De vuurlinie

The movie starts a bit slow but a lot of recognition, to the end the events brought tears to my eyes. Every veteran has a story to tell, even if it is a very sad one, take the time to listen. For a Dutch movie, no Hollywood budget, it was pretty good, actors did a great job too. Although the movie is based on facts, fiction was added for the screen, I still think it is very realistic story. When a soldier comes home after a mission, the mission at home starts and it effects everyone in the family. Remember that next time you meet a veteran that has served his country, they have seen and been through things no one should see or go through.

The Fire Line is a new war drama directed by Roel Reine, director of Michiel de Ruyter and Redbad.

After returning from his military service in Afghanistan, Marco Kroon (Waldemar Torenstra) receives the highest award in the Netherlands: the Military Order of William. Yet he struggles with trauma from everything he experienced during the war.

If he is later suspected of criminal activities such as drugs and arms trafficking, he runs the risk of losing his status rewards. Furthermore, his personal life also comes under fire. This also affects his relationship with his girlfriend Mirjam van den Hoven (Sallie Harmsen). Now he must confront his personal traumas again in a court case to prove his innocence.

The film is based on the story of Marco Kroon, who helped the Dutch army in the fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. Despite his heroic deeds, he and his lover later ended up in bad news. However, what exactly happened to him has never really been recorded. The dark stories, which he himself describes somewhat vaguely, remain for some an abnormal fantasy, or just lies. Due to a lack of details, the film itself is unable to provide a clear explanation of this. So the real story and this film adaptation continue to miss something, such as clearer details. The rest of the film also comes across as a standard war drama. If you are familiar with such films, this film may remain on the familiar side.

The characters, just like the real people on which they are based, work themselves in the wrong direction. They do this by being unclear or hiding the real truth from each other. Despite the drama that the characters experience, as a viewer you sympathize with them a little less, because as a viewer you never really get a clear answer to what exactly happened. Because of these unclear aspects, the film sometimes has its long-winded moments, or remains difficult to follow. The storytelling is also poorly balanced at times. While Marco Kroon is first accused of drug trafficking, the story tries to suppress these actions by suddenly bringing his traumatic war experiences into greater focus. What really happened to him in Afghanistan cannot be made official due to a lack of witnesses. So at the end of this film you can judge Marco Kroon's own story more for yourself, or just see it as a strong story.

The acting is well done. Waldemar Torenstra comes across believably as a soldier who experienced intense things during his military days and suffered some trauma from this. Because the exact truth is not known, these aspects may remain somewhat unclear. Sallie Harmsen also gives a fitting performance as Marco Kroon's partner. Mirjam van den Hoven also had her secrets. If the real people had been more honest and open with each other and the rest of the world, they could have had a more detailed story at the beginning of this film adaptation.

"Kudos to the Dutch film industry! This film, despite its limited budget, stands out with its thrilling action sequences and stunning, true-to-life visuals. The action scenes are pulse-pounding and expertly choreographed, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. The use of practical effects and real locations adds a level of authenticity that's often missing in big-budget blockbusters. It's a testament to the skill of the filmmakers that they've created such a visually impressive and action-packed movie without breaking the bank. If you're a fan of action films, this one is a must-see."

I'd give this more than a ten. At least a twenty.

I do have to provide 600 characters to display my feelings about the character of the main role in this story: Marco.

I can keep it short.

To me it was prevention.

In that sense for me Marco fully earns the medal.

Still, this is possibly not why it was justified by our government to honor Marco.

The honor why he fully earns it - for what it's worth - is at a totally different level.

As such, it's beyond honor, which explains to me the expression by his wife at the start of the movie before the titles: "Het is gewoon een gek feestje" ("It's just a silly party") and little later "Het is maar een medaille hè. Het stelt niet zoveel voor" ("It's just a medal, huh? It poses not so much.").

What do you feel & think? Was it revenge, rebellion or prevention?

Furthermore, I cannot imagine that our Chief of Defense at that time would use such a disparaging tone to Marcos's wife about her husband.

I therefore find it disrespectful that this is depicted this way in the movie and more importantly, completely contradictory to the development of the relationship of this Chief of Defense and Marco.

That will be one of the major fictions in this movie.

So, even a twenty has a negative aspect.

With relatively low budget, compared to bigger Hollywood productions, it's amazing to see what Roel Reiné pulled off as the movie director.

The storyline is interesting: going from the warzone, to back home with his family, into the court where he was tried (these three locations are the corner stones of this story).

It's a new take for a Dutch movie to have a strong focus on the PTSS diagnosis where main character Marco Kroon has to deal with after returning home from Afghanistan, and how it affects all around him.

The movie gave insight into the live of a veteran and caught my attention for two full hours.

Maybe the the real Marco Kroon may have done things in live that should not have happened but the context of the movie helps to understand more of it. As this was a movie (not a real documentary), it remains unclear as to what really happened and what is pure fiction. For me this was unimportant, I've tried to see the bigger picture here for veterans in general. And I believe the movie enables you to do so.