Having recently watched The Rehearsal on HBO about the training and communication skills of pilots and co-pilots; I’m in the proper mindset to appreciate a movie about a DC-3 Dakota airplane roaming the Caribbean Sea. The TV show got into the mindset of aviation pilots as Nathan Fielder explores and ultimately becomes a 737 pilot. The show was about the relationship between a pilot and a co-pilot. Dakota only has a pilot on the airplane, so his co-pilot is the autopilot.
Dick de Boer (Blue Movie‘s Kees Brusse) is a pilot in the Carribean operating out of Curaçao. Dakota is a tiny airline that appears to only have one plane and Dick is the only employee. During a cargo delivery on a remote island, Dick comes up with an inventive way to drop the containers out of the back without help. He gets in trouble with the local aviation guy at the airport isn’t thrilled that he has no co-pilot. The aging plane is up for an inspection and it might cost a large chunk of cash to get it into shape. While he’s had no safety issues in 20 years, these might be the final days. The aviation guy has good news for him since a woman has contacted him about hiring his plane. He goes out to a nice beach compound and meets Claudia (Turkish Delight & Amsterdamned‘s Monique van de Ven). She’s willing to pay a premium price to go island hoping for several days and wants Dick’s services. Things get bumpy when he can’t get gas for his plane because of the bank. It’s not that Claudia gave him a bad check – it’s just the bank account belongs to people suspected of being a criminal operation. He ignores the warning since he needs the money. Early in their trip, Claudia gets a bit romantic with him on the beach. She hints about them flying back to Holland in his plane with a little extra cargo. Dick isn’t down for such a plan including the fact that it’s a long flight and a DC3 isn’t able to handle gas wise. They part ways, but the deal isn’t over. Her friend Helen (Diana Dobbelman) asks Dick for a serious favor to fly the mysterious cargo off the island. He eventually concedes to her since he needs a payday or his days of island hopping will end with a failed inspection. But he needs to figure out a way to set up the airplane to make it across the Atlantic to Holland. Can he pull off this mission?
Dakota is about Dick’s relationship with the airplane. It’s like a reworking of The Spirit of St. Louis if Charles Lindburgh was running contraband over the ocean instead of grasping for fame. We see what Dick goes through in isolation as he makes this marathon flight. There’s a poetic nature to his solo flight. He puts a bit of faith in the auto pilot so he can get a little rest behind all the extra barrels of fuel that have replaced the passenger seats. There’s quite a bit of jeopardy including when he has to refuel mid-flight over the ocean. Dakota seems to be what modern filmmakers are angling to capture when they make an inspired by the ’70s film about a single guy on a mission.
What’s remarkable about Dakota is this is not the film that director Wim Verstappen (Pastorale 1943) started making when he touched down in the Carribean location. Turns out that early into production, Verstappen had serious issues with director of photography Jan de Bont (future director of Speed and Twister). While it’s not unusual to have a creative difference and swap out the cinematographer; the trouble is that de Bont and leading actress Monique van de Ven were dating. She split with her boyfriend (eventually they married and divorced). This happened deep into the shoot so that Wim couldn’t just reshoot everything. How far did they get? There’s a “dream” moment of Dick and Claudia fighting with the plane door open wide, so they made it up into the air originally. This left Verstappen without a lead actress and a storyline. But Wim and other creative partners came up with a new script and a great way to not replace Claudia. They figured the right spot to cut her character loose. This change of course works. If I didn’t just tell you this fact, you could watch and swear this was the original story. In a way, her leaving makes the second half better. Dakota could have easily been a crash and burn cinema. Like a great flying circus stunt, Wim Verstappen pull out at the last moment and created a thrilling gem of Dakota about a man who has to go a little bad to preserve his good life.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer is from a 2K restoration. You get a feel for the gritty life of the pilot. The Audio is Dutch LPCM 2.0 mono and DTS-HD 2.0 mono. I mostly listened to the LPCM track. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Peter Verstraten has him talk about the end of Scorpio Films when filmmaking partners Wim Verstappen and Pim de la Parra. Dakota was the last film released under the banner. He explains what went wrong during the shooting of the film. There was a lot of rewriting as circumstances changed. Even though the production was a mess, Wim Verstappen considered Dakota his best film.
Dakota Press Flight (19:14) covers Scorpio Film getting on the plane from the movie and flying from Holland to Nice, France. They have to make an emergency landing for a mechanical issue involving magnets. The film crew is in good spirits throughout the journey.
Cannes Film Festival (8:16) is from the 1978 festival as we see the sights around the main hotel. There’s a different press conference with Gérard Depardieu, Marcello Mastroianni and a chimp for Bye, Bye Monkey. This is a film about the chimp being found in the props for Dino’s King Kong. It tied for the Grand Jury prize. There are topless women on the beach. Director Wim Verstappen gets questioned about Monique van de Ven walking off Dakota. We learn that every man must wear tuxedos at the festival after dark.
Photo Gallery includes the poster and over 24 press photos.
Scorpio Film Trailers includes Dakota (2:43), Wan Pipel, Frank & Eva, My Nights With Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie, Obsessions, Blue Movie and Pastorale 1943.
Cult Epics present Dakota. Directed by Wim Verstappen. Screenplay by Charles Gormley, Jan Verstappen & Harrie Verstappen. Starring Kees Brusse, Monique van de Ven, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Diana Dobbelman, Dora van der Groen, Harcourt Curaçao & Frank Davelaar. Running Time: 103 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: September 16, 2025.
