I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Excellent, a Must See

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

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

'De Aanslag' is an epic drama taking place in the final days of German occupation of the Netherlands in 1945.A Nazi collaborator, Ploeg, was shot dead in Haarlem, and the corpse dragged to the front of a neighbouring house. When the Nazis arrived they assumed that the people in that house were responsible, arrested the occupants and set the house alight. Several other people were also rounded up and all executed. The exception is Anton, the 12 year old son of the family who lived in the house, who was taken to the military HQ and later sent to his uncle in Amsterdam.These traumatic events had a serious psychological impact on Anton, particularly in his later life. Like a slow puzzle, the pieces began fitting together. As an adult Anton discovered who killed the collaborator, and who dragged the body to the front of their house, events that had such devastating effects.It is an excellent film, but in my view a little too long. It loses momentum halfway through, but fortunately picks up again towards the end. Acting, cinematography and music score are top-notch. It brings a powerful anti-war message, and also explores the power of public mass protest to change the social order. I still score it a very good 8/10.

"The Assault", more than any other movie, shows that the Netherlands may have Europe's best output in terms of movies. In January, 1945, the Nazis are still occupying the Netherlands. One night, a Nazi guard is shot while on patrol. Immediately, the people in the house next to which he falls move him in front of the next house, where protagonist Anton Steenwijk lives. The Nazis kill Anton's parents and brother, and take Anton prisoner. In jail, he meets a woman, but can only see her mouth. She comforts him for a few minutes before they take her away.After the war ends, Anton spends the rest of his life trying to come to terms with what happened that night, and every woman with whom he hooks up has the same sort of mouth as the woman in the jail cell. Then, at the end of the movie, while at an anti-nuclear march in Paris, he learns the full story of what happened that night."The Assault" is a movie that will truly blow you away. It will shake you, but it's also about hope. You have to see it to understand how great it is. I recommend it to everyone.

WARNING - SPOILERS WITHIN!!!I first became familiar with THE ASSAULT through the Book of the Month Club. In the package with my book was a slim paperback volume that I hadn't ordered... I suppose they were clearing out the warehouse, and a copy of THE ASSAULT got tossed into my order as a freebie.It sat around ignored for a few months, and then one afternoon I got bored and needed something to read.Wow. Straight through in one sitting.Some time later, with no advertising or promotion of any kind, THE ASSAULT showed up in a local theater.Because of the total lack of promotion, this film is probably the greatest "sleeper" of the decade. It probably only played in the US at Art houses and a very small number of other theaters. Anyone who has encountered the work of Satre or Camus will find themselves right at home with this film. It's deep, involved, and engrossing... it shows that no one, no matter how close they are to an event, knows EVERYTHING about it.Young Anton Steenwjik is the sole survivor of the brutal murder of his entire family by German troops, and the burning of his home in Occupied Holland. The troops did it as retribution for a killing of a collaborator carried out by the local Dutch Underground Resistance cell in front of the Steenwjik home. Anton was there and he saw it all... but it takes a 20 year odyssey that stretches across most of Northern Europe for him to learn the WHOLE truth about that night and it's horrendous events. Therein lies the tale. And it's a tale that's well worth watching.Even tho I promised spoilers in this, I will NOT give you the BIG one... the most unexpected and ironic "Gotcha" I've ever seen in a movie.A VERY HIGHLY recommended film! If you get the chance, SEE IT!_________________________________________________________________I'm updating my comments after the fact.I recently saw the videotape version of the movie, and found myself somewhat disappointed... nay, OUTRAGED... by it.In an attempt to trim the film to fit on standard length tape stock I suppose, the VHS videotape version makes a cut which for me is FATAL... they cut the entire end of Anton's chance meeting with Fake Ploog's son. That 30 second or so edit completely changes the feeling and meaning of the entire sequence, completely destroying the delicate balance that the director put into the theatrical release version.If anyone reads this who is involved with a possible future DVD release of THE ASSAULT... I beg of you... PLEASE... NO EDITING!!!This film is carefully put together like a fine watch. If you remove ANYTHING, it's not going to work right!!! ____________________________________________________________________

I found this movie to be very thought-provoking, particularly its insights into the experiences of the residents of Holland during the Nazi occupation.One drawback in this movie was the totally incongruous chance meetings that Anton has with key individuals. e.g.: Ploeg's son just happens to be shoved into Anton's doorway during an anti-communist riot, Anton, while in a crowded cafe, just happens to be sitting right next to the man who shot Ploeg, and finally, in an anti-nuclear demonstration in which hundreds of people are marching, he just happens to be walking abreast of his long-ago next door neighbor!