Pieter Kuijpers’ World War II biographical drama RIPHAGEN: THE UNTOUCHABLE follows one of the most infamous characters in Dutch history – Andries Riphagen, who helped Nazis in finding Jews thereby betraying his own countrymen.
Soon after I watched the Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac starrer OPERATION FINALE and another Dutch movie THE RESISTANCE BANKER, this was another chapter in history, where a Dutch criminal helped the Nazis in killing Jews.
While there are many movies on WWII and the heroics to counter evils like Holocaust, RIPHAGEN focused more on an antihero character. Even without showing much of Hitler or his men, the realistic portrayal of Andreas “Dries” Riphagen with his misdeeds makes this film intriguing.
Watching the film almost makes me sad, as I wonder how come a man becomes so evil that he ends up betraying his own. As a Nazi collaborator, Riphagen helped Germany’s security service SD in tracking down Jews in Amsterdam while confiscating their property and finally sending them to concentration camps to meet their fates.
Riphagen conned a large number of Dutch Jewish families and made them believe that he would protect them and their assets and property from German occupation. However, it later turned out that he was simply making himself the owner of the properties while turning the innocent Jews into the evil Nazis.
So, when a Dutch police officer Jan van Liempd, who was secretly fighting alongside the Dutch resistance, finds the truth – he tried his best to bring the war criminal to justice.
The performance of Jeroen van Koningsbrugge as Dries Riphagen and Kay Greidanus as Jan are exceptional in every respect. They both understand the tense atmosphere, while deep characterization further helps in the realistic portrayal of the situations and characters.
RIPHAGEN: THE UNTOUCHABLE is an incredible biopic that introduced us to a vile creature with no morals and conscience. This is yet another Dutch movie with a great subject line. While Resistance Banker is about a man or a group with their acts as Dutch resistance, this film is completely the opposite where a Dutchman collaborates with the Nazis for his personal gains.
Watch the Movie Trailer – RIPHAGEN: THE UNTOUCHABLE
Genres: International Films, Dramas, Biographical Dramas
Director: Pieter Kuijpers
Cast: Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Anna Raadsveld, Sigrid ten Napel, Peter Blok, Bob Stoop, Lisa Zweerman, Kay Greidanus, René Kortekaas, Sieger Sloot, Mark Rietman.
Language: Dutch
Where to watch Riphagen the Untouchable (2016)
