Riphagen

I had never heard of Dries Riphagen beforehand, and we came across this film accidentally on Netflix. It turned out to be a fantastic watch and one that gives a good lowdown on a wartime conman. The acting is very good indeed and the film settings are authentic.

A true story that is well paced with brilliant acting. Definitely worth watching.

Definitely better than I had expected going in. A tense period piece with the war as a distant background and the cat and mouse game of the Wehrmacht security forces and their collaborators against Dutch resistance fighters in the foreground.

The way Riphagen, a criminal who makes the best of the situation, plays his victims and his enemies is like watching a snake curling its way through a buffalo stampede of self-righteous characters and thoroughly enjoyable.

Especially interesting is the fast pace that allows for a second half that shows how the approaching end of the war unleashed a whirlwind of internally divided Dutch nationalism that started lashing out against anyone deemed a collaborator and was already preparing for the fight against the communists.

This movie tells the story of the infamous Dries Riphagen, a WWII collaborator and criminal mastermind. It is based on a true story. Even if you have no prior knowledge on Riphagen, this movie can be recommended for its cheer suspense, drama and historical relevance.

War makes beasts of men. Not that Dries Riphagen was much of a human being to start with.

This is a wartime film that tells the story of Nazi collaborator Dries Riphagen. An underworld figure, who saw his opportunity for personal gain when the German's invade and occupy the Netherlands during WWII.

Whats especially horrid about Riphagens activities, aside from his betrayal of Jews hiding from the Nazi's and resistance groups, is how he compels innocent people to become complicit in his barbarity.

This is an excellent film.Its well acted and directed, with a matter of fact style. It does not moralize nor does it indulge in sentiment. As a result, for me at least, its emotional impact is heightened. Its a hard, hard watch at times and whats especially galling, is this indecent man, evades post wartime punishment, escaping to Argentina.

Riphagen has subtitles but really, this is no obstacle. This is a compelling, if horrifying watch, that offers an insight into how war corrupts the human spirit. Eight out of ten from me.