Stormforce (2006) User Reviews

decent but riddled with cliché

[myriamlenys · 7/10 · 19 October 2017]

Technically well-made movie with some daring stunts and spectacular set-pieces. The movie is inspired by the work of the helicopter-based rescue teams bringing help to those in peril on the sea, to wit the North Sea close to Belgium.

There are a number of impressive shots of the Belgian coastline. Compare the natural beauty of the coast with the hideous ugliness of human habitation - and discover why environmentalists and city planners all over the world speak of "Belgian coastline syndrome", with shuddering horror in their voices.

There are also a number of tastefully done nude or semi-nude shots, presumably for those viewers who don't yet know what a naked lady or gentleman looks like.

"Windkracht 10" is not an unpleasant movie, but it would have been much better if it had been more daring and imaginative. Sadly it is ridden by cliché. Rivalry between various branches of police, armed forces and civil protection - check. Young and brilliant officer shunned as a dangerous maverick - check. People obsessed by an old accident for which they feel responsible - check. Cute pet adopted under difficult circumstances - check. Adorable young boy in danger - check. Mother and infant surrounded by flames - check.

I could go on like this for several paragraphs, but my computer is getting tired...

Still, the movie left me with a deep appreciation for the real-life men and women who perform this most dangerous and necessary of tasks. Try crawling through the oil-filled corridors of a burning ship - it doesn't bear thinking about...

Average At Best

[plentyofspam · 4/10 · 27 July 2009]

There is nothing special about this movie. It's a common plot--a man and a woman can't stand each other, they fall in love, one is in danger and the other is worried, danger is over and they live happily ever after. It's very similar to "The Guardian" which released days before but I much prefer the conflict in The Guardian over this one.

I watched the version with English overdubbed. Some of the dialog was just plain stupid. Either they didn't translate it correctly or it was bad in the first place. Other parts were difficult to understand but not debilitating.

They had to throw in the obligatory nude scene but it seemed to serve only to force the rating to R. It added nothing to the movie and shouldn't have even been included.

They threw in the obligatory animal too and kept showing a dog all the way through the movie but they didn't develop its character at all. Sometimes you had to ask yourself how the dog got where it was. In the end the only conclusion is that they brought it with them in a helicopter--something a real squad simply would not do.

I considered ejecting the DVD I had rented about half way through but since it had an exciting beginning I decided to stick it out to the end. I wish I had ejected it. I'll never get those two hours back!

One of the worst dub jobs I've had the misfortune to hear

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 9 May 2017]

STORMFORCE is a laughably inept Belgian drama about a helicopter rescue crew whose business it is to go around saving lives in their native country. The first thing you notice when watching the English version of this film is just how bad the dubbing is; astonishingly bad, in fact, with no effort to make the words match the mouth movements and really bad, over-emphasised voice performances throughout.

The story mixes in the usual clichéd elements, foremost of which is a cheesy romance between male and female crew members. There are some low rent disaster scenarios about rescuing people from a powerful storm, but it all smacks of sentimentality and the action is nothing to write home about whatsoever.

Top Gun-style coast guard movie has a heart

[ridleyrules · 8/10 · 23 January 2007]

Rick Symons (a handsome Kevin Janssens) is a maverick diver in the Belgian navy. His actions embarrass his superiors and he is reassigned to the 40th division of the air force. In Belgium, the coast guard is a part of the army. His new job is to rescue people lost at sea, while being towed down from a helicopter.

At the coast guard, he has to team up with a young nurse, Alex (Veerle Baetend, with a girl-next-door type of charm). Alex had to fight for her position in this masculine world. There is also Marleen (Tine Reymer) and her wheel-chaired husband Koen (Axel Daeseleire). Rick knows them from the past, but how are they connected?

When you are at sea, rescuing people under hazardous conditions, your life depends on the men and women you work with. Alex hears that Rick can't be trusted and brings his co-workers in danger. Alex has to decide if she wants to be in the same team with him.

This is the beginning of a story that alternates between high thrills action and human emotional drama: On one side, there is grand action adventure in the air and at sea, On the other, is the drama of complex relations between friends and colleagues. On both aspects, this movie really delivers. The rescue actions are quite spectacular and thrilling. The human side of the story is brought convincingly and feels real.

I felt a lump in my throat quite a couple of times. It was not hard to identify with the characters on the screen. The picture is very efficient in introducing the characters. Without many words being spoken, you get to know who these people are and you feel a connection with them almost immediately. Well, at least I did.

This movie is drawn on the same template as 1986's Top Gun. It features an exciting part of the army, with brave and charming protagonists. Like Top Gun, this movie sometimes feels like a long job recruitment commercial, in this case for the coast guard. Who wouldn't want to be working with these people who do such dangerous but admirable work? Although filmed apparently with a much lower budget than its US air force example (the equivalent of USD 5 million), this picture easily matches the quality of photography and the delivery of exciting action.

I think this movie succeeds even better on the human side of the story. Although the elements of the story are nothing that we have not seen before elsewhere, the portrayals of the main characters are convincing enough and carry depth. This side of the movie made more impact on me during one theater visit than Top Gun did during 7 or 8 viewings.

The movie is beautifully shot in Cinemascope. Unfortunately the filmmakers seemed to be fond of their digital toolbox and gave many scenes a yellow glow. At times this felt a bit overdone. The scoring by Matt Dunkley (who I didn't know) is quite adequate and never becomes noticeable, which usually is a good sign.

I have not seen the original TV-series "Windkracht 10" (translates to "Wind Force 10"), on which this movie is based. I have also not yet seen the 2006 US coast guard drama "The Guardian", which touches on the same line of work. So I have no direct comparison. I liked this one, though.

I recommend this movie to anybody who likes adventure stories mixed with human drama. Just don't expect an original and unpredictable story.

I rate this movie 8 out of 10, so quite high, because it really struck a chord with me. I can't go any higher, because of the "job commercial", glamorizing aspects and lack of originality in the script. So my verdict: 8/10.

Release / language trivia: The spoken language is Dutch, or rather the Belgian dialect also called Flemish. (Of course, the usual air force jargon is spoken, which is mostly English). In neighboring country The Netherlands, where Dutch is the national language, the movie is shown in theaters with Dutch subtitles. I must say, that this makes the dialog easier to follow.

Marketing trivia: This (for local production standards) big budget movie has been released in a very limited way in the Netherlands. This, in spite of its potential appeal to a wide audience. There has not been much promotion. I saw this movie in its first week on a Monday night with no more than 10 people at the only screening of the day.

International release expectations: Although the film does not seem to aim at the Anglosaxon world, it should do well in other international markets. Especially in regions with sea coasts, this should be a recognizable story. Audiences that are used to seeing their movies dubbed or subtitled anyways, would enjoy the high production values and universal themes. Also, the humor is mostly physical (no word jokes) and there is no frontal nudity or extreme violence.

Soppy

[dierregi · 4/10 · 9 April 2022]

Cocky special operative Rick plays a dirty trick on attractive medic Alex and is then sent to her base as a punishment.

There follows a soppy love-hate relationship, with a rather unoriginal background story, involving Marleen and Koen, a couple of Rick's friends.

Think 'Top Gun' revisited, but way soppier and cheesier.

a story about a diver and a medic, and how they will/will not come together.

[elkesnoeks · 9/10 · 23 May 2007]

I enjoyed the film very very much. It took me 5 minutes to hook up with Rik Symons, and he got me through the whole story. I like the combination of strong characters, and the very good action scenes. Very well done, for such a small budget. It really looks very real. As we say in French: 'Chapeau!'. The actors' performances are very convincing. I already saw 'The Alzheimer Case' with Koen De Bouw, and in this film he is very good again. I like Kevin Jansens, and the combination of very subtle scenes and the big action scenes he's in. I heard they shot a part of the film in the underwater studios at Pinewood in England. It is impossible to see what is shot in studio, and what is shot outside. Again, that is really well done.