The film Black Lotus, starring Rico Verhoeven, receives scathing reviews in the major Dutch newspapers. Still, that didn’t stop visitors from watching the film. In the Pathé cinema in Tilburg Stappegoor, people came out enthusiastically on Thursday. “I really think this role fits Rico well and he does it well,” says one woman.
In Black Lotus, Rico plays an ex-commando. When his best friend dies on a mission, he does everything he can to take care of his wife and daughter. The movie doesn’t get very good reviews. ‘Too many boring dialogues, too little action’, was the headline in de Volkskrant. The AD called Black Lotus a disposable action film and according to De Telegraaf, Rico Verhoeven makes his debut in a rattling kit. In Tilburg, the reactions on Thursday were a lot more positive.
“I’m not here to look at his body.”
Two women attended the morning performance. “I don’t come here to look at Rico Verhoeven’s body, but at the film. And I like it, just like Rico,” says one of the two. “I don’t find it a problem that Black Lotus is spoken in English, because the Dutch accent is hardly there. I know American films where the English is worse.”
They think Rico did well to immediately take on a leading role. “With a supporting role in a larger production, he can show too little of himself. He is now putting himself on the map,” the women say. The compliment will do the kickboxing champion from Halsteren good. On Wednesday morning he gave in the radio program WAKKER! on Omroep Brabant that he is more nervous about the reactions to his film debut than a kickboxing match.
“He didn’t act made or forced.”
Ans from Oisterwijk was also positive. “Rico was really good and portrayed his character believably. It didn’t come across as made or forced.” However, Ans is not without criticism. “The beginning was difficult because the story was not completely clear. The characters and their connections were not introduced well. But when the action started, I thought it was a rock solid film.”
“I thought that kickboxer can’t do anything, but he was pretty good.”
Friends Guus, Jing and Jelte were also positive. “Rico is a very good kickboxer, but I thought he really can’t act. Only that wasn’t too bad. Especially in the action scenes, he is really top level.” Guus was less pleased with the dark edge of the character that Rico plays. “You know Rico as a very nice guy from TV and social media and when he said something really cool, I had to laugh.”
Jelte thinks that Rico should stick to the action movies. “I don’t see him fitting into a romantic comedy any time soon.” Action heroes such as Jean Claude van Damme and Sylvester Stallone are already quite old and Guus thinks that Rico can be a great successor. “He will still have to work hard on his acting, but I can see that happening.”
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