Myriam Nys Movie dedicated to the life and times of Michiel de Ruyter, an admiral who is to the Dutch what Nelson is to the English. The Dutch see him as one of the architects of their survival, independence and prosperity - try and get more heroic than that.First the good : the movie is a feast for the eyes. The very best visual and special effects are used to recreate seventeenth-century vessels and naval battles. These splendid ships, multiplied beyond counting, are so achingly beautiful that they seem to belong in a painter's dream of heaven. The locations, the props, the costumes : they're all superbly convincing and delightful to look at. Watching the movie means traveling back to the seventeenth century, as in a time machine.So the movie works, as a window on another time. It also works as a history lesson : even people unfamiliar with the birth pangs of the modern Netherlands will grasp the stakes of the various wars and civic disorders going on.But that's about it. There are failures of the imagination, probably at the level of directing and writing. The movie describes ferociously exciting events, but it isn't all that exciting itself ; it gives us an engaging portrayal of an important man, but it fails to dig deep into his soul ; it deals with subjects such as conspiracy, torture and political assassination, but it struggles to grasp or convey the nature of human evil. The movie also makes some inexplicable choices : for instance, Rutger Hauer (a fine artist and a member of Dutch acting royalty) shows up at the beginning, only in order to die nobly a few minutes later. Spellbinding it is not.Last but not least there is the music. I really really did not like it - it was bombastic and it ruined pretty much every moment which could or should have been heartrending, such as the lynching of the de Witt brothers or the funeral of the great admiral himself.

Arturo S Suarez-Silverio I award this movie only nine stars because nothing man-made, including this review, has been proved to be perfect so far. But "Admiral" is as close to perfection as it gets. Frank Lammers, cast as Michiel de Ruyter, is up to this challenging role. He leads the fleet of the Dutch Republic, a confederation of seven often quarreling provinces or states, against the powerful fleet of the British empire. He is an inspiring commander and a doting husband and father. He is a military tactician of the first order and a soldier's soldier. The lovely Sanne Langelar, cast as his wife and as the mother of his three children, has just as much integrity and valor as he does. When in the middle of the night a multitudinous, violent mob bent on destruction swarms around the home where she lives with her children, she confronts them alone, wearing no greater protection than a nightgown. The supporting cast is outstanding and works well together to bring alive a dynamic period of Dutch history. The Republic's success in naval warfare didn't discourage her opponents, who combined against her. This turning of events is the tragic background for the convincing performance of Barry Atsma, cast as Johan de Witt, the "Grand Pensioner" of the Republic. He poignantly portrays the transient nature of success and its dangers. Under his stewardship, the Republic scored victories against the British crown. While he earned a measure of satisfaction, those victories bred factionalism and resentment at home. As de Witt, Atsma journeys from consummate optimism to soul-crushing self doubt. His loathsome end tinged with the stench of betrayal comes when the frontiers of the Republic buckle under the combined assault of her massed enemies. Lieke Van Lexmond is sumptuously seductive and wholesome in the role of his wife, Wendela. Egbert Jan Weeber, cast as Willem III, proves himself up to the demands of his "anti- hero" role, which requires him to be principled, conniving, and remorseful at different points. Charles Dance portrays British monarch Charles II as the avatar or British power, supremely disdainful towards anyone opposed to his designs, proving that he enjoyed a degree of impunity that de Witt, who was one defeat removed from being lynched, sorely lacked. Discussing the work of all the others who made the film possible would add excessive length to this review, whose point is pretty straightforward: go watch the movie!I'm sure that the true story of how a small nation like Holland survived and prospered in Europe is rich, complex, and full of lessons. "The Admiral" is a superb introduction to this subject.

kosmasp It's not the three musketeers and I'm not even sure what this is based on. Though I reckon a bit of research here, will bring up a lot of that stuff, so I won't have to bore you with that. I was a bit surprised to see this coming from Holland. On the other hand, they are a bit more free when it comes to nudity (just in case you are prude or have a general issue with that, a heads up).The general swords play and the effects are pretty good. Unfortunately the German disc only had the dubbed version on it, so I couldn't enjoy the real actors voice and environment noise of the production. But it's still made an impression on me and the movie is really rock solid (for some maybe even more than that). The set design, the ships, everything screams a bigger budget than they actually had. Not to mention some very serious acting talent at hand ...

Joe_Eagles ***Contains some spoilers**** I like the movie for the action, the settings, the cloths, the ships, etc. although for sure there will be errors made there. A movie like this will always have some historical inaccuracies. European history is complicated and Dutch history is no exception. That being said, there is a line between inaccuracies and plain distortion of the facts. I am Dutch and not a royalist at all, on the contrary. But I wonder if the producers and directors had some anti-Orange agenda. First of all the insinuation of homosexuality with William the 3rd. It was too much. At the time -when he became king of England, Scotland and Ireland- there were rumors. But he married. His wife had a miscarriage and could not conceive afterwards. They apparently loved each other very much, although he also had a mistress. Bentinck (his insinuated lover) had a bunch of children. Next thing, his implication in the assassination of de DeWitt brothers. There is no historical proof of that although it cannot be excluded. Who was part of that conspiracy was Tromp and Kievit of course. Then the scene that William forced de Ruyter to a 'suicide' mission, threatening the safety of his family if he wouldn't go. Again, no proof of that.The struggle between the Statists and the Organgist was hard, often brutal but let's not taint this history with invented stories to spice up the movie. That period in Dutch history was indeed epic and defined a nation. De Ruyter saved the Republic on more than one occasion. He was a brilliant sailor and commander.