Starring - Monique van de Ven (Amsterdamned, Daylight), Kees Brusse (Mysteries, Blue Movie), and Willeke van Ammelrooy (The Lake House, Lost Transport)
Release Date - 1974
Genre - Adventure/Drama
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
Most of the movies I get in for review are horror and I have nothing negative to say about that. Even if I don't like the movies sent my way for review, I still love watching them. It's an experience sitting down to watch someone's hard work, seeing actors with little to no experience hope in front of the camera with nothing but love for the genre in their hearts. With that being said, I do get in the random non-horror title for review from some of the boutique labels that I've became acquainted with over the years. Most of them send over exploitation flicks or the random low budget direct to video action flicks that have been lost to time. However, companies like Cult Epics have put a lot of time and focus on bringing international titles to the states in recent years which has broadened my viewing up greatly. Sometime back they sent me the 1974 adventure drama Dakota from filmmaker Wim Verstappen. I want to thank Cult Epics for sending this one over!
The film follows a passionate pilot who wants take his DS3, or Dakota, plan across the Atlantic where he encounters several unexpected problems.
I knew Dakota wasn't going to be a movie that my typical readers would be interested in but I always feel obligated to review a movie that is sent to me regardless if it was horror or not. With that being said, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about the film prior to watching it. It looked interesting to say the least and I love watching movies I had never seen before regardless of the genre. Sadly, the movie just wasn't for me. It's not a bad movie but I'm clearly not the target audience for this adventure drama. The acting in this one is solid for the most part. The scenes with Brusse alone are very well done. The setting for the film is very small with Brusse alone most of the time but he is still able to pull off some seriously fantastic acting with one sided dialogue and his mannerisms. It's when Brusse is with other cast members that we see some stiff dialogue that is a bit awkward coming from the veteran actor. The supporting cast is solid but Brusse is the main focus of this one. The story for this one is straight to the point and I'm sure it's overflowing with details that only true aviators will understand. I am not someone with an interest in planes or flying. As for the film itself, I enjoyed it for a short time but did find myself bored through most of the film. The beautiful shots from the pilots perspective and of the plane flying is beautiful but doesn't really hold the viewer's attention like it would someone that has an interest in the topic. Finally, the film is not one with blood and guts so those of you looking for that type of film will be very disappointed. The film is solely focused on the flight and how the pilot handles the issues he faces in his flight. Overall, Dakota is going to be a film that several can appreciate for how beautiful the film is but even fewer can appreciate for the story telling. I really wanted to like this one but at the end of the day it just wasn't for me.
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