The Almost Cops finale was about Ramon and Jack avenging Kevin by bringing those responsible for his death—Guido, Lizzy, Richard, and Juan—to justice. On a less-than-pleasant night in Rotterdam, CID detectives Kevin and Jack were staking out a shipping yard for signs of illicit activity. They came across a group of youths stealing some goods, which turned out to be 100 kilos of drugs. As they left the site with the confiscated material in a police van, a group of masked vandals drove into them, stole the drugs, killed Kevin, and left Jack alive.
Since Jack's career was already in the ditch due to his impulsive behavior, this incident earned him a demotion, handed to him personally by his boss, Daphne. He went from being a CID detective to a Community Service Officer (CSO). Coincidentally, the team he was assigned to was also where Kevin's half-brother, Ramon, worked. Ramón was already distraught over Kevin's death, but Jack's dogged determination to catch those responsible for his murder unleashed a beast within Ramón that even he didn't know existed. However, as they drew closer to their goal, the new bond between Ramón and Jack also reached a tipping point.
Director: Gonzalo Fernandez Carmona
Writers: Kenneth Asporaat, Michel Bonset, Murth Mossel
Stars: Jandino Asporaat, Werner Kolf, Florence Vos Weeda
Ramón and Jack's investigation led them to Smits, who was involved in drug trafficking with a Polish gang, and they assumed he had ordered Kevin's murder. While the drug raid was successful and Smits was arrested for his crimes, Ramón and Jack were shocked to discover Kevin was in his employ. So, although Smits may have been responsible for many crimes, he claimed not to have killed Kevin. Ramón and Jack assumed they would have time to process this information by retreating to the space Ramón was converting into a juvenile rehabilitation center.
However, that building was bombed, further traumatizing them. The terrorists escaped, but Ramón activated the OSC network and tracked them to Jack's former workplace. Jack was convinced that his boss, Daphne, was the mastermind of an illegal operation that resulted in Kevin's death. Well, the truth was, Daphne wasn't doing anything illegal, but she was ignorant enough not to realize that three of her officers, Guido, Lizzy, and Juan, were trafficking drugs. The trio kidnapped Ramón and Jack with the intention of killing them because they were too close to ripping off the masks of these corrupt officers. And as they transported them to death's door, Guido and Juan shed more light on Kevin's involvement in this whole drug trade.
Apparently, Kevin used to work with Guido, Lizzy, and Juan. But he suddenly decided to betray them and put an end to a practice that was corrupting Rotterdam from within. But the thing about the criminal world is that it's very easy to get in and almost impossible to get out. I assumed Guido would reveal that Kevin wasn't corrupt, thus easing Ramón and Jack's pain a little, but they just persisted. Sure, they could take solace in Kevin trying to right his wrongs, but what would that have been compared to the lives he'd ruined dealing drugs while in law enforcement? Not much, in my opinion.
Anyway, when he and Jack busted their last drug shipment, these corrupt officers ambushed them and killed Kevin. What was the point of letting Jack live? Well, first, he wasn't the one betraying them, and second, I think they hoped that after witnessing the death of a colleague, Jack's thirst for justice would evaporate and he'd distance himself from anything drug-related. Well, that plan, evidently, failed, as Jack became even more determined to clean up his city. So, they had to kill him this time, along with his new partner because, firstly, Ramón had seen their faces, and secondly, if Guido killed Kevin and Jack, he knew that Ramón would stop at nothing to put him six feet under.
Now, like rubbing chili flakes on an open wound, before killing them, Guido revealed to Ramón that Jack was with Kevin when he was killed. Since Jack had kept this from Ramón all this time, he felt betrayed, in addition to the pain he felt after learning of the circumstances under which his half-brother had perished. I believe Guido did this because he hoped Jack's "betrayal" would further weaken Ramón, thus preventing him from putting up a fight before his execution. Again, just the opposite happened: Ramón broke free and attacked the trio. Juan and Lizzy were caught, but Jack allowed Guido to escape.
I'm not sure, but I assume Jack did this because he wanted to track him down and find the person allowing these corrupt officers to act with absolute immunity. That plan failed when Ramón had the epiphany that Richard was the mastermind (which was true), prompting him to head to the van der Vloed Tower. Since Ramón had broken up with Jack for keeping him in the shadows, he went there alone and was captured by Richard's guards. By then, Jack had learned his lesson and knew not to play the hero and wade into murky waters alone. Teamwork makes dreams work. So he called in a few favors.
Moussa, Youssef, and the rest of their gang used to engage in petty crimes on behalf of Yasmina and Snoopy. They were the ones who arrived at the shipyard to smuggle drugs into the city, and while Moussa and Youssef were being captured, the gang stole Jack and Kevin's surveillance vehicle. Because Jack and Ramón had taught them to live righteously, when the former called them to help him save Ramón, they responded. Furthermore, the police officers who worked at the station where Jack and Ramón worked (Dilan, Bruno, Shakir, Brenda, Charly, and Janet) liked him very much.
So when Jack asked them to catch Richard's guards, provoked by Moussa and Youssef, they sprang into action. Jack took advantage of this chaos to reach Ramón and free him. However, Ramón wasn't willing to accept Jack's help because he hadn't apologized for lying to him about being with Kevin when he was murdered. Jack was a selfish man who prided himself on his machismo. However, during his brief time as a police officer, he saw how that could negatively affect a docile and empathetic person like Ramón. So he decided to put his pride aside and apologized to Ramón for lying to him. And Ramón was so sweet that that apology was enough for him to forgive Jack and proceed with those who took Kevin's life.
In the finale of Almost Cops, yes, it is revealed that Richard, Smits, Yasmin, and Guido were in cahoots. Well, technically speaking, everyone was under Richard's thumb, as he was the biggest businessman in Rotterdam. I guess everyone was free to traffic drugs however they wanted, as long as Richard kept getting his cut. But due to Jack and Ramon's shenanigans, his business suffered, which caused tension between the factions. Coincidentally, when Ramon decided to go up to the Van der Vloed Tower, everyone was chatting right there. Therefore, when Jack also showed up, it gave the CSOs the perfect opportunity to take down the biggest drug nexus.
However, while Yasmin left the building relatively unharmed, Smits was stabbed by Guido because he wanted to frame Richard for that murder unless he stepped up his role in the affair. Guido's plan didn't quite work out because Jack and Ramon cornered him. Richard promised him that if he took care of those two officers, he would get whatever he wanted. Apparently, this motivated Guido to put up a brutal fight against Jack and Ramón. However, in the end, Ramón overpowered him and nearly threw him off the tower. Since Ramón was a good guy, he tried to help Guido up. For some reason, Guido snatched the necklace, which belonged to his father, causing Ramón to shudder and causing Guido to fall down dead.
I've thought a lot about the significance of this moment, and this is the conclusion I came to. Ramón's father was a decorated police officer who died trying to stop robbers. As he took his last breath, he gave his necklace to Ramón, who kept it with him at all times. And after a while, I think that piece of jewelry began to weigh him down instead of allowing him to carry on his father's legacy. Therefore, Guido unintentionally relieved Ramón of that pressure and helped him realize that he had made his father proud. That's how I see it.
During the final moments of the film, Richard was arrested. I think Yasmin escaped, so if Almost Cops 2 is in the cards, I expect it will appear. The building that Guido and his group bombed was repaired, and Ramón was able to name it after his father and make it welcoming enough that the kids wouldn't get hooked on the drug trade. Ramon and Jack were given the opportunity to join CID, but they decided to stay on as CSOs because they appreciated the people on their team, and I believe that, as CSOs, they had a more direct impact on the juvenile delinquency, pollution, traffic violations, and drug dealing occurring on the streets. The corruption of Guido, Lizzy, Juan, and Kevin showed that the higher up you went, the more susceptible you were to forget why you entered law enforcement in the first place. Therefore, Ramon and Jack decided to be vigilant and ensure their positive influence reached those who needed it.
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