Compared to previous installments, the latest chapter in the Ferry franchise, Ferry 2, which brings the journey of the titular kingpin to a fitting end, is pretty self-contained, reflective, and of smaller scale. The major reason being the Ferry movie and series highlighted the grand rise of Ferry Bouman, while the original Undercover series, and now Ferry 2 charts his miserable downfall—the beginning brought growth and new people into Ferry’s life, whereas his decline in power, losing people close to him, marked his downfall. The final arc of Ferry’s journey has him untangling family ties, and despite having a pretty limited number of core characters in the movie, the personal connections make for an intriguing storyline. Additionally, as the ending of the movie hints, there are strong chances that the franchise will move towards a new direction, and to navigate that, Ferry’s familial connection will act as a pivot.
Ferry Bouman Played By Frank Lammers
Dutch actor Frank Lammers has acted in a number of small-screen and silver-screen ventures throughout his three-decade-long career and has played the lead role in the much-acclaimed Dutch biographical movie Admiral, based on the life of Michiel De Ruyter. Frank Lammers found international recognition for his role in Netflix’s crime series, Undercover, where he played the role of shrewd kingpin Ferry Bouman, a role he has since reprised in both the Ferry solo movie and TV series and now in Ferry 2 as well. Franchise viewers have witnessed Ferry’s journey through different phases of his life, which is why seeing a once-dreaded crime boss having to dress up as Santa to pay the bills in the later phase of his life feels tragic, yet it seems poetic justice has been served. In his desperation to have it all, Ferry ended up losing what was most important to him—his family and people he cared about. Claudia, Sonja, and Danielle, one by one, Ferry has lost everyone, and no matter how much he tries to project his guilt on Dennis, whose betrayal landed him in prison, Ferry himself was his biggest enemy.
Mostly due to his repressed sense of guilt and wish to reconcile with a family that has left behind, Ferry agrees to help his grandniece, Jezebel, when she ends up in deep water by following in Ferry’s footsteps. Ferry had a responsibility towards Jezebel; in the absence of her parents, he should have been there for her. Especially because he was responsible for the death of her father, Jurgen. Ferry failed Jezebel big time, and as a result, lacking direction, she got entangled in the heinous drug trade. Although how much of a good influence Ferry could have proven to be anyway remains in question. Fortunately for Ferry, he was able to connect with Jezebel as their worldviews appeared to be quite alike, and in her greed and reckless nature, Ferry was able to recognize echoes of his past self. That’s why he tries to warn Jezebel time and again, as he fears she too will end up like him.
However, it would not have been fair if Ferry had gotten a happy ending; he didn’t really deserve to have a strong familial bond with Jezebel—given his past actions were the reason for her ending up an orphan. After the truth about Jurgen’s death is revealed by Dennis, Ferry appears most vulnerable he’s ever been, and Frank Lammers was brilliant in capturing the broken, remorseful side of Ferry. The chance to make amends with his grandniece was the only semblance of happiness Ferry had in his life, which was snatched away as his past caught up to him. It would be a grossly wrong assessment to consider that while sacrificing his life to save Jezebel, Ferry was able to somewhat redeem himself. But the least I can say is that he died in peace knowing he did at least one thing right in life, and was there for her when it mattered the most. I don’t think after going through his entire life story through multiple installments, there is any need for another venture focusing on Ferry Bouman. His journey ended in the best way it could have, and opened up a way for continuation as well.
Jezebel Van Kamp Played by Aiko Beemsterboer
Young Dutch actor Aiko Beemsterboer came into prominence after playing the lead role of Anne Frank in My Best Friend Anne Frank and has since acted in a number of features and TV series. In Ferry 2, she played the role of Jezebel Van Kamp, Ferry’s grandniece, a street-smart, free-spirited, sharp-witted girl who isn’t afraid to put herself in harm’s way for the sake of getting what she wants. Jezebel actually takes after her granduncle in a number of ways, given how reckless and emotion-driven she appears to be at times. Jezebel goes through quite a personal journey in Ferry 2, as both guardian figures in her life, Ferry and Dennis, are revealed to have betrayed her trust. Even though Jezebel appears to have strong feelings for her boyfriend, Jeremy, it is unlikely that she will be able to trust anyone anytime soon.
Now that Ferry’s journey has ended, it’s hinted Jezebel will be carrying his legacy forth in the future. By the end, it seems she hasn’t learned from Ferry’s predicament, as after all is said and done, she continues to seek her fortune in the drug trade. It will be really interesting to see whether her journey ends similar to that of her granduncle’s, with heartbreak and loneliness, or she makes the right choice to move her life in the right direction.
Lex van Dun Played By Jonas Smulders
Dutch actor Jonas Smulders has portrayed quite a good number of diversified roles on both the silver screen and the small screen, and in this movie he played the part of psychotic drug lord Lex van Dun. As the prime antagonist of the movie, he was quite impactful, to say the least, even though his characterization was quite generic.
Dennis de Vries Played By Huub Smit
In Ferry 2, Dutch actor Huub Smit reprised his role as Dennis de Vries, Ferry’s close associate from Undercover, who decided to betray Ferry after seeing his true face. His role in Ferry 2 mostly serves to heighten the emotional crisis and propel both Ferry and Jezebel’s character arcs towards a tense final confrontation. The bond of trust Jezebel shared with him wasn’t really explored, it could have made the narrative even more intriguing otherwise if it was.
Miscellaneous Characters
The supporting cast of Ferry 2 is decent in the sense that they got the job done despite not having much importance in the script. Actor Charlie Chan Dagelet played the role of hitwoman Xia, while the character of Jeremy—Jezebel’s love interest—was played by Tobias Kersloot. Marouane Mefta played the role of Steve, one of Jezebel’s drug trade associates, and Hamza Othman played Dino, Steve’s partner in crime.
