Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Scorpion (1984)
Director: Ben Verbong
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
When Lew Wolff (Tuinman), burdened with a criminal past and a bleak future, arrives in an out-of-season coastal resort on his way to a new life in America, he's hardly prepared for the danger and confusion that arise after he exchanges his own papers for a false passport: he reads reports of his death, is warned off, finds his room ransacked. For all the potential thrills thrown up by this premise, Verbong's film resembles his earlier The Girl with the Red Hair in emphasising theme, character and atmosphere rather than suspense. Set in Holland in 1956, the film examines the mysterious legacy of that country's colonial involvement in Indonesia during the '40s; and in asking where Sukarno's rebels obtained their arms in order to repel the Dutch, proposes some pretty unconvincing answers in some pretty awkward flashbacks. The main body of the film, however, is sensitive and engaging, and in moments of noir-flecked seediness comes truly alive.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Ben Verbong
Producer: Chris Brouwer, Haig Balian
Cast: Peter Tuinman, Monique van de Ven, Rima Melati, Senne Rouffaer, Walter Kous, Adrian Brine full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 98 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now