Riphagen (2016) User Reviews

A tense drama in tense times.

[marcnicolai-77775 · 8/10 · 23 September 2016]

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.

Good solid movie about WW2 collaboration

[Matty_Movie · 7/10 · 24 September 2018]

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.....

[s3276169 · 8/10 · 14 November 2016]

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.

Worth seeing

[Luigi Di Pilla · 7/10 · 8 January 2019]

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.

Great film...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 18 March 2021]

What a canastão, disgust for this man, sad biography, a poor and unhappy human being ... He used all intelligence, eloquence, power of persuasion, and even beauty in favor of evil, he could have been a hero if he had done the exact opposite, sad, infamous, unjustly escaped, great film, dubious, excellent setting, deserved a more tragic ending amid so much pain that caused... Great film...

Good movie, questionable performances

[niriath · 6/10 · 4 May 2020]

Especially Van Koningsbrugge's "Amsterdamse toffe jongen (cool guy)" act felt completely out of place for this type of movie and time. It did not feel like a WW2 time piece at all.

Masterful Wartime Movie

[Tulip_USA · 9/10 · 7 October 2016]

World War II remains a rich source of inspiration for movies, even seventy years after its end. The clear moral lines between good and evil that the Nazi era puts into relief allow for little wiggle room for postmodern movie makers to blur them. The masterful script and ace directing nevertheless manage to stretch these lines to the uttermost, resulting in a great deal of suspense where the viewer is at times unsure of who is who and who is good or evil.

Based on a good deal of historical truth, Riphagen is presented as a combination suspense and mystery. Andries Riphagen, sometimes called the Dutch Al Capone, was an influential member of the Dutch underworld who collaborated with the German occupiers for his own personal gain. Only the most gullible of viewers will be fooled by the smooth stories he tells desperate Jews as he tries to "help" them park their assets until after the war. Nevertheless, exactly how Riphagen is scamming people and how particular situations turn out remain unclear until the last moment, as he often has to improvise and adjust his plans based on changing circumstances. This keeps the movie suspenseful till the very last minute. Don't be fooled by what seems to be a slowing down of the story in the last third.

Not without minor pacing problems, this movie is nevertheless a major achievement. Despite a ridiculously small budget, it is masterfully executed. The entire movie breathes the 1940s. The acting by Jeroen van Koningsbrugge as Riphagen as well as by the actors in the many indispensable supporting roles are superb. Camera work, lighting and editing haven't succumbed to modern artsy fads but are crisp and effective. Too bad they couldn't get more real German actors to play German soldiers - Richard Gonlag's German (as Willy Lages, head of the regional division of the German secret police SD) in the original Dutch version is very good, but his native Dutch accent is nevertheless unmistakable. Highly recommended.

Reminder that story is important.

[mevzun · 6/10 · 1 September 2020]

Not a worthy story to make a movie. Riphagen is not a smart man. Good people in the movie are pure idiots. And no idea was everybody always trusts Riphagen. In this case there is no way you catch a traitor unless he confesses.

If Jews runs from Nazis like Riphagen, there were be no Holocaust. When you see gestapo just ignore and run away. But instead of Jan and the resistance, Nazis pull the trigger.

Note: If you don't shoot a man, he'll die for natural causes of course for God sake.

Absolutely Riveting ride of a movie

[Angela_Schoenauer · 10/10 · 14 January 2019]

Fantasticly shot and directed. I couldn't fault it. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Is this person good or bad? Full of suspense throughout. Well acted by each and every actor. I wish there were more movies like this. Even with only English subtitles. Bravo ladies and gentlemen, you should be proud.

Clumsie!!!

[victwr · 6/10 · 4 May 2020]

Potentially great but it seemed done in a rush... Weak plot and mediocre performances.

Riveting historical Dutch thriller

[cmchir · 9/10 · 14 November 2019]

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.

No Dutch Treat

[lstone-90514 · 7/10 · 13 December 2020]

Despite the my catchy title, I thought this was a very well done film.

It depicts a struggle between good (resistance) v. bad (Nazi and Dutch collaborators)

There is a third player here however, the complacency of the Dutch public. They were willing to look the other way as their Jewish neighbors were being carted away.

The Dutch Jewish population had been their for hundreds of years (see Rembrandt paintings). Holland was one of the worst of the Western European nations in terms of the level of their cooperation with the Nazis. I wish the film would have at least shown some of the "collaboration" was passive and involved good men and women saying nothing.

WW II movie populated with 21st century characters.

[weirdquark · 3/10 · 6 September 2022]

None of the characters are believable. In fact, most of them suffer from an increasingly common movie disease - they behave like entitled, petulant, morally self-rigteous people from the 21st century, who openly show their contempt for people in authority instead of people living in the 1940s under Nazi occupation, and fearing for their lives. This increasingly common type of movie character is designed for ignorant viewers to identity with and say to themselves "oh yeah, give it to 'em! Tell them off! Yeah that's what I would have done if faced with Nazis!" No, that is fantasy. People behaving like that would have long ago been sent to prison or a concentration camp or shot dead in the street. I'm tired of waching supposedly historical period films where the people dress like the time period but talk and behave like they're in the 2020s.

A Dutch criminal against the racist biz-clan of Jews.

[Chinesevil · 6/10 · 17 May 2022]

This movie is overall of high quality, the plot is interesting although there are too many other films of this genre and that Schindler list totally obscures it.

It's a great struggle between two different evils during a wartime evil, but perhaps too much attention to the two young main actors doubt on the movie's success.

Very unique WW2 movie from a traitor's point of view

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 16 October 2016]

This is a very unique WW2 movie and is a must watch. Found this on Netflix and although in Dutch it's a unbelievable true story that is completely fascinating. Unlike a typical Hollywood movie this one is from the bad guy's POV and it's interesting to watch a movie without a heroic clichéd happy ending. After all many war criminals got away to so why not depict one on screen. Another very realistic thing is the way the line between good guys and bad guys isn't always that clear with people having mixed motives, including the Dutch people responsible for going after criminals being more concerned with the Communist vs non at the end of the War and showing a traitorous Jewish woman who had to betray the resistance in order to save her family. The central villain Dries Riphagen is such a master manipulator it's fascinating to watch his 9 lives. Also the confusion around the end of WW2 is so realistic. One would think that when the war ended everything was over but the main story was just beginning.

Some sequences are a bit hard to follow - the editing or directing isn't Hollywood standard but if you concentrate you can follow the story.

Kudos to Netflix for showing this movie.

Masterful and gripping movie!

[eltonjdaries · 10/10 · 31 December 2019]

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

Awesome

[lorenzodecestaro · 9/10 · 9 March 2017]

Really awesome movie. Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, normally knows as someone who does funny sketches, really showed he can do serious parts as well.

This movies for me has the same quality as Zwartboek, also a dutch WWII movie. Great acting, great filming and good actors.

Is this for real?!?

[unwhosearmy · 5/10 · 19 January 2022]

It is like watching a movie directed by a 10 year old with ADHD. There is obviously a story but the way it is told is beyond ridiculous. Hallmark wouldn't even bite. What a shame and a waste. Zero flow/continuity. No character or relationship build ups. But I hope the director passed the class.

high treason and crime during World War II

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 15 May 2019]

For the vast majority of his countrymen, the arrival of World War II and the subsequent occupation of the Netherlands was a catastrophe, but for Bernardus "Dries" Riphagen it represented an opportunity. The former pimp and gang boss now works for the Nazis, betraying both Jews and resistance fighters. This pays good money, but he has found yet another way to line his pockets : he tricks Jews into believing he's helping them, before betraying them anyway. All of this means a steady trickle of cash, jewels, deeds to real estate. Still, how long will the war last ? And who will win ?

"Riphagen" is based on the life and times of an actual gangster. Being neither a Dutchwoman nor a historian I'm unable to judge the fidelity of the fictional version, but I would guess at a high degree of accuracy. This is because the story being told is full of the same unhappy decisions, short-sighted policies and muddled despair as seen in real life. Here you get a Dutch resistance movement riven by ideological division, prone to human error and forced into all kinds of unnatural deals and compromises. It's not a happy picture, but probably a truthful one. It is this chaotic background which allowed the real-life Riphagen to thrive and survive all through the war : as a canny, intelligent man he knew how to exploit his opponents' quarrels and mistakes.

By the way, do not expect the movie to end on a note of poetical justice. In the movie, as in real life, Riphagen escapes both imprisonment and execution. He emigrates to South-America, in order to exploit and torment yet more innocents.

"Riphagen" is a good, suspenseful movie, full of convincing 1940's period detail. Jeroen van Koningsbrugge gives an eerily realistic lead performance. His Riphagen, made up from equal parts brutality, cunning and malice, is a memorable character.

The wife of Riphagen too represents a particularly obnoxious enabler : the kind of woman who marries a known law-breaker, who benefits from his crimes, and who tells everyone that her husband is a kind, sweet soul with a heart of gold. Why do people keep on bothering him with accusations of theft, torture, murder ? Johnny can't be a criminal : he never forgets a birthday and he is polite to his mother-in-law. AND he reads the children bedtime stories about Nibbles the Rabbit, so there !

In a just world these women too would get thirty to life, but our societies are strangely respectful of this kind of stand-by-your-man perversity...

Holland during World War II

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 12 April 2019]

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.

Thrilller about WWII Nazi occupied Holland

[tkrogius · 10/10 · 12 November 2016]

I thought this was a fantastic movie. I was completely engrossed and transported. It does exactly what a movie is supposed to do. I was surprised to see it was made in 2016. It has an older feel. I don't think I have seen a better movie in years. I loved the scenery and the wardrobe as well as the story.

I have seen the other two good Dutch wartime movies, "The Black Book" and "Winter in Wartime," both of which I thought were also very good, but this may be better. "Das Boot" the German submarine movie is also wonderful. Another wonderful production is "Secret Army" which is available on Amazon. It is a BBC drama series about Belgian resistance during WWII made during the 70's with "Upstairs/Downstairs" production values but still very exciting.

what's this?

[HLEYE · 5/10 · 12 September 2019]

7,1 ??? why, this is really shabby stuff. looks oke, acting not bad... but come on... the whole thing is totally incredible. I'm a dutch guy, seen better than this. sorry. not good at all

One of those rare perfect films.

[Nemesis42 · 10/10 · 3 April 2017]

Gotta say this is powerful. Anything that takes on the ultimate ugliness of racism that was the Nazi movement with this amount of effectiveness needs praise. The main character here poses a new flavor of evil. That a human being can maneuver through the world while betraying, torturing and killing whomever is in his path like this is the sad reality, but an essential reality for us to take heed of if we wish to avoid suffering.

Strong film making in all departments. Was avoiding it as the reviews said it was very disturbing. Though there is satisfaction within it so I'm glad to have had a look. Complex plot-lines. and based upon a true story it mentioned at the end.

Underground and underworld overlap

[nickboldrini · 8/10 · 6 August 2018]

This is a great film, with a mesmerisingly evil main character. A charismatic underworld figure who helps Jews for money, when in fact he is lining his own pockets and betraying them. But thats only half this film, the other half is about him being tracked down, and tried to be brought to justice, when he manipulates and foils his pursuers, leading to a shock ending. Based on a true story this feels like a gangster film in many ways, and it is largely held togethor by the terrifying and charming performance of the actor playing Riphagen, though this is overall a well crafted film.

Great actor, great movie!

[hjokken · 8/10 · 28 May 2020]

Every Dutchmen knows Jeroens van Koningsbrugge, great comedian, actor, singer and entertainer. Normally the guy who makes you laugh! This time the guy who makes your stomach ache. The quality of acting in this movies is beyond Dutch standard, simple great. A movie for the whole family (above 14+, simple to understand the amount of backstabbing) to enjoy.