AllMovie

This Dutch crime thriller is based on a novel by popular detective writer Janwillem van de Wettering and follows the investigations of a pair of thoughtful and extremely cynical police detectives: middle-aged Grijpstra, who has serious marital difficulties, and the younger and more handsome De Gier, a bachelor who is extremely successful with the ladies, which is about the only bright point in a life full of disappointments. The two men are best friends and jazz musicians, who sometimes relieve tension by holding impromptu jam sessions. Despite their willingness to turn a blind eye to minor (and some not so minor) infractions of the law in order to keep their part of Amsterdam peaceful, they are forced to take action when murder threatens the status quo. Along the way they put an end to the careers of several bad cops and two Chinese drug gangs. They are assisted in their inquiries by the Commissaris, their enigmatic, arthritic and Buddha-like superior who runs interference between them and headquarters when he is not doing some undercover work on his own.