Michiel de Ruyter

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.

a story of courage. or a lesson about politics. portrait of a great hero . or introduction to the essence of Holland national pride. a film who could remind many classic historical frescoes.and who remains seductive for the great beauty of message. because IT has the admirable gift to be the right choice for a large public. not real surprising . only good way for an inspired form of propaganda, adventure and beautiful show.

I've always fantasized about this naval period. This movie gave me the chance to experience this strange deceptive era in theatrical form.

The young republic, striving to establish and maintain strong trading routes, are flawed by who they thought were their allies all along. Physically and mentally provoked and by three nations at once, it goes to show that a country can indeed establish itself through courage, determination and wit.

Long as the film was, I found it a wonderful experience to watch from start to finish. I didn't expect to see scenes in England, let alone ones containing the mad monarchist King James II. What a mentalist.

Many scenes featuring the Dutch King Willem II and admiral Tromp were simply captivating to the point that I felt I was actually living the moment in that era.

Michiel de Ruyter, has definitely won a place in my heart and I will definitely be watching this one again someday.

After an impressive trailer of the movie I was very excited to see that this movie isn't one of those low-class comedy movies with dutch films usually are.

Michiel de Ruyter is a film in which we dive into history. we are in the 17th century and see The Netherlands in a totally different way compared to modern times which leads to beautiful scenes. The acting was pretty good and Frank Lammers was very strong in this film. The special FX were of a high standard and therefore, all sea battles were incredibly spectacular to See. Although I had something a feeling that after a while some of it gets boring. The film is long but it keeps being interesting because of the storyline. The plot could have been more powerful.

Michiel de Ruyter is a Dutch film that will not disappoint but should not be reclassified as "a masterpiece." It is a film with a nice original storyline and style. 7 as a final grade.

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.