The East

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1:46

The East

2021

2h 20m

War

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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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.

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Phuong Le

Guardian

Sep 27, 2021

2/5

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.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Aug 17, 2021

3/5

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.

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Aug 13, 2021

2/4

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.

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Ema Sasic

Next Best Picture

Jun 21, 2022

6/10

"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.

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Oct 4, 2021

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

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Sep 5, 2021

[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.

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Magnus A

@RT19500319 Aug 6, 2025

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.

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Michael W

@mawilps Jun 22, 2022

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.

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Jim Taihuttu

Director

Martijn Lakemeier

Johan

Marwan Kenzari

Raymond Westerling

Jonas Smulders

Mattias

Abel van Gijlswijk

Charlie

Coen Bril

Eddy

The East: Trailer 1

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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

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