Belgium, during World War II. A young Belgian civilian finds himself caught up in the heavy fighting going on in the Ardennes. He stumbles upon a lone American soldier isolated from his fellows. Together they catch a German soldier, who becomes their prisoner. Realizing that they're in the same boat, and that the boat is sinking fast, the three men develop an uneasy fellowship...
"De vijanden" is an unusual war movie, in the sense that it features non-heroic protagonists. All three protagonists are human, imperfect and flawed - possibly even very flawed. This gives the movie an admirable realism : war happens to everyone, and not just to the wise, the gallant, the decent, the likeable. Moreover, "De vijanden" focuses mainly on the confusion involved in a major battle. Our three protagonists stumble around in the dark, not knowing who or what they're going to meet around the next corner. For much of the time, they proceed by luck and guesswork - sometimes with a degree of success, sometimes not. This element, again, imbues the movie with a considerable realism ; also with a considerable unpredictability.
The well-done battle scenes impress, especially when it comes to evoking the vast noise, chaos and confusion involved. Just like the protagonists, the viewer will have great difficulty in analyzing the events : are we looking, say, at Americans approaching, at Germans approaching, at Germans fleeing ? Is that barely glimpsed or guessed-at figure between the trees an American G.I., a German soldier, a Belgian civilian, a German soldier posing as a Belgian Resistance fighter ? It is a sobering thought, that in real life soldiers had to take thousands of split-second decisions based on dimly sensed impressions.
However, I can't wholeheartedly recommend the movie. The movie has energy, realism, unpredictability, yes - but at the same time it feels uneven, even amateuristic. There's a strong sense of missed opportunities and professional inexperience. Moreover, a young Robbe De Hert gives a mediocre performance, in a clear case of "Don't give up your day job, kid". Many a viewer will be waiting, nay praying for his character to get a bullet through the cranium...
"De vijanden" is an unusual war movie, in the sense that it features non-heroic protagonists. All three protagonists are human, imperfect and flawed - possibly even very flawed. This gives the movie an admirable realism : war happens to everyone, and not just to the wise, the gallant, the decent, the likeable. Moreover, "De vijanden" focuses mainly on the confusion involved in a major battle. Our three protagonists stumble around in the dark, not knowing who or what they're going to meet around the next corner. For much of the time, they proceed by luck and guesswork - sometimes with a degree of success, sometimes not. This element, again, imbues the movie with a considerable realism ; also with a considerable unpredictability.
The well-done battle scenes impress, especially when it comes to evoking the vast noise, chaos and confusion involved. Just like the protagonists, the viewer will have great difficulty in analyzing the events : are we looking, say, at Americans approaching, at Germans approaching, at Germans fleeing ? Is that barely glimpsed or guessed-at figure between the trees an American G.I., a German soldier, a Belgian civilian, a German soldier posing as a Belgian Resistance fighter ? It is a sobering thought, that in real life soldiers had to take thousands of split-second decisions based on dimly sensed impressions.
However, I can't wholeheartedly recommend the movie. The movie has energy, realism, unpredictability, yes - but at the same time it feels uneven, even amateuristic. There's a strong sense of missed opportunities and professional inexperience. Moreover, a young Robbe De Hert gives a mediocre performance, in a clear case of "Don't give up your day job, kid". Many a viewer will be waiting, nay praying for his character to get a bullet through the cranium...