Breakdown Forest

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I see that we have another German movie here after Kidnapping Stella.

Vampire Bat: Well, good German movies have been hard to find from here.

Vampire Owl: You have found so many of such movies so far. You can find more.

Vampire Bat: Finding and watching such movies has been a programme of the COVID-19 lock-down, and it has been tiring.

Vampire Owl: We are not supposed to be tired as far as movies are concerned.

Vampire Bat: Well, you just can’t decide when to get tired.

Vampire Owl: Vampires don’t get tired that easily, especially the chosen ones like us.

Vampire Bat: It is fate. People used to believe that vampires don’t get infected with the Corona Virus, but that has been proven wrong.

Vampire Owl: That was just some random bat virus which was not named.

Vampire Bat: Well, you never know that!

[Gets a vanilla cake and three glasses of mango shake].

What is the movie about? :: A police officer Leon Kamarowski (Bartholomaaus Kowalski) wakes up to find himself alone and vulnerable in a dense forest, and despite making different attempts, is unable to find out where he is, and how he landed there. He meets another person very soon, and he is also suffering from the same situation. Soon, they are captured by a group of people, and they are also trying to figure out what has been happening around there, as there are many other people who have been forced to be there like them, with no clue how they got there. It seems that there is a plan to create an almost invincible superman from the genes of these people who have gathered in the forest, and someone is watching them. There is a pure racist ideology behind all of these, as they consider a number of people there to be subhumans with no hope or rights. There is also the presence of some unknown military out there, seemingly trying to make an example out of them.

So, what happens with the events here? :: At the same time, people also pay to be in the forest to hunt down these people for entertainment. Samira Ribbeck (Micaela Schafer) who is part of the powerful Ribbeck family responsible for putting people into this situation, is also waiting for her chance. Sajoscha Petrosevitsch (Patrick Roy Beckert), an assassin also wakes up at another part of the forest, and comes up against different people who have no idea why they are there or where they are. Claude-Germar Wischnewski (Curd Berger) who leads a group of survivors tries to make sure that all of them survives, and finds a way out of the forest. But with so many strong and influential people around, the question remains if there is a chance for them to defeat the forces and find the path that leads outside. The people in control are sure that death is the only way out, and it has been proven before many times. So, is there a real chance for any of these people out there?

The defence of Breakdown Forest :: The idea of Breakdown Forest is established very strongly in the early stages, and it only gets even further strong in the later stages. We have an idea behind all of these, and there is danger prevailing at all times. It makes us wonder about how far a racist ideology based on the Nazi thoughts from the Second World War can go, even though more than seventy five years have passed since the suicide of Hitler and the surrender of the Nazi German Empire. The action also takes over pretty quickly, especially with the shooting and all. The setting helps the case really well too. Some of the one-liners are there to stay, and so is are some of those violent, bloody moments. It also gives us the feeling of a video game at times, as people with guns are left in a forest to be hunted by others. This is why Breakdown Forest can surely have a sequel – something which focuses on its ideology even more and finishes this forest practice of the movie without giving a chance for returning.

The claws of flaw :: Breakdown Forest is not a movie which keeps a high level at all stages. It has an interesting idea behind it, even though not a new one as we look back at many movies including the historical as well as the superhero stuff. The movie could have developed same in a better way. There is so much to talk about regarding the film’s path forward, but it never really focuses on the same, and instead chooses to go on without that innovation which was there to be taken. The characters are also not focused well enough. There are moments when we feel that this is when the movie gets to a higher level, but that doesn’t happen, and it stays where it has always been. This experience in the forest could have surely been terrifying, and we wanted some ideological horror and bloody sequences with heavy action sequences, but the flick chooses to stay usual.

Performers of the soul :: The movie doesn’t focus on its characters enough, especially when we were expecting the same. Most of the characters seemingly played by some actors and actresses who would be able to make a bigger impact on other day, goes away too easily and too quickly. The fire that seemed to be ready for them is just not there. Bartholomaaus Kowalski and Claude-Oliver Rudolph are pretty good in leading the way here, and you see that they are capable of doing the same in so many occasions. Micaela Schafer was the one who was supposed to bring the grand twist, but she doesn’t really get any of the action as she is killed soon enough – the character was supposed to be the difference maker, but is done soon, and that is the biggest disappointment in this film. Maybe, the film needs a sequel to explain some of its actions which works against it. The support from the cast is pretty much okay, and there is just some trouble here and there.

How it finishes :: Breakdown Forest is a movie with an idea which stays behind the gunshots and all the action. With such an interesting setting, we are always expecting a lot. One might end up feeling that it doesn’t deliver up to that expectations, still the film manages to be entertaining enough with everything that comes together. During the time of Corona Virus, watching good movies from other languages has been a fashion, and you can also add this film to that list, as it entertains as much as most of the other movies. I would suggest some of the movies in other languages too, as you reading about this particular flick. There are some interesting Romanian, Serbian, Russian, French, Korean, Dutch, Spanish and Chinese movies on this site too, and you might want to take a look at those COVID-19 special films. As you read about those movies, let us hope that this pandemic will also come to an end, and things will go back to us watching all the cinema at the theatres!

Release date: 20th June 2019
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Patrick Roy Beckert
Starring: Bartholomaaus Kowalski, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Curd Berger, Patrick Roy Beckert, Micaela Schafer, Ralf Richter, Mathieu Carriere, Martin Semmelrogge, Elena Carriere, Philipp Berka, Heiko Bender, Alessandro Alex Ali, Uwe Choroba, Jannik Duren, Askim Ali Erdogan, Uwe Fellensiek, Sandra Schmidt, Jasmina Rode-Kircher

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the first Portuguese movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Italian movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Latin movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Polish movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Russian movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Serbian movie review on the site.

<— Click here to go to the first Russian movie review on the site.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Torpedo U-235

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Do you remember when was the last time we saw a torpedo in a movie?

Vampire Bat: Yes, it was in The Wolf’s Call, a French movie.

Vampire Owl: This one wouldn’t have that one being launched, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this one seems to show the need to deliver the torpedo.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that this movie is set during the Second World War.

Vampire Bat: Yes, it seems to have fictionalized history well enough.

Vampire Owl: For some reasons, the name of Hitler is coming back at different places.

Vampire Bat: Yes, after all, the Second World War is the event most learned in classes.

Vampire Owl: Well, he is the best known figure of that particular war, isn’t he?

Vampire Bat: Yes, everyone I have seen in the vampire world knows that man.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: The Second World War is at its higher points with Hitler’s power unmatched by anyone else, and during these times, commander Stan (Koen De Bouw) and his weird group of resistance fighters are given the mission to deliver a stolen Nazi submarine filled with atomic uranium, which can be used for weaponization. This amount of uranium, if captured by the Nazis again, could lead to terrible consequences. Therefore, the team would do anything to get it to the United States, while Nazi Germany would do anything to make sure that it doesn’t. The team has to get this boat from Congo, and they are given some time to study about the submarine, the German u-boat, short form for undersea boat. But they have to start the journey too early, because they are discovered by German Destroyer ships from a distance, with information about their mission being leaked. Due to the same, Stan is also forced to take his daughter Nadine (Ella-June Henrard) with them, whom he was planning to leave at a safe place in Congo.

So, what happens with the events here? :: Stan himself has a past with the Nazi death squads, as he had tried to save a few Jews who were running away from Hitler’s Jewish Holocaust, and he had lost his wife and son in the process, left only with Nadine – the girl is in love with Filip (Joren Seldeslachts), another member of the crew, a relationship which Stan doesn’t approve of. The team also has help from a German captain who knows the u-boats in and out, as well as an African man who was left inside the submarine while loading the supplies from outside. These two are to become two important people who would be instrumental in ensuring the team’s survival. During the first and Second World Wars, the u-boats were efficient weapons against enemy naval warships, best used in enforcing blockades. They were not that into direct battles, and attacked merchant convoys bringing supplies from parts of the British Empire, and from the United States to Europe, but in this case, it has to prepare for battles too – can they survive?

The defence of Torpedo: U-235 :: The movie has some nice visuals, not just outside, but also inside the u-boat submarine which has some nice detail, even though not as much as we had seen in The Wolf’s Call. But it is always nice to see one of those older type of submarines both inside and outside. The movie seems to be made in a low budget considering its content, and has done pretty well to rise above those limitations. There are some fine action sequences, most of them involving guns, but there are not too many – we do have torpedo launches too, as we see two submarines going against each other, a submarine against a destroyer, and a submarine against a fighter plane. The feeling of the Second World War and the Nazi terror is maintained throughout the movie – there is a Nazi threat over the head at all times. It is the kind of thing that can keep almost any movie alive. This is the kind of movie which could have another mission with another movie in this franchise with fictionalized World War bravery.

The claws of flaw :: The movie has a little too many dialogues, and often it gets far above the action which happens. The romantic and emotional side of the movie including the girl is rather dull. The romance becomes a rather unnecessary addition which doesn’t seem to have much of the romantic elements, and the emotional side gets rather too weak because of this love story that works in between. The funny side is also not used to its best advantage, and the final moments seem a little bit forced – for some reason, they wanted to save the girl’s life; maybe the shortage of female characters went to far ahead, and for the same, they want to do the impossible defying logic. The film surely could have had a better climax and ending, because so much was established in between, with the scope seemingly reaching a new level. Maybe they felt that there was enough already and didn’t want to try too hard – well, that is true as we look and understand that it has enough to be an action thriller mostly set inside a Nazi submarine with atomic submarine inside it.

Performers of the soul :: Ella-June Henrard plays a character who seems to be there just because they needed a female character in a movie full of men – she doesn’t get to do much until the movie gets towards the end, and most of the time, serves as just a distraction. When such a decision was made, it needed to have better quality with opportunities as well as the performances, and without the first one mentioned, we can’t really have the second one. Maybe they wanted to give her something, and provided her the perfect shot even though she was not really supposed to be part of the team. A Belgian actor Koen De Bouw plays the main character, a Nazi hater with a rough past, and he does very well, while a German actor Thure Riefenstein plays the German u-boat Captain who displays some hope for humanity during a time of terrible crisis and hostility against humanity. Joren Seldeslachts who plays the love interest of the girl is caught in that romantic side, but otherwise it works well for him too. The next one to make an impression is the man from Congo who is left in the submarine as it dives, and he is one force who will be noticed for sure.

How it finishes :: Torpedo: U-235 serves the purpose in having another fictionalized account of war, and it is always better to have this one instead of movies like Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds because this one at least has some control over its history and doesn’t decide to kill Hitler in ridiculous ways. There are similarities which can be found here related to the latter. Our movie here has some fine content, and it has a thrilling adventure which could have been better – it doesn’t use its submarine to that much of an effect like The Wolf’s Call did. But you are not short of entertainment, and there is also a certain amount of humour in store along with the seriousness related to the atomic uranium, and the danger of traveling under water with such scary stuff, along with being chased by powerful German submarines, fighter planes and destroyer ships. When you make a World War II movie well enough as this one, there is entertainment, and we are glad to have the same to go through such edge of the seat moments.

Release date: 23rd October 2019
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Sven Huybrechts
Starring: Koen De Bouw, Thure Riefenstein, Ella-June Henrard, Joren Seldeslachts, Sven De Ridder, Stefan Perceval, Bert Haelvoet, Rudy Mukendi, Gilles De Schryver, Robrecht Vanden Thoren, Vic de Wachter, Martin Semmelrogge, Stefan Weinert