Dutch (2021)

(On TV, November 2022) Here’s the paradox: By the standards of theatrically released movies (which it was), Dutch is not a good movie. But by the standards of BET movies (in which lineup it fits without a hitch), Dutch is a better-than-average effort. Quess which lens I’m going to use? Once again reprising a dispiriting cocktail of crime apologia, macho thug figures and putatively competent women under their influences, Dutch follows the adventures of a New Jersey crime lord who gets arrested for the bombing of a police station, at which point he meets (and apparently hypnotizes) the lawyer who’s the viewpoint character of much of the story. Or at least she may have been at some point in earlier drafts, because the finished film goes crazy with flashbacks and gratuitous complications that don’t always lead anywhere. But some things do work—the film being firmly on the side of its criminal protagonist, Lance Gross gets a few moments to shine here, and the pacing of the plot makes it feel as if not much time is wasted even if it’s nonsense all along the way. It’s easy to watch the film almost solely for Iyana Halley, even if she’s surrounded by plenty of other attractive actresses. Director Preston A. Whitmore II doesn’t succeed as clearly, though: The story is jumbled, the editing is slapdash, the low-budget of the production shows clearly and even the stylistic flourishes seem familiar. Even despite being familiar with BET’s house style, I’m still bothered by the film’s overt promotion of the criminal lifestyle—but that too seems to be a trademark from writer/director Whitmore. At least Dutch is better than True to the Game.