Return to the Hiding Place

Being a WW2 movie buff (totally bonkers, actually) I simply had to buy this flick without knowing much about it. Honestly, I'm very sorry I ever wasted my money on this. I had to check the credits to make sure it wasn't directed by Uwe Boll.

The story's supposedly a true one. In a script it probably looked much better than on film. Well, it couldn't have looked any worse, really. The acting is non-existent, scenography not there at all, characters are ridiculous. For example, one of the main characters insists on shouting practically all the time - even in most secret of scenes where being unnoticed is vital. There's even a scene of 4 hostages being shot by a firing squad of 3!!! Casting is dreadful, direction... Well, enough about that, I'm sure you get the picture.

In short: my fault entirely. On two accounts: for buying this movie in the first place and for insisting on watching it through (as I always do, sadly enough). Stay away from this one, you mark my words. A true story could have - and should have - been told in at least a semi-professional manner as anything less is a disgrace to the memory of true heroes it depicts. I'm sure they were great men and they deserve a lot more than this rubbish.

This is a well thought out film of a very difficult time in history. The story is very well written, and includes a lot of detail not normally see in movies. It was presented from a very personal level. Casting and acting is excellent. Each actors character was very well developed and was very well presented. The German soldier was especially well done and very believable. I especially enjoyed the cinematography, being a photographer myself, I could appreciate the challenges that were met in the filming of the movie. A few of the scenes that could have been very grotesque were very well done in the fact that they presented what happened without the very gory details, the lamp shade is an excellent example of this. An excellent film for anyone that has an interest in the details of the Nazi / Jewish conflict in Holland and Cory Tim Boom's youth core should see this film

irstly, the story follows the lives of students and their involvement with the Dutch resistance. For me, I felt mixed emotions from the film. The storyline appeared to have great potential for a big blockbuster that could have sat nicely next to Defiance and Winter In Wartime on the movie shelf and while I enjoyed the film, sadly, there was much left to be desired. The German Colonel (Stass Klassen), by far led the film in the acting department. His performance was solid and at times comparable to Christoph Waltz's performance in Inglourious Basterds, but sadly, he was alone in this department. John Rhys Davis held his own but really too brief a role to help the film. David Thomas Jenkins, Craig Robert Young and the beautiful Rachel Spencer Hewitt made their presence felt, but I felt their characters lacked depth and consistency needed for them to truly grow on you and take you into their world which I put mostly down to the next part. The directing and screenplay seemed to prove the greatest inconsistency and biggest let down with the film. Maybe due to low budget. At times characters were not clearly introduced or very briefly which left me as a viewer putting 2 and 2 together a lot throughout the movie. Also the story pace was up and down like a roller-coaster sometimes dragging slowly but then moving so fast that the scene changed to hours/days ahead and left me wondering where it was at until once again putting 2 and 2 together. For me this is what hurt the story/movie the most.

There was a strong element of religious notion in the film. Religious values were incredibly important during those times and quite often determined where ones stance lied with regards to helping the Jews.

But having said all this, and it will really depend on the individual, I think overall wanting to watch for the storyline itself and to see the evil Colonel Stass in action kept me glued enough. But you will leave the seat having watched this, with the feeling it could have been so much more, in paying homage to those brave souls portrayed in the film.

I don't know what stars to give the movie. It is okay, and some actors are very good, like the guy who plays the Nazi colonel. But because he plays his role so well you'll notice that other actors in the movie are not so talented/experienced. Sometimes you see some actors just standing there like they don't know what to do until it's time for them to say a line. Also the director could make some more cuts. The story is too slow here and there. The story is good, but maybe the screenwriter could focus more on how the resistance could stop the 'rabit hunt' on Jewish children and keep some parts that didn't have anything to do with that out of the story to keep the movie going. But nevertheless it's a fine movie with historical value. It's about the Christian resistance in the Netherlands during the second world war and how they fought against the evil national-socialist empire of Adolf Hitler.

I have not sat through such a riveting drama in a very long time. The movie held my interest throughout the entire viewing. The stories within this story were also very well balanced and heartfelt. Knowing this was based on a true story was captivating. It was very inspirational and the characters were wonderful in their parts. I loved this movie and have and will continue to recommend it be seen when it is released to theaters, which can not be soon enough!! It is a wonderful story of Christ's intervention in very tough times and how all can persevere. A wonderful job of directing and editing, too. Truly a God-made film! Thank you for telling this story!!