Reviews

Karakter is one of the best Dutch movies i ever saw. The main reasons are the classic theme, the good script, and the superb acting.

What i especially like (and obviously will appeal only to Dutch speakers) is the well-balanced use of old fashioned Dutch phrases from time to time. I think this really works here and adds value to the historic atmosphere of the movie. Based on the novel "Karakter" by Dutch novelist Ferdinand Bordewijk, the story is set in Rotterdam during the 1920s and early 1930s. The love-hate relationship between the father Dreverhaven (played by the Flemish actor Jan Decleir who gives a great performance) and the son Katadreuffe (very well acted by Fedja van Huet) works very well. Both have strong characters and their ambitions make them blind for the possibilities of love. Katadreuffe, for example, resists the love he feels for Lorna te George (played by the lovely Tamar van den Dop). Despite the numerous clashes between father and son, their mutual bond is stronger than they want to admit. This inevitably leads to a dramatic climax. I think this is one of those movies where everything just works very well together and i strongly recommend it.

I saw the series on DVD; there are 4 series with the terrific Michele Placido in the lead as solitary and stubborn police inspector Corrado Cattani, who is determined to conquer the evil elements in Italy.

To start with, it's interesting to see the dramatic quality increase of the production. In the first series the sound and image quality is terrible, yet in the fourth everything seems to be at a higher level. More attention was paid to the cinematography, it looks more professional and there are more dramatic "tricks" than in the previous series. Even the actresses look more beautiful! Patricia Millardet plays the mature and strong judge Silvia Conti to work aside Cattani while Simona Cavallari plays the juvenile Esther Rasi who idolizes Cattani) Next to being a thriller, La Piovra is also convincing as a study of organised crime in Italy. The characters are well developed and the acting is fantastic. The basic plot line: inspector Cattani's eternal conflict of interests between his family life and his professional life, which sometimes leads to very dramatic scenes. He loves his family yet his urge to combat organised crime in his beloved country is equally strong. At various points he is "accused" of being a moralist. Actually he is one of the few that dares to makes a fist against the bunch of opportunists who seem to have infiltrated Italy's political and economic system at all possible levels... The tormented inspector fights different enemies; my favourite one is Tano Carridi (4th series, very well played by Remo Girone). He displays a great mix of villainy and sadness that almost makes you symphatise with him. A worthy opponent of Cattani! The great music by Ennio Morricone in the series also adds a lot to the atmosphere! I highly recommend this series.

Stille Nacht, which means "Quiet Night" is an excellent Dutch thriller. Loosely based on true events, it tells the story of 5 female student friends who intend to hunt down a serial rapist with a taste for female students biking alone in dark woods. They pursue their goal with great vigor (the police is invisible here) and quickly have a large list of eligible rapists. The movie is a combination of a psychological whodunit combined with classic (Blair Witch-like) horror scenes. The overall acting of the young female actors is a bit stiff initially but gets better as the movie develops. Although this movie makes a clear anti-man statement it is not over-the-top and quite understandable if you identify with the girls.