A thriller with a dark sense of humour - a professional hitman had to do a job on his birthday so he leaves his perfect wife and daughters home to prepare for that night's dinner party except the day didn't exactly go as planned. The film is nicely shot and well paced; written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, the narrative twists and turns but flows naturally without too many contrivances. Fun and fluffy, but also a much needed tonic amongst a festival of more serious films.

Hitman movies are inherently dark comedies. This is no exception. Warmerdam's direction and pacing keep you on edge. You never know if there is a laugh or a bullet around the corner. Beautifully shot, it's easy on the eyes too!

Got to see Schneider vs. Bax at Amsterdam's Eye Film Institute. Instead of another cliché hit man movie, this is a fun drama, with enough action to keep the entertainment feeling driven. I can't articulate what made the script, directing, etc. so good, so I'l;l; just say that for me it was an excellent combination of indy and entertainment: art, emotion, and fun.

Alex van Warmerdam knows how to play with your expectations with lots of acid humor and a tone that takes you by surprise, making good use of the cliches in the genre. [Full review in Spanish]

The film is so funny, so dark, so tightly wound, and its level of craftsmanship so high, that it draws no line between entertainment and substance.

Once again, Warmerdam succeeds in creating a perfect, absurd mix of very realistic action and very unrealistic sequences of cause-and-effect, the accumulation of which fuels the plot.

The film is too busy getting tangled in its plot to throw any proper emotional punches or hit home with themes of bad parenting and dangers beyond closed doors. But it's not lacking in entertainment, that's for sure.

Schneider vs. Bax is one of those violent, twisty comedies whose slick telling (smooth pans, subtle tracks, surgical cuts) offsets the nonsensical premise.