The Silent Army by Jean van de Velde

Marco Borsato is a famous singer (in the Netherlands and in Belgium) of mostly upbeat, melodramatic songs, often Dutch versions of Italian songs. He is also an ambassador to War Child, a foundation that strives to give aid and comfort to traumatized children from war zones.

This combination has led to a curious marriage of commercialism and idealism in The Silent Army, a film in which Borsato makes his acting debut as a widowed chef who takes on a ruthless rebel leader to rescue a child soldier. The budget was a staggering 7 million Euros which translates to an unDutchlike amount of explosions, stunts involving helicopters and beautiful shots of the African wilderness. However, all the money in the world can’t elevate Borsato’s wooden acting and lethargic responses to the carnage that surrounds him.

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Well, I wouldn’t go that far just yet, but I’d say the road to Heaven might not be littered with films in which a white dude unconvincingly takes on an army of evil black guys for the sake of the suffering little children. Especially when your film, soundtrack, concert and DVD-registration bring in the big bucks.

Luuk van Huet