Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Andy44 I have enjoyed seeing this movie more than twice because:It's true. It includes humor and absurdity along with fighting the good fight. It doesn't flinch from the ugly. Great music. Fine acting. Well crafted in creating the historic atmosphere. Dense with character. Entertaining pace.The first time I saw it I was a little bothered by the way it seemed to just "walk along" -then he did this then they did that then this happened- like a diary. But I later came to like that style, maybe because war, like life, is "just one damned thing after another".I'd love to read the memoir it's based on, but the last time I looked it hadn't been translated into English.I wonder if Verhoeven ever looks back and wishes he could have/would have made more like this instead of Showgirls, Robocop, and such.

Kees de Vos (deVos) OK, i am sooo prejudiced being from Holland. And maybe that's the point. This movie is all about reinventing your prejudices. It tells the story how, at first sight, almost identical lives take different turns under intense circumstances, without it being really (in most cases) clear what drives one person one way and another the other way. This is not really a war story, but a story about evolving personalities. People become heroes or traitors almost by circumstance. The Second World War is merely a catalyst for this evolution.Please go see it (on DVD, out in sort notice) and prove me right or wrong. PS. one of the best music scores of all time from the late Rogier van Otterloo.

Exiled_Archangel I just watched Soldaat Van Oranje, and I'm absolutely fascinated. It's a typical war flick in many senses, but it's probably one of the best ever made if not THE ONE. My heartfelt thanks and congratulations go to the entire crew who made this masterpiece. For 156 minutes, I was a young Dutchman wanting my country to be saved from the Nazis! After some point, it was like watching a football game. "Come on boy, you'll score, smash the bloody Nazi b**tard!" sort of thing.. I was inside the scene! The acting, camera work, screenplay, all flawless. Especially Rutger Hauger shines starting with the first breath. Unless he actually experienced all this stuff and reincarnated afterwards to make this movie, his was the BEST ACTING I'VE EVER SEEN!!! The rest of the cast is also fabulous. I usually try to mention the slightest flaw in a movie when I write a comment on here, no matter how much I liked it. But this time, I won't be able to, because this movie simply has no flaw at all. It's perfect, marvellous, stunning, any other adjective that addresses perfection! Anyone with a heart will LOVE this movie! A well-deserved ***** from me.

Infofreak Apparently when Spielberg saw 'Soldier Of Orange' he phoned Paul Verhoeven congratulating him and urging him to come to Hollywood. That took about ten years but in retrospect in might have been a big mistake. Despite an excellent Hollywood debut (the savage science fiction satire 'RoboCop', still one of Verhoeven's best), the directors movies have been mostly disappointing ever since. Just compare his most recent movie, the lame 'Hollow Man', to this one. There's no denying that there has been a major drop in quality. 'Soldier Of Orange' is worth mentioning in the same breath as such classic war movies as Kubrick's 'Paths Of Glory', Fuller's 'The Big Red One' and Peckinpah's 'Cross Of Iron'. It's that good. Considering it was made by a director with a reputation for provocation and general outrageousness, it plays it surprisingly straight, and in my opinion is all the better for it. There is some violence, but it is appropriate for the subject matter, and there is very little sex. This is quite an epic story dealing with the fates of six University friends in Holland after the outbreak of WW2. The ensemble cast is excellent, but Verhoeven favourites Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe are particularly outstanding. Hauer still has a strong cult following despite appearing in a string of b-grade movies for many years. Krabbe is best remembered by most movie fans as a Bond villain, if he's remembered at all. It's such a shame neither actor achieved the international success they both deserved. Check out their performances in 'Soldier Of Orange', Krabbe's in 'The Fourth Man', and Hauer's in 'Flesh & Blood'. Verhoeven certainly got the best out of them both. The supporting cast also includes dependable Brit Edward Fox ('The Day Of The Jackal') and Susan Penhaligon of cult Aussie thriller 'Patrick'. 'Soldier Of Orange' will be quite an eye opener for anyone unfamiliar with Verhoeven's pre-Hollywood output. It's a first rate war movie that has just about something for everyone. Highly recommended, as is the equally good (but very different) 'Spetters' and 'The Fourth Man'.