De Dominee

There are few opportunities to enjoy a Dutch movie. Hence, I watched The Preacher with élan, which chronicles the life of Klaas Bruinsma (allegedly a notorious gangster in the Netherlands). Its plot is quite familiar, reminding me of 上海滩.

A gorgeous Chantal Janzen (a leggy blonde with freckles) plays la femme fatale Annet, whose betrayal devastated the ruthless kingpin (who wrongly ordered the execution of his falsely accused friend Adri). I still don't fully understand her motives to frame the loyal Adri (revenge out of jealousy?) as Annet seems genuinely in love with (and fiercely possessive of) Klaas. Her own demise is surprisingly mute: he just pulled out a gun and quickly shot her twice while she's asleep in bed. She didn't even get to open her eyes before her brutal death. Despite its genre, I wonder why the film teems with gun violence. Is Holland so terrible?

For me, the most memorable scene is a toddler jumping to his father's embrace: the naïve boy standing on the tall stairs looked down trustingly at his father's wide-open arms and jumped when urged, but the father instantly sidestepped. Then with a cruel sneer, he coldly told the young child in pain on the floor, "No one is trustworthy" (I don't know the original Dutch). Such a vicious murder of innocence!