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Riphagen the Untouchable

Name: Riphagen the Untouchable
Director: Pieter Kuijpers
Released: 2016
Duration: 132 min

Representation Score

5.0/10

Fair

2016

Director

Pieter Kuijpers

Runtime

132 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Riphagen the Untouchable is a gritty historical drama that prioritizes moral ambiguity over modern identity-based representation. It succeeds by deconstructing the heroic clichés of war cinema, focusing instead on the murky intersection of criminality and collaboration during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. The film's strength lies in its institutional critique. By centering on a collaborator who profits from systemic corruption, the story challenges traditional notions of patriotism and explores the breakdown of social contracts during wartime. However, the narrative remains tethered to the conventional hierarchies of the 1940s. Control over the story is largely concentrated among male figures in the underworld and military, leaving little room for diverse gendered or non-straight perspectives.

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Category Breakdown

Does Riphagen the Untouchable have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the criminal underworld and Nazi occupation in 1944 Amsterdam. There is no explicit centering of LGBTQ+ identities or critiques of straight relationships within the narrative.

How does Riphagen the Untouchable portray gender?

Fair

Power dynamics are concentrated within male-dominated hierarchies, specifically the underworld boss and Nazi occupiers. The film lacks evidence of women subverting these structures or disrupting traditional gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Riphagen the Untouchable?

Fair

The story centers on Dutch and German populations during the occupation. While it addresses systemic oppression and persecuted freedom fighters, it lacks a diverse, multi-ethnic ensemble.

How does Riphagen the Untouchable represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative offers a complex critique of institutional corruption and patriotism. It explores moral relativism by framing the occupying government and criminal underworld as predatory forces.

Does Riphagen the Untouchable include disability representation?

Minimal

The available information provides no evidence regarding the inclusion or portrayal of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Provides a sophisticated critique of institutionalized oppression and systemic corruption.
Challenges traditional war cinema clichés by exploring moral relativism and situational ethics.
Offers a complex look at the friction between individual control and authority during societal collapse.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant control for female characters within the established power hierarchies.
Does not feature a diverse, multi-ethnic ensemble beyond the primary Dutch and German populations.
Provides no visible or meaningful representation of LGBTQ+ identities or disability.

Official Synopsis

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1944, during World War II. Andries Riphagen, a powerful underworld boss, has made his fortune by putting his many criminal talents at the service of the Nazi occupiers. But the long battle is about to end and the freedom fighters, who have been persecuted and murdered for years, are abandoning their hideouts to mercilessly hunt down those who have collaborated with the killers.

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