The Forgotten Battle

The Dutch really surprised me with this war film! From the trailer, I expected a decent watch, but it turned out to be much more. The film’s main strength is undoubtedly its subject matter. I hadn’t heard much about the Battle of the Scheldt before, so my history-loving side welcomed this enthusiastically. I appreciated the way the film developed three main storylines (a Dutch youth in the Nazi army, a British pilot, and even some resistance fighters). Technically, it’s a precise piece of work; the money is evident in every frame, making it almost perfect in that regard. There aren’t many intense shootouts, but I don’t think it’s fair to hold that against the film (the final thirty minutes are excellent!). What sets this film apart from many similarly themed ones is its strong story, which delivers an emotional shock at the end. More projects like this, please. For me, it’s 8/10. (11/13/2021)

I found the title rather misleading. The battle is portrayed in a minimalist way and the film is more about the Dutch resistance, which provided the Allies with valuable information during the war. But since I enjoy films about resistance activities, I have nothing to complain about. Well, I do, actually. What I don’t like is that war films are now being made only in English. I'm starting to feel that English-speaking audiences are allergic to subtitles. It really annoys me when a Dutch person and a British person speak English and pretend that there is a language barrier between them. In older war films, Germans spoke German, French people spoke French, and British and Americans spoke English, and everything was resolved with subtitles. I can't get used to the way it’s done these days. (01/22/2022)

One of the most expensive Dutch films has landed on Netflix and fans of war movies will be delighted, although it probably won't take anyone's breath away. The fate of three heroes is set against the backdrop of a military conflict that most people probably haven't even heard of. The film has a slower pace, but it is well shot and acted, there are a few suspenseful moments and you are interested to know how it all turns out. The film culminates in a 30-minute shootout, which lacks proper R-rated action, but it is well shot and it is not a disgraced compared to the competition. It's a bit of a shame that the emotions don't work too well here, more could have been made out of it for sure, but there there hasn’t much competition in the field of WW2 war films this year, so let's be glad for this one at least. Story 4/5, Action 3/5, Humour 1/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Tension 2/5, Emotions 2/5, Actors 3/5. 6/10. (10/22/2021)