The East

Play trailer

1:46

The East

Released Aug 13, 2021

2h 20m

War

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

During the post-WW2 Indonesian War of Independence, a young Dutch soldier joins an elite unit led by a mysterious captain known only as "The Turk." When the fighting intensifies, the young soldier finds himself questioning -- and ultimately challenging -- his commander's brutal strategy to stop the resistance.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Phuong Le

Guardian

Ostensibly a critique of imperialism, The East inadvertently commits the same sins as the old empire once did, as Indonesian characters are no more than window dressing.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 27, 2021

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

The East is an unrelenting condemnation of the Netherlands' misguided attempt to return its colonial outreach to a time long gone while hitting most (if not all) of the "doomed war" niche genre movie tropes without ever actually teetering into cliche.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 17, 2021

Full Review

Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

The East features more indulgence than criticism of the chauvinistic mentality that leads men to think that they can use others as a mirror for their own problems.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 13, 2021

Full Review

Ema Sasic

Next Best Picture

"The East" doesn't do much different when telling the story of the Indonesian War of Independence, but it does bring a new subject matter to viewers' attention that continues to show the painful side of war.

Rated: 6/10

Jun 21, 2022

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

It's a powerful story told with an eye for the epic.

Oct 4, 2021

Full Review

Carla Hay

Culture Mix

[It] could've been just another war film about a young man who starts off as a naïve soldier and ends up emotionally damaged. However, this sprawling epic about a Dutch soldier in the Indonesian War of Independence has intriguing and unpredictable twists.

Sep 5, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Magnus A

Very interesting angle on a much under-explored time and place. Excellent acting. Realistic. Even, low-key sometimes tense pace. Often strange and uncomfortable. An excellent down-beat thoughtful movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

Full Review

Raoul D

Jim Taihuttu is one of the best Dutch current directors and screenwriters. De Oost is technically stunning with great cinematography and good editing. Taihuttu makes absolutely great use of the scenery and action. However the use of flashbacks/forwards and mainly the acting are very weak parts. The movie definitely misses a good acting performance to keep interesting dialogues. The storyline in itself is profound, but the ending is insufficiently satisfactory.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This war movie was alright. The entire cast did a decent job in this movie and the plot of the movie was tedious and depressing. It's about fighting a war that isn't what you thought. If you haven't seen this movie yet, don't waste your time. It's not worth it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The story is very entertaining. The acting is great. But some parts of the movie were a bit weird. Ijust didn't get them. But for the rest it's a great movie. I recommend it!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jim Taihuttu

Director

Martijn Lakemeier

Johan

Marwan Kenzari

Raymond Westerling

Jonas Smulders

Mattias

Abel van Gijlswijk

Charlie

Coen Bril

Eddy

The East: Trailer 1

1:46

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

During the post-WW2 Indonesian War of Independence, a young Dutch soldier joins an elite unit led by a mysterious captain known only as "The Turk." When the fighting intensifies, the young soldier finds himself questioning -- and ultimately challenging -- his commander's brutal strategy to stop the resistance.

Director: Jim Taihuttu
Producer: Shanty Harmayn, Julius Ponten, Benoit Roland, Sander Verdonk
Screenwriter: Jim Taihuttu, Mustafa Duygulu
Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Production Co: Ideosource Entertainment, Wrong Men North, XYZ Films, Salto Films, Kaninga Pictures, New Amsterdam Film Company, Base Entertainment
Genre: War, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 13, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $46
Runtime: 2h 20m

Most Popular at Home Now