Der Admiral - Kampf um Europa

As an American, I'm not intimately familiar with Dutch history. And that's a shame, because our concept of individual freedom is a direct descendant of the Republic's.

I had heard of De Ruyter, but this film really opened my eyes. I know it's not strictly historically accurate (no film ever is), but it inspired me to read more on Dutch history, and more about this brilliant tactician in particular.

On a different tack, I appreciated this film's superior accuracy in depicting war in the Age of Sail. I've seen too many Hollywood movies with mysterious "exploding solid iron cannonballs." "Admiral" accurately shows that the greatest danger to life & limb came from the huge oak splinters that flew in every direction when a cannonball crashed through a wooden wall.

If you enjoy historical films, and nautical adventure in particular, see this one!

Finally a Dutch movie that is packed with obliterating action. Michiel de Ruyter is an epic movie about the glory days of Dutch history. I liked everything about the movie, the formidable acting, the beautiful portrayed sea battles etc, the way it screams 'Murica in a Dutch way, etc.

This movie has endured some unfair criticism, probably because complaining is inherent to the Dutch national character. Okay, this movie is not historically 100% correct, but it does not pretend to be. This movie does what it tries to do, make people excited about Dutch history. I loved this movie. Okay, it wasn't as good as Jean-Claude's Bloodsport (1988), but I loved every minute of it.

'Michiel de Ruyter' a.k.a. 'Admiral' delivers.

As for the technical side, this film is spectacular. The editing, the story, the production value as a whole is worth the time. This is one of the "epic" films that did not get it's due. So well done and a fantastic soundtrack - this is where the we lose Academy worthy people in the mix. This production was phenomenal.

As for the story, I found it a very worthy tale to tell (and surprised nobody attempted it at this level before). Due to the scope of de Ruyter's impact on this time period, the movie did move a bit quickly and (as expected) did not have time to encompass the importance and the intricate detail of the lives involved. So my only ding here is that it felt rushed in the aspects of the personal lives of Michiel and Anna. To give their emotional and political struggles justice, perhaps a mini-series would have been a more appropriate venue. You feel unsatisfied with the depth of their development. You are simply left wanting more from them.

While based on historical "fact", there are many aspects that needed further development. I wanted so much more background and detail on the characters and the political struggle that, again, a sense of rush was left and it left me sad about that.

When such an incredible production crew and and an insanely under- respected director (Roel Reiné) is given this type of budget and consulting, I feel like they were all let down by not being able to explore this topic and these characters further.

Overall, this film was absolutely spectacular! The brutal moments (for those who know) were almost too brutal to fit into the context of the rest of the story's examination. But HOLY MONKEY this film was a great breath of fresh air and and a great view inside the filmmaking from this part of the world.

A+ and huge kudos to all involved. You needed a better platform, but you made incredible value bleed from these limitations.

An emotional and thoughtful ride on a side of history that needs more exploration. Cheers to you all!

If you are a history buff, you'll get a lot out of this. If you are a film buff, you'll get even more. And if you're looking for some of the most under-appreciated talent in both screen and bts, then you've stumbled on a treasure-trove that all filmmakers should seek out.

Disturbingly well done.

I just finished watching this movie and I was truly amazed how good and powerful this is. It made me to go to Wikipedia and do some reading about Michiel de Ruyter, because the things this man was able to achieve is simply nothing short of spectacular.

It really feels like those big budget Hollywood movies it has huge sea battles, great and really believable acting also the CGI is pretty good. For those who liked the character of Tywin Lannister played by Charles Dance, well you'll find him here as a King Charles II of England.

I can't recommend this movie enough, just go and watch it and you'll be amazed as well. I never give anything 10 out of 10, but this one came very close to it. Let's say 9.7.

This could easily be one of the best Dutch movies made so far. It is not only an amazing accomplishment because of the spectacular naval battles and special effects, but also because it manages to explain all of the historical context. And on top of that, it not only manages to tell De Ruyter's story, but also that of other important historical characters, such as Charles II, Willem III, Johan De Witt, and several others.

The movie struggles occasionally to fit all of De Ruyter's career in just one movie. And especially the first half of the movie suffers from misplaced patriotism that feels almost un-Dutch, with a lot of slow motion close ups of waving Dutch flags, and long winded speeches about freedom and liberty. It struggles with its dialog, and especially at the start it often indulges too much in spouting exposition, and in trying to remind the audience of the time period.

But those minor issues aside, this is a great film. It even takes some risks by showing Wilhelm III's blatant taste for boys over girls, and by showing the gruesome betrayal of the brothers De Witt. All of this is historically accurate, so that can't really be considered a spoiler to anyone who has bothered to read a bit of history.

The movie has a great soundtrack, and beautiful costumes, while using a lot of real locations (which have been made to look period-accurate with a little help of some CGI). At times the ships clearly look computer generated, but all of that can be forgiven because of the beautiful camera work, and an almost American-style of cinematography. This movie does not look Dutch. It looks like a Hollywood movie. And I think that makes it a lot more accessible to foreign audiences.

I recommend it.