Hoener Met Die Rooi Skoene

Starring:  Liz Meiring, Louw Venter, Deon Lotz
Year:  2017
Running time: 105 minutes

I watched HMDRS for the first time last night, despite some less-than-favourable reviews and a 1.5 star rating on IMDB.  It is a reboot of the 1974 Afrikaans film Babbelkous that is described as a “thriller comedy that will make your toes curl”.  There are also elements of the murder mystery genre, a whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the end of the film. 

The film opens with a James Bond-esque high-speed helicopter chase, with Captain Greyling (Louw Venter) in a Bond tux pursuing a femme fatale on a motorcycle.  This is followed by a speed boat chase which culminates with the suspect being apprehended.  The next scene takes place in a theatre where an opera singer is performing.  We are introduced to Du Toit De Waal (Deon Lotz) and his wife, Cecilia (Dorette Potgieter), who appears to be having an affair with a younger man.

It turns out that Du Toit is the owner of the De Waal Theatre Agency where meddling, know-it-all gossip queen, Bonnie van der Byl (Liz Meiring), is the receptionist.  She is constantly sharing “pearls of wisdom” from her father, often unsolicited.  It is here that Cecilia’s mystery man has an altercation with a hooded assailant and is stabbed.  We don’t see who the culprit is but the body is dragged away.

Later that night, in the middle of a storm that causes a power failure, Du Toit stumbles into the reception area with a knife sticking out of his back and collapses onto a table.  A shocked Bonnie calls the police before fainting. Mickey Mentz is sent to investigate the call but when he gets there, the body is missing.  Soon Captain Greyling, described as a “tough as nails” man who “never gives up”, arrives.  Bonnie recognizes him as “Hoener (Chicken) Greyling” – they went to Bellville High together.  He earned the nickname “Hoener met die rooi skoene” because he was a big David Kramer fan and wore red shoes.

The employees of De Waal’s Theatre Agency, along with his wife, are called in for questioning. They are all suspects since Du Toit was “not well liked”.  Bonnie briefs “Chicken” on each of the suspects:

Percy Celliers: a junior clerk who is “made about girls and sport” (and Cecilia’s ex-lover);

Enith Conradie: Du Toit’s private secretary who is very serious and “collects degrees and diplomas like stamps”;

Roxie Roos: a typist with “short dresses and short on brains”;

Cecilia: a Greta Garbo wannabe who married Du Toit for his money (he married her because “she was a rag queen”).

However, there is a “kinkel in die kabel” as they say in Afrikaans.  The “body” of Du Toit De Waal shows up – very much alive and without a scratch on him.  There are many more twists and turns, power outages and murders, evidence found and lost and meddling from Bonnie.  Some might find Bonnie’s shrill and ceaseless prattling too much and I must admit, there were times I wanted her (and her parrot) to STFU.  But I do love Liz Meiring and she is hands down the star of the film with some classic lines, such as:

“This is Captain ‘Hoener’ Greyling.  He has the flu and your husband is dead.  Murdered.  Knife.  Cup of tea?”

“Where did you learn your manners? Parliament?”

“Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time.”

It’s definitely worth a watch.  I agree with Channel 24’s assessment: “Though not the best that Afrikaans films have to offer with various plot holes, Hoener met die Rooi Skoene has a certain old-school charm that makes it fun watch”.  I enjoyed the murder mystery elements, the “dark and stormy night” atmosphere, and the banter between Bonnie and Hoener.