Riphagen, the untouchable

Another well done movie on Netflix about the the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands at the end of the Second World War. The story is based on true events and for this reason worth seeing. It was never boring and I saw again outstanding performances from all the actors. Especially Jeroen van Koningsbrugge in Riphagens role impressed me a lot and makes me hungry watching him in other films. If you like drama war genre check out the other dutch top production Bankier van het Verzet. 7/10.

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.

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.

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.

Another film about Holland, the Nazis, and the Resistance in World War II is this one from 2016, Riphagen. A true story, and the title character is one of the most reprehensible human beings known to man.

Dries Riphagen (excellently portrayed by Jeroen van Koningsbrugge) is a Dutch traitor who seeks out Jews who are in hiding and offers to keep their jewelry and homes safe for them until they get back. As if any of them are coming back. The slimeball puts everything in a safety deposit box, but it's all for him, not the poor people he robbed.

One interesting thing - I had just seen The Resistance Banker, about a Dutch hero in World War II, before I saw this film. In reviews of both, it was mentioned that the reviewer became confused either by the story or had trouble telling the good guys from the bad guys. I did not have this problem, and I wondered if it was because I was from another generation. I can remember watching The Constant Gardener with someone and having to explain it line by line. Is it that audiences today are used to shorter scenes, need more action, have less of an attention span, or are too easily distracted?

At any rate, this is a film rich in '40s atmosphere, wonderfully acted, and suspenseful. It is definitely worth seeing, although I don't think many people need to be reminded of how cruel and depraved human beings can be. We have enough of them around as it is.