The Resistance Banker (2018)

In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, banker brothers Walraven and Gijs van Hall face their greatest challenge yet when they decide to help fund the Dutch resistance.

Director:

Joram Lürsen

Writers:

Marieke van der Pol, Thomas van der Ree

Stars:

Jacob Derwig, Barry Atsma, Fockeline Ouwerkerk

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacob Derwig	...	Gijs van Hall
Barry Atsma	...	Walraven van Hall
Fockeline Ouwerkerk	...	Tilly van Hall
Pierre Bokma	...	Meinoud Rost van Tonningen
Raymond Thiry	...	Van den Berg
Matteo van der Grijn	...	Huub van Schie
Jaap Spijkers	...	Cornelis Ritter
Thiemen Pelster	...	Aad van Hall
Liz Vergeer	...	Attie van Hall
Miya Hageman	...	Mary-Ann van Hall (infant)
Lizzy Vos	...	Mary-Ann van Hall (age 3)
Luit Bakker	...	Housemaid
Aafke Buringh	...	Emma van Hall
Violette Vandervelden	...	Marleen van Hall
Fenne van Roy	...	Deanne van Hall

Storyline

During the Nazi occupation, Amsterdam family banker Walraven van Hall enthusiastically accepts, despite brother-partner Gijs and many colleagues' reservations, to help the resistance by financing them with fake credits, for which the Dutch government in exile gives a post-war guarantee. As the war drags on, he largely exceeds the guaranteed sum and forges a coordination between resistance components, but the Germans plus collaborators set up a large operation to find and roll up the 'underground bank'. As Allied forces approach, a far larger sum is needed to pay for a massive railway strike, but the regular systems are exhausted. Walraven now devises a daring plan to liberate funds from the national bank by a complex web if forged promissory notes, but the ruthless SS is hot on their trail.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | fight | war hero | resistance | world war two | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Joram Lürsen admitted that the movie deviates from historical reality a few times, but also stated that the screenplay was written with input from surviving family members of the real van Hall. They had the right to veto certain elements, but in the end, they agreed with most of the alterations as long as they felt that it was in van Hall's character.

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Goofs

Rost van Tonningen never had the faintest idea of the extent of the National Support Fund. He also never had a conversation with SD officer Friedrich Viebahn, such as in the film, in which he points out how important the underground bank is for the resistance.

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Connections

Referenced in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #15.1 (2019)

User Reviews

One of the best I've seen this year

In spite of huge interest in films/ documentaries that are build on sub-plots from WW2, I have watched very few in languages other than English. But Netflix was constantly reminding me about their recent addition so I finally gave it a go. And I am glad that I did. It is a serious film with very few light moments and that works quite well given the plot. Also without the background noise, so the movie speaks softly just like the bankers' mission. Understated but remarkable performances by many of the lead characters, particularly by Atsma and Derwig as the van Hall brothers. Best for the Oscars!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Netherlands]

Country:

Netherlands Belgium

Language:

Dutch

Release Date:

8 March 2018 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The Resistance Banker

Filming Locations:

Koepelgevangenis, Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,061,737

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dutch FilmWorks (DFW), NL Film, Evangelische Omroep (EO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1