Main and Keylow greet each other]
00:13:06 Motherfuckers! (Main)
00:13:08 Dirty bastards. (Keylow)
00:13:10 Such a fucking mess in there. (Main)
00:13:13 I’m never going back there.
00:13:15 Not that I never go to prison again, but not in here.
00:13:18 Heavy bag, man. (Keylow)
00:13:22 It was hard, man. (Main)
00:13:23 Main! (Keylow)
00:13:24 MAIN-C (caption)
00:13:25 1994, '187'; 8 years2005, cannabis; 7 months2007, possession of firearms; 18 months (caption)
00:13:30 Main, man. (Keylow)
00:13:30 - Back in the hood. (Main)
00:13:35 Main Triad for life, cuzz! (Main)
00:13:35 - We don’t play this shit, man! (Keylow)
00:13:40 Those fucking guys fuck you up. (Main)
00:13:43 Fuck to you all. 187. (Keylow)
00:13:45 [gunshot sound]
00:13:45 187; (noun)American police code for murder (caption)
00:13:51 That’s why I’m in touch with an organisation. (Main)
00:13:55 They’re going to help me with a course of action.
00:14:01 So that I can take responsibility for my kids, you see.
00:14:07 [car horn beeps]
00:14:08 [siren]
00:14:09 [music]
00:14:15 Back at last.
00:14:24 MAIN-C (caption)
00:14:24 Daddy has his own pigeonhole. Look, he’s got mail. (Main)
00:14:29 I have to check every time if I’ve got mail.
00:14:31 Every day? (child)
00:14:31 - Yes, I can check every day. (Main)
00:14:36 This is a special home for people who have spent time in prison…
00:14:41 …and after prison they can come and live here.
00:14:44 I came here because I want to be a real daddy for you.
00:14:49 So this is where daddy lives now. You understand?
00:14:54 Can you remember, when you were all little…
00:14:59 …I used to say I work in the street. Remember?
00:15:02 No, I don’t. (child)
00:15:02 - I don’t remember. (child)
00:15:04 I remember that you worked in a garage. (child)
00:15:04 - That’s right. (child)
00:15:09 When you were little you always asked: What’s your job, daddy? (Main)
00:15:13 And I said: I work in the street.
00:15:15 You always thought I was a road worker.
00:15:19 [children laugh]
00:15:19 Yes, you really thought so. (Main)
00:15:21 [boy continues laughing]
00:15:28 But really, daddy was not a very nice guy. (Main)
00:15:33 When daddy stopped working in the garage he did things in the street…
00:15:39 …that he wasn’t really supposed to do, says the police.
00:15:43 I’ve never told you that before.
00:15:44 When you were little, daddy wasn’t there.
00:15:48 When he came back, you were five.
00:15:51 Could you sit down quietly, darling?
00:15:55 Daddy doesn’t want to go to prison again so he doesn’t do naughty things now.
00:16:04 Things grown-ups call criminal.
00:16:08 Daddy was a criminal, but doesn’t want to be that now.
00:16:12 So from now on daddy is going to be a real daddy.
00:16:16 Every weekend one of you can come to me here.
00:16:19 I’m going to arrange with mummy that Jenero can come first.
00:16:23 I want to talk to him first because he is not doing well at school.
00:16:28 I want to talk to him, because if you don’t do your best at school…
00:16:33 …you’ll end up just like daddy.
00:16:35 You will also have to work in the street and do criminal things.
00:16:40 Daddy doesn’t want that. That’s why I am trying to explain…
00:16:43 …it’s better to work well at school.
00:16:45 You are not to give the teacher the middle finger, Jenero.
00:16:50 It’s just not done.
00:16:51 If it had been me I would have punished you.
00:16:54 That’s why I want to have you here first.
00:16:57 You don’t want to end up just like daddy, you really don’t.
00:17:00 [music]
00:17:26 Santos is wanted. He’s hiding in one of the set’s houses. He hardly goes out. (caption)
00:17:52 [man talking]
00:17:59 [man talking]
00:18:12 I’m showing it to you people now. (man)
00:18:15 But later it’ll be on my chest.
00:18:20 And then it’s not a game any longer.
00:18:22 This is my first tattoo.
00:18:26 To represent my set, you know.
00:18:28 I’m not putting tribal bullshit on my body.
00:18:32 I’m still unmarked, so in other words this is my first tattoo.
00:18:40 For life. Until the day I die. Know what I mean?
00:18:44 Main Triad, that’s the set.
00:18:47 This means ‘till death’. It means: stay loyal to your homies till the end.
00:18:54 You see? That’s got to be clear and simple.
00:18:58 Otherwise you say: Fuck it, I won’t.
00:19:05 Turn right?
00:19:05 - No, you’re fine. (Keylow)
00:19:13 That’s how we do it, homie! Get the money, man! (Keylow)
00:19:20 Hold this for me. (Keylow)
00:19:20 - Every day, getting paid. (man)
00:19:24 [music]
00:19:33 [they greet the tattoo artists]
00:19:38 Yes, that’s a nice one. (tattoo artist)
00:19:47 He’s been with the set for four, nearly five years. (Keylow)
00:19:52 It’s time he got one step higher up in the game.
00:19:59 I waited patiently for the day it came. (man)
00:20:03 It’s an appointment we made five years ago, and here we are.
00:20:08 You can’t ask for it. You have to deserve it, you see? (Keylow)
00:20:12 Especially the casket… look I’ll show you.
00:20:15 This is a small one.
00:20:17 That’s more or less the logo of the set.
00:20:21 You don’t get that easily. I don’t allow it.
00:20:25 I don’t want fake niggers wearing the family symbol. You must deserve it.
00:21:00 [man talks to camera]
00:21:07 [music]
00:21:45 Are we going to the hood, cuzz? (filmmaker)
00:21:45 - Yes. (Keylow)
00:21:51 I’m going to accept the responsibility for my kids. (Main)
00:21:54 I’m going to help them with whatever they need.
00:22:01 You’re saying you’ll stop banging. (Keylow)
00:22:04 BANGEN; Banging; (verb) (from gangbanging); taking part in gang activities. (caption)
00:22:09 Explain what you mean by that. (Keylow)
00:22:11 Have you really chosen the other side…
00:22:14 …or how do you see that? Tell me how you see it.
00:22:18 It would be a pity because we haven’t even started yet.
00:22:21 It’s only the beginning of everything and I don’t want to exclude you.
00:22:26 A child can never be the reason for you to say you’re quitting. (Keylow)
00:22:31 I just don’t want to do any more banging. (Main)
00:22:35 If I were to hear that Triad really needed a back-up…
00:22:41 …for a murder, that’s what worries me.
00:22:46 But just banging? No.
00:22:48 Jenero and Lashawn want to come and stay with me.
00:22:51 And Lashawn will be shuttling between Cheryl and me, you see.
00:22:56 But Jenero will be with me 24 hours a day.
00:22:59 It’s hard for me to go banging and be a father. That’s my problem.
00:23:04 I want to bang but I can’t.
00:23:07 I’d love to run into a bank and force everybody on the floor.
00:23:13 But I daren’t do it. I am doing this for Jenero.
00:23:20 For my kids.
00:23:22 If someone has to be shot over here, I can’t call on you. (Keylow)
00:23:25 I’ve got enough soldiers to continue our shit, to the fullest.
00:23:29 And anyway, with all respect, you are a weak spot now.
00:23:33 You can’t go on like this. You’ll regret it.
00:23:37 If they want you, MC, they know how to do it.
00:23:46 No worries, cool down.
00:23:55 You OK?
00:23:58 Can’t do two things at once, cuzz. I must take responsibility for my kids. (Main)
00:24:06 It’s a good decision. You’ve taken a manly decision. (Keylow)
00:24:11 You were never a bitch nigger and you’ll never be one.
00:24:14 “Give me time to solve this and I’ll be back,” is what I want to hear.
00:24:20 Because when we’ve finished, what do you think…
00:24:24 That you’ll have to struggle? We’ll have a penthouse for you with everything in it.
00:24:29 [phone beeps]
00:24:29 ----, are you there? (Keylow)
00:24:32 Can’t see you. Oh yes, there you are. (Keylow)
00:24:34 [phone beeps]
00:24:35 (Keylow) [shouts]
00:24:37 That’s what you get. But we’ll talk some more about it. (Keylow)
00:24:45 Tell me. (Keylow)
00:24:46 Don’t want to put pressure on people. (dealer)
00:24:48 No, but I must know…You haven’t told me… (Keylow)
00:24:52 Are those men armed or not? (Keylow)
00:24:52 - No. (dealer)
00:24:55 OK, but I want to know how many there are. So I’m prepared. (Keylow)
00:24:59 You’ve got to arrange it. (Keylow)
00:25:02 It’s not many people. We’re talking 150,000 euros. (Keylow)
00:25:07 It’s 9,000 per kilo? (Keylow)
00:25:11 No, we sell at 11,000 per kilogram. (dealer)
00:25:14 You know how much money that is? For 22kg, you said. (Keylow)
00:25:18 No, it’s 27 now… (dealer)
00:25:23 …and in the end it’ll be 23 kilos clean, good stuff. (dealer)
00:25:29 23 times 11 is… (dealer)
00:25:34 23 times 11 is… (Keylow)
00:25:38 Have you worked it out? It’s 200, 000. (Keylow)
00:25:42 I’ve always… wanted to have brothers. (Main)
00:25:47 And now I’ve got brothers and now I’m…
00:25:52 But I must take the decision…
00:25:55 …to distance myself from my brothers.
00:25:58 And every evening I think back to…
00:26:02 …what it was like to go and do stuff with Keylow…
00:26:09 More than 200,000. (dealer)
00:26:10 That’s what I’m saying. Look, you’re my friend. (Keylow)
00:26:16 It’s a choice. What do I do for 200,000? Go ‘bang bang’ and take the stuff. (dealer)
00:26:24 We’re going to find out today… I’ve bought a nice little load. (Keylow)
00:26:28 We’ll just see how it’s going. I’ll just check.
00:26:32 And we’re going to see how things stand.
00:26:36 [man talking]
00:26:38 It’s OK. (Keylow)
00:26:44 What’s the street value of this? (Keylow)
00:26:49 Estimated. (Keylow)
00:26:49 - Estimated? 40, 50. (man)
00:26:51 Fifty thousand. (filmmaker)
00:26:51 - Which fell off the back of a lorry? (filmmaker)
00:26:56 Something like that. That’s what the Dutch would say. (Keylow)
00:27:01 We just call it trade. (Keylow)
00:27:03 [Keylow and man talking]
00:27:08 You’ve got to go down. (Main)
00:27:10 (Main) [singing]
00:27:14 Hold on… hold on.
00:27:18 Once more, pull yourself up.
00:27:21 Come on, pull! I won’t drop you.
00:27:25 OK, love.
00:27:28 My cousin, I saw him as my little brother.
00:27:35 He’d been bashed up and he came to me for help. (Main)
00:27:39 At that time, anyone who hurt my family, had a problem.
00:27:45 I told the guy who did it not to touch him again or he’d have a problem.
00:27:50 He said it was all talk on my part...
00:27:54 …and blah blah blah, and that he would shoot at me.
00:27:59 I got angry and lashed out at him.
00:28:03 He said he’d call his father.
00:28:05 “Call your father,” I said. I knew it was going to escalate.
00:28:12 I then possessed a shotgun and a 12mm.
00:28:16 I’d put the 12mm in my pocket…
00:28:19 …and the shotgun…
00:28:24 …I’d put it behind the front door.
00:28:28 (Main) [laughing]
00:28:32 Go to daddy. (child)
00:28:34 The moment I got out of the door they came towards me, five men. (Main)
00:28:40 The father tried to stub out a cigarette in my face.
00:28:44 I pushed his hand away.
00:28:45 The moment I touched his hand they started hitting me.
00:28:52 I got the chance to work my way inside…
00:28:56 …I got the shot gun, cocked it…
00:29:00 …and as soon as they heard the sound, glock glock, they started running.
00:29:08 Somehow I followed the older man.
00:29:13 Because of the way he tried to push his cigarette into my face.
00:29:20 Kept running after him…
00:29:22 …kept shooting at and one point he slipped.
00:29:29 He stayed on the ground and I shot all my remaining bullets at him.
00:29:36 [gunshot sound]
00:29:38 (Main) [talking to child]
00:29:44 [music]
00:29:46 That’s when I met Keylow. Since then we’re very close.
00:29:50 [bell ringing]
00:29:50 If I’d gone inside like a bitch I wouldn’t have got to know Keylow, I think.
00:29:57 [birds singing]
00:30:11 [boom]
00:31:09 Yeah… I ehm… (Santos)
00:31:14 I’m going on a mission and I’ll either see them next week or not.
00:31:19 But in any case…
00:31:24 …it’s serious. And that’s what I do, you see.
00:32:02 With every mission you put your life at risk, don’t you?
00:32:06 It doesn’t come automatically. You’ve got to fetch it. Anything may go wrong.
00:32:11 But let’s hope everything goes all right.
00:32:15 And then I’ve got some cash to keep me going for a while.
00:33:06 Being a gangster is round the clock work. You eat it, live it, sleep it.
00:33:11 Everything, everything you do should be focused on your set.
00:33:15 Your family.
00:33:17 And if it includes stealing, robbing and killing, then that’s it.
00:33:49 Main tries hard to fit in, moving from one job to the next. He sees his children as often as he can. (caption)
00:34:04 Hey, everything OK? (Santos)
00:34:14 I started straight away. (Keylow)
00:34:14 - It’s got to be cleaned. (Santos)
00:34:21 (Keylow) [laughing]
00:34:23 The money’s in the bank. (Keylow)
00:34:30 That’s how we do it. It’s quick.
00:34:56 This year I’ll be going to Suriname for good. (Santos)
00:35:01 I’ll start a café, a small restaurant.
00:35:05 Perhaps a call centre.
00:35:08 Some nice relaxed job maybe.
00:35:11 Something I can earn enough money with so I don’t have to steal.
00:35:17 You know what I mean?
00:35:19 So I can spend some more time with my daughter.
00:35:22 And try to protect her from things that happened to me when I was small.
00:35:35 [music]
00:36:08 Look, I’m going to see Keylow soon… (Main)
00:36:12 …and he’s going to question me.
00:36:16 I have to tell him, and I have to talk about it twice. Very difficult.
00:36:30 I’ll tell you… My daughter had a very bad accident.
00:36:34 And she didn’t recover.
00:36:38 But it feels good to be back.
00:36:41 In the sense that I’m once more going to do what I’m good at.
00:36:48 What I feel good with.
00:36:53 I love my kids. I tried to do something that wasn’t on the cards for me yet.
00:36:58 Maybe it will one day.
00:37:01 But… I wasn’t happy.
00:37:04 I mean, I had to work with people I had no warm feelings for.
00:37:13 Coffee breaks. Smoking breaks. Having to listen to their bullshit.
00:37:18 First they tell you how nasty Kees is and 10 minutes later they’re laughing with him.
00:37:25 That’s not my thing.
00:37:40 [Main and Keylow greet each other]
00:37:56 How are things? I missed you all. (Main)
00:38:00 (Keylow) [low speech]
00:38:04 Her mother got her ready to go to school. (Main)
00:38:09 She wanted a different belt. The other one was too large.
00:38:14 She went to the kitchen and got a knife.
00:38:17 She’d tried to make a hole in the belt with the knife.
00:38:20 She thought she could do it quickly, not knowing the leather was so tough.
00:38:27 She stabbed the leather belt she wore and then the knife slipped.
00:38:34 Not in her knee, not in her thigh, but in her groin.
00:38:39 She stabbed the knife into her groin.
00:38:42 Within seconds all the blood was drained.
00:38:46 How is she now? (Keylow)
00:38:52 Fucked up. Really fucked up. (Main)
00:38:56 In medical terms she is in a vegetative state.
00:39:02 She’s got serious brain damage and will never get out of it.
00:39:05 The damage is in the very centre of the brain.
00:39:10 When I saw her I wanted to release her from her suffering.
00:39:14 That’s my problem. That was on my mind.
00:39:18 But I got over that. And now I’m back.
00:39:22 I’m glad you’re back. (Keylow)
00:39:24 I am fully active again, I am back. (Main)
00:39:28 Fuck everything, fuck the lot, fuck everybody.
00:39:33 The week before, I texted her. “I’ve got a house.”
00:39:41 So I could come and fetch her.
00:39:44 And get to know her better.
00:39:49 But it won’t be possible. Never again.
00:39:52 I don’t know what to say. All I can say is: fuck everything. (Keylow)
00:39:58 You can be angry, you can be furious, but what to be angry with? What can we do? (Keylow)
00:40:03 I would feel like hurting everybody. (Keylow)
00:40:03 - I’m going to hurt somebody. (Main)
00:40:09 I’m a time bomb, really. (Main)
00:40:12 It’s shit. Real heavy shit.
00:40:18 (Main) [crying]
00:40:51 Keylow receives a letter from Main C (caption)
00:41:00 Everything was ready. Everything planned to perfection. (voiceover)
00:41:04 Time to go.
00:41:06 Alcohol test.
00:41:07 When we were stopped for the check, I knew it was over.
00:41:11 We were handcuffed. I was not nervous or frightened.
00:41:14 I was relieved. I couldn’t believe it.
00:41:19 I can’t wait till he gets back and can go on the job again. (Keylow)
00:41:23 The system doesn’t work, not one fucking bit.
00:41:27 They keep locking niggers up…
00:41:29 …but they get worse, like animals, worse than they were before.
00:41:51 [men greeting each other]
00:42:05 It’s a combination of what they found and how they found it. (lawyer)
00:42:10 He was in a car with another youngster…
00:42:13 …and he was wearing a balaclava.
00:42:16 There was a weapon in the car, a stun gun…
00:42:21 …some tie wraps and a route description.
00:42:24 Sorry? (man)
00:42:24 - And a route description. (lawyer)
00:42:28 The prosecutor will say… (lawyer)
00:42:28 Preparation. (man)
00:42:31 Preparation for burglary or theft. (lawyer)
00:42:34 That’s not how you go out for a cup of coffee. (lawyer)
00:42:37 The law says that not only burglary and theft are punishable…
00:42:42 …but also the attempt in itself.
00:42:45 Acts of preparation are also punishable.
00:42:49 Having things with you that you use to commit a crime.
00:42:55 Please rise, all rise! (man)
00:43:01 MAIN-C (caption)
00:43:10 You don’t have to answer the questions. (judge)
00:43:15 But you may. Be very alert.
00:43:18 You are here as the suspect in a criminal case.
00:43:24 The prosecutor will now tell you what the charge is.
00:43:31 --- is accused of five offences. (prosecutor)
00:43:39 …you were prepared to commit an act of burglary or theft with violence…
00:43:43 …or blackmail or unlawful deprivation of liberty…
00:43:46 …in a stolen car with stolen number plates.
00:43:50 You had in your possession to prepare for the crime:
00:43:53 A fire arm, a cartridge with 14 bullets in it…
00:43:57 …a stun gun, two balaclavas, two pair of handcuffs, tie wraps…
00:44:03 …a roll of duct tape, a hair net, two panty hoses, a pair of gloves.
00:44:09 Can you tell us about your personal circumstances? (lawyer’s voice)
00:44:12 I was in a re-integration project offered by the Social Service… (defence lawyer’s voice)
00:44:17 …and things have happened in my life…
00:44:21 …that caused me to end up in a downward spiral.
00:44:24 Now I am here and I know I have to work on my inner peace.
00:44:28 God made sure I was caught in a road block.
00:44:34 I am going to hear from you how long I can work my inner peace.
00:44:37 I haven’t found my inner peace yet.
00:44:41 When I’ve finished with this period perhaps I’ll get the chance to start anew.
00:44:48 If the panty hoses hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t been wearing a balaclava… (lawyer)
00:44:55 …he might have got away with it.
00:44:59 But it was all a bit too obvious.
00:45:02 In two weeks’ time, we’ll know.
00:45:04 I know he hasn’t stolen the stuff. I’ve given them to him. (Keylow)
00:45:08 [man laughs]
00:45:09 Power. See you. (man)
00:45:13 It’s not too bad. (man)
00:45:13 - Twenty months isn’t too bad. (man)
00:45:14 [phone rings]
00:45:16 Yeah, twenty is not too bad. (Keylow)
00:45:17 Deduct three months, is 17, and deduct a little extra. (man)
00:45:22 Less the period in pre-trial detention (Keylow)
00:45:25 So how many months is that? (filmmaker)
00:45:26 14 months, deduct one third… (Keylow)
00:45:30 I think it will be 11 months altogether. We call that a summer holiday.
00:45:48 Listen, I need a car, Keylow. (Santos)
00:45:50 Just for a few days. I’m going to…
00:45:54 We’ll talk later. (Keylow)
00:45:58 In Amsterdam I know this woman… (Santos)
00:46:02 …and it’s safe there. I can get at it if I want to.
00:46:06 But that’s not the point. The point is that I need a kilo of hash.
00:46:12 I’ll send it to Suriname in a box.
00:46:15 Then I’ll have some money when I get there.
00:46:19 Good heroin is also OK.
00:46:19 - I’ve got that for you, too. (Keylow)
00:46:23 But we don’t want to work separately. That’s not the way I work with people.
00:46:28 We’ve done some jobs here and business is doing well…
00:46:31 …but I want to know…
00:46:33 You’re talking about a woman, but you should stay with homies, not people.
00:46:38 With your mates, you see.
00:46:41 It may be a nice plan, but I’m not impressed.
00:46:46 I’m happy for you, and you’re welcome to it…
00:46:51 …but I tell you I can’t see where we stand. Or the set. It’s nothing to do with us.
00:46:59 Now you tell me the stuff is with that woman…
00:47:03 …like when you left a gun with that Hindustani. That’s wrong.
00:47:07 You should stick with your homies. I don’t want to accuse you or anything…
00:47:12 …but you mustn’t work behind our backs Use our existing contacts.
00:47:17 No new people. You’ve got the set.
00:47:19 I’ll give you our contact, but don’t work without us.
00:47:22 I know a highly-placed guy at Schiphol airport.
00:47:27 He can pick up the stuff but I don’t even want to do that shit.
00:47:31 If we get somebody who’s trustworthy…
00:47:35 …he’s got to put it on the plane.
00:47:38 Listen, we’ve got the MPs there. (Santos)
00:47:43 Military Police. So we’ve got no problems in Suriname. Only here.
00:47:47 No problems, here. I have a whole team that can take it. (Keylow)
00:47:50 100%.
00:47:52 And you’re my brother.
00:47:54 Don’t worry, we can do it together. It’s a 100% certain.
00:47:58 Do you know when we’ll do it?
00:48:00 Tomorrow, right?
00:48:02 [tap running]
00:48:05 I said what I had to say. It’s up to him what he does with it. (Keylow voiceover)
00:48:08 I haven’t heard any more about it but he knows how it works.
00:48:13 If you can’t answer me… You either answer me or you stay away.
00:48:21 Like Santos now. I don’t know where he is and I’m not going to find out.
00:48:26 He has a few things he deals with and so he deals with them.
00:48:30 I just hope he does it in a clever way.
00:48:32 And that he thinks of the set, because if he doesn’t…
00:48:37 …he will fall back to another position, but he knows that.
00:48:42 What kind of position? (filmmaker)
00:48:44 The position of bitch nigger. The last thing you want. (Keylow)
00:48:48 If you are branded as a bitch nigger anything may happen to you.
00:48:51 Then nobody guarantees what people may do.
00:48:54 I’m not saying I’ll do it or who will do it, but we won’t protect him any longer.
00:49:00 Standard.
00:49:02 [sound of gun safety catch release]
00:49:04 [running water]
00:49:12 [music]
00:49:34 To date, Santos has not been seen… (caption)
00:49:47 New member, 14 years old.
00:49:48 New member, 13 years old.
00:50:06 [sounds of chess pieces hitting board]
00:50:14 [end credits music]
00:50:16 DirectorsJoost van der ValkMags GavanProducersPieter van Huystee Film RevolverCameraMarco Nauta: DigibetaJoost van der Valk: DvcamSoundMags GavanAd GrootorsTom HonkooTon HoogdRoderick HieibrinkErik Look, Joroon LonoEdwin de KosterMontagePatrick JanssensResearchRobby RoksSaul van StapalaSound design and mixingWiebe de BoerNaurits OverdulveOnlineRobin HancockColourJoppo@deBrotTranscriptionClaire van den CadeTara KosilcWendy van WilgenburgPublcityCurien KroonArt DirectionScale to FitPhotographyCarli HermesAccountsDiana de JongeBarbara BrouwerAssistant producersMirjam BalRosan BoersmaExecutive ProducersSylvia BaanAnnemiek van der HellBNN EditorsMaarten van DijkHans SchwartzDistributionJourneyman Pictures52’ Reversion by Journeyman PicturesProducer – Emma SimpsonEditor – Simon CowellWith Thanks To:All Eastside 200s Neighbourhood Crips for their cooperation and hospitalityKeylowLTCConeB LoccBig Mell Rip C HawkKrazeBlue DiamondBlu RainC DevilYung Active CuzzTiny CripC CanibalPooc LocDubb OoBrooOCBC Locc (rip)Chollo (rip)big Row (rip)big Og Dolf (rip)Tray Belly (rip)Big JaykeJay LcT Rex (Santos)PookieYung QueB Cra C CullitMain CG MillQuinn LocCra C ChiccenBarceyDough SaccBaby BluOCTiny CJTiny Kev MacTiny RidahTiny blu RaggNarcusRaw DawgGanxshah AceSin LoccJ Browne (rip)Chill (rip)big Earl (rip)O.T (rip)big Chenk (rip)_C6ixx PaccMike LoccLB TrayHigh QShort EThis film was produced with the support of the Dutch Film Fund Rotterdam Media Funds and CoBo FundsPieter Van Huystee Film & TVRevolver Media ProductionsBNNCoBoRotterdam Media FundsCinema Delicatessen (end credits)