On The Border
The Recce
Director: Johannes Ferdinand van Zyl
Cast: Greg Kriek, Christia Visser, Marius Weyers, Grant Swanby, Albert Maritz, Elsabe Daneel, Maurice Carpede
Set in 1981 in Angola and Apartheid South Africa, The Recce seen at the film’s premiere at the Durban International Film Festival (insert website) DIFF 2018, director Johannes Ferdinand van Zyl combines some stylistic flourishes to create a vivid and tense depiction of the experiences of the films main hero Henk Viljoen a Recce who is caught behind enemy lines and presumed Killed In Action.
South African star Greg Kriek brilliantly plays Henk who leaves his pregnant wife Nicola played by Christia Visser behind as he ventures forth deep within enemy territory, behind the Angolan border in a treacherous guerrilla war which claimed many lives and was a clandestine Southern African war of attrition fought by the Apartheid South African government far north in the then Soviet infiltrated Angola, just above Namibia which was then known as South West Africa.
With the dialogue mainly in Afrikaans, The Recce is a brave portrayal of a soldier’s desire to survive in an increasingly cruel and hostile landscape where no one can be trusted.
Grant Swanby (Beyond the River) plays Henk’s English speaking corporal Corporal Le Roux, who realizes that they are all fighting a pointless war in brutal terrain. Also featured in the cast are well known South African stage and screen actor Marius Weyers (Blood Diamond, Gandhi) as the hard-drinking General Piet Visagie and Maurice Carpede as Impi Buthelezi.
Watching The Recce is like watching the Afrikaans version of Peter Berg’s nail biting military drama Lone Survivor and those that enjoy a well-orchestrated war film should see this South African film depicting a distinct period in this country’s history which left an indelible mark on the South African older white male psyche particularly those that were military active in the early 1980’s prior to the transition to democracy in 1994.
Despite some tangential scenes in the film’s first half, director Johannes Ferdinand van Zyl’s The Recce is as engrossing as it is terrifying and has a particularly brilliant ending, one which will shock audiences and leave them questioning the futility of warfare.
Due to its very specific subject matter, The Recce will obviously have more resonance in South Africa than internationally as the film refers to the 1980’s, a turbulent decade in this country’s fascinating and multi-dimensional history.
Strictly for fans of decent war films, The Recce gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10.


Comments are closed.
- 007
- Aaron Nee
- Aaron Sorkin
- Abid Khan
- Adam McKay
- Adam Nee
- Adam Wingard
- Adil El Arbi
- Adina Pintilie
- Adrian Grunberg
- Adrian Martinez
- Agnieska Holland
- Aki Kaurismäki
- Alain Resnais
- Alan Rickman
- Alan Taylor
- Alan Zweig
- Aleem Khan
- Alejandro Amenabar
- Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
- Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Aleksei German Jr
- Álex de la Iglesia
- Alex Proyas
- Alexander Sokurov
- Alexandros Avranas
- Alfonso Cuaron
- Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
- Allen Coulter
- Amat Escalante
- Amazon Prime
- Amma Asante
- Andrea Arnold
- Andrei Konchalovsky
- Andrew Niccol
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Andy Serkis
- Andy Wachowski
- Ang Lee
- Angela Schanelec
- Angus Gibson
- Animation
- Anna Boden
- Anne Fontaine
- Anthony Russo
- Antoine Fuqua
- Anton Corbijn
- Antonio Negret
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul
- Asghar Farhadi
- Atom Egoyan
- Autumn de Wilde
- Babak Najafi
- BAFTAS
- Baltasar Kormakur
- Barry Jenkins
- Bassam Tariq
- Baz Luhrmann
- Ben Affleck
- Ben Zuckert
- Bennett Miller
- Berlin
- Bertrand Bonello
- Bianca Isaac
- Bilall Fallah
- Bill Condon
- Bill Holderman
- Billy Ray
- Bjorn Runge
- Bong Joon Ho
- Brad Bird
- Brad Peyton
- Bradley Cooper
- Brett Ratner
- Brian de Palma
- Brian Helgeland
- Brian Percival
- Brillante Mendoza
- Bruce Beresford
- Bruce Sweeney
- Bryan Singer
- Cai Shangjun
- Călin Peter Netzer
- Cannes
- Carey McKenzie
- Carlos Reygadas
- Caroline Link
- Cary Jojo Fukunaga
- Cate Shortland
- Catherine Hardwicke
- Cathy Yan
- Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
- Chad Stahelski
- Chloe Zhao
- Christian Gudegast
- Christian Petzold
- Christian Rivers
- Christopher McQuarrie
- Christopher Nolan
- Claudia Llosa
- Clint Eastwood
- Colin Trevorrow
- Constance Meyer
- Constantin Popescu
- Courtney Hunt
- Craig Brewster
- Craig Freimond
- Craig Gillespie
- Craig Johnson
- Cristian Mungiu
- D. J. Caruso
- Damián Szifron
- Damien Chazelle
- Dan Fogelman
- Dan Gilroy
- Daniel Espinosa
- Daniel Schmidt
- Danis Tanovic
- Danny Boyle
- Darren Aronofksy
- Daryne Joshua
- David Ayer
- David Cronenberg
- David Dobkin
- David F. Sandberg
- David Fincher
- David Gordon Green
- David Koepp
- David Leitch
- David Leveaux
- David Lowery
- David Lynch
- David Mackenzie
- David O. Russell
- David Yates
- Davis Guggenheim
- Dayakar Padayachee
- DC Comics Universe
- Dean Devlin
- Dean Parisot
- Declan Donnellan
- Deepa Mehta
- Denis Villeneuve
- Dennis Gansel
- Denys Arcand
- Denzel Washington
- Derek Cianfrance
- Desiree Kahikopo
- Destin Daniel Cretton
- Dexter Fletcher
- DGLFF
- Diao Yinan
- DIFF
- Documentary
- Don Cheadle
- Donovan Marsh
- Doug Ellin
- Doug Liman
- Drew Pearce
- Duncan Jones
- Edgar Wright
- Edward Yang
- Edward Zwick
- Elizabeth Banks
- Emerald Fennell
- Encounters Documentary Film Festival
- Eric Darnell
- Ericson Core
- Espen Sandberg
- Ethan Coen
- Etienne Comar
- Eubulus Timothy
- European Film Festival
- Eva Husson
- F. Gary Gray
- Fatih Akin
- Fede Alvarez
- Felix Herngren
- Fernando Meirelles
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Florian Zeller
- Francis Lawrence
- Francois Girard
- Gabriel Abrantes
- Gareth Edwards
- Garry Marshall
- Garth Davis
- Gary Burns
- Gary Ross
- Gary Shore
- Gavin Hood
- Gavin O'Connor
- George C. Wolfe
- George Clooney
- George Miller
- Gianfranco Rosi
- Giedre Zickyte
- Gil Kofman
- Glenn Ficarra
- Golden Globes
- Gore Verbinski
- Gregg Araki
- Gregory Jacobs
- Greta Gerwig
- Guillermo del Toro
- Gurinder Chadha
- Gus Van Sant
- Guy Maddin
- Guy Ritchie
- Haim Tabakman
- Hans Petter Moland
- Hany Abu-Assad
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Henrik Ruben Genz
- Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Hong Sang Soo
- Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Ildikó Enyedi
- Im Kwon-taek
- Iranian Cinema
- Isabel Coixet
- Istvan Szabo
- J. A. Bayona
- J. C. Chandor
- J. J. Abrams
- Jacques Audiard
- Jafar Panahi
- Jahmil X. T. Qubeka
- James Bobin
- James Cameron
- James Gray
- James Gunn
- James Ivory
- James Kent
- James Mangold
- James Marsh
- James Schamus
- James Wan
- Jan Verheven
- Jane Campion
- Jasmila Žbanić
- Jaume Collet-Serra
- Jay Roach
- Jean-Jacques Annaud
- Jean-Marc Vallee
- Jean-Pierre Dardenne
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- Jenn Page
- Jenna Bass
- Jennifer Fox
- Jeremy Podeswa
- Jia Zhangke
- Joachim Ronning
- Jocelyn Moorhouse
- Jodie Foster
- Joe Berlinger
- Joe Johnstone
- Joe Mantello
- Joe Russo
- Joe Wright
- Joel & Ethan Coen
- Joel Coen
- Johannes Ferdinand Van Zyl
- Johannes Naber
- John Barker
- John Carney
- John Crawley
- John Crowley
- John Curran
- John Gutierrez
- John Hillcoat
- John Krokidas
- John Leguizamo
- John Madden
- John Moore
- John Requa
- John Trengrove
- John Wells
- Jon Amiel
- Jon Favreau
- Jon Garcia
- Jon M. Chu
- Jon Turteltaub
- Jon Watts
- Jonathan Dayton
- Jordan Vogt-Roberts
- Jordy Sank
- Jose Padilha
- Joseph Cedar
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Joseph Kosinski
- Josh Trank
- Joss Whedon
- Julia Ducournau
- Julian Jarrold
- Julian Schnabel
- Julie Gavras
- Justin Chadwick
- Justin Kurzel
- Justin Lin
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Ken Loach
- Kenneth Branagh
- Kenneth Lonergan
- Kevin Macdonald
- Kevin Smith
- Kim Farrant
- Kim Ki-duk
- Kirk Jones
- Kornel Mundruczo
- Lana Wachowski
- Lars von Trier
- Lasse Hallstrom
- Laszlo Nemes
- Laurent Cantet
- Lawrence Sher
- Lee Daniels
- Lee Toland Krieger
- Len Wiseman
- Lenny Abrahamson
- Leos Carax
- Li Yang
- Lien Willaert
- Lin Cheng-sheng
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Lone Scherfig
- Luc Besson
- Luc Dardenne
- Luca Guadagnino
- Lukas Dhont
- Madonna
- Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Magnus Von Horn
- Majid Barzegar
- Mandie Fletcher
- Marc Foster
- Marc Rothemund
- Marcel Langenegger
- Marco Bellocchio
- Mark Cullen
- Mark Dornford-May
- Mark Williams
- Martin Campbell
- Martin McDonagh
- Martin Scorsese
- Marvel Cinema Universe
- Maryanne Zehil
- Mat Whitecross
- Mathieu Amalric
- Mathieu Denis
- Matt Reeves
- Matt Riddlehoover
- Matthew Vaughn
- Max Joseph
- Małgorzata Szumowska
- McG
- Mel Gibson
- Mia Hansen-Love
- Michael Bay
- Michael Cuesta
- Michael Dougherty
- Michael Dowse
- Michael Engler
- Michael Gracey
- Michael Grandage
- Michael Haneke
- Michael McGowan
- Michael Moore
- Michael Patrick King
- Michael Winterbottom
- Michel Gondry
- Michel Hazanavicius
- Miguel Arteta
- Mike Leigh
- Mike Mills
- Mike Newell
- Milos Forman
- Mimi Leder
- Mira Nair
- Mohammed Rasoulof
- Morten Tyldum
- Nadav Lapid
- Nadine Labaki
- Nancy Meyers
- Nanette Burstein
- Nanni Moretti
- Nash Edgerton
- Neil Burger
- Neill Blomkamp
- Netflix Film
- Nicholas Hytner
- Nicholas Winding Refn
- Nick Omerod
- Nicolas Jarecki
- Niki Caro
- Noah Baumbach
- Noam Murro
- Nora Ephron
- Norman Cohn
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Ol Parker
- Oliver Hermanus
- Oliver Parker
- Oliver Schmitz
- Oliver Stone
- Olivier Assayas
- Olivier Dahan
- Olivier Megaton
- Oscars
- Otto Bathurst
- P. J. Hogan
- Pablo Larrain
- Pablo Trapero
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Paolo Taviani
- Patrice Cheraeu
- Patrick Hughes
- Patty Jenkins
- Paul Feig
- Paul Greengrass
- Paul Gross
- Paul Haggis
- Paul McGuigan
- Paul Schrader
- Paul Thomas Anderson
- Paul Verhoeven
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- Pedro Almodovar
- Peeter Rebane
- Peter Berg
- Peter Farrelly
- Peter Jackson
- Peter Landesman
- Peter Mullan
- Peter Segal
- Peter Weir
- Peyton Reed
- Philip Noyce
- Philippe Claudel
- Philippe Falardeau
- Philippe Garrel
- Phyllida Law
- Pierre Morel
- Queer Cinema
- Quentin Tarantino
- Radu Jude
- Ralph Fiennes
- Ralph Ziman
- Ramin Bahrani
- Rawson Marshall Thurber
- Regina Harkima
- Reinaldo Marcus Green
- Renny Harlin
- Retrospective
- Rian Johnson
- Ric Roman Waugh
- Richard Eyre
- Richard Glatzer
- Richard Linklater
- Richard Loncraine
- Ridley Scott
- Roar Uthaug
- Rob Marshall
- Robert Altman
- Robert Lorenz
- Robert Stromberg
- Robert Zemeckis
- Rodrigo Garcia
- Rodrigue Jean
- Roger Donaldson
- Roger Michell
- Roland Emmerich
- Roman Polanski
- Roman Zhigalov
- Ron Howard
- Roy Andersson
- Ruba Nudda
- Ruben Fleischer
- Ruben Ostlund
- Rupert Goold
- Rupert Sanders
- Ruth Meehan
- Ryan Coogler
- Ryan Fleck
- Ryan Murphy
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Sacha Gervasi
- SAFTAS
- Sally Potter
- Sam Mendes
- Sam Raimi
- Samuel Maoz
- Sara Blecher
- Scott Cooper
- Scott Derrickson
- Scott Waugh
- Sean Anders
- Sebastian Lelio
- Semih Kaplanoğlu
- Shane Black
- Shane Meadows
- Sharon Maguire
- Shawn Levy
- Shaz Bennett
- Shirin Neshat
- Simon Curtis
- Simon Kinberg
- Simon Lavoie
- Simon McQuoid
- Sofia Coppola
- South African Cinema
- Stefan Ruzowitzky
- Stephen Daldry
- Stephen Dunn
- Stephen Frears
- Stephen Gaghan
- Stephen Sommers
- Steve Antin
- Steve McQueen
- Steven C. Miller
- Steven S. DeKnight
- Steven Soderbergh
- Steven Spielberg
- Susanna White
- T. J. Miller
- Taika Waititi
- Takeshi Kitano
- Tanner King Barklow
- Tanya Wexler
- Tarsem Singh
- Tate Taylor
- Taylor Sheridan
- Terrence Malick
- Terry George
- Thea Sharrock
- Thomas Bezucha
- Thomas Vinterberg
- Tim Burton
- Todd Field
- Todd Haynes
- Todd Phillips
- Tom Ford
- Tom Hooper
- Tom McCarthy
- Tom McGrath
- Tomas Alfredson
- Tony Gatlif
- Tony Gilroy
- Toronto
- Trish Sie
- Ulrich Köhler
- Valerie Faris
- Venice
- Victor Levin
- Vittorio Taviani
- Walter Salles
- Wang Quan'an
- Warren Beatty
- Wash Westmoreland
- Werner Herzog
- Wes Anderson
- Will Gluck
- Wong Kar-wai
- Woody Allen
- Xavier Dolan
- Xavier Legrand
- Yojiro Takita
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Zacharias Kunuk
- Zack Snyder
- Zhang Yimou
- Dream Walking and Witchcraft May 16, 2022
- An Evolving World May 2, 2022
- Romancing The Page April 28, 2022
- 75th BAFTA Awards / The British Academy Film Awards April 15, 2022
- The Downtown Heist April 12, 2022
- 94th Oscar Awards April 5, 2022
- The Evolution of a Writer March 31, 2022
- City of Vengeance March 20, 2022
- To All Those That Left March 9, 2022
- Magellan’s Gold February 23, 2022
- An Egyptian Honeymoon February 14, 2022
- My Favourite Husband February 12, 2022
- This isn’t a Carnival Trick January 30, 2022
- Sundays at the Moondance Diner January 17, 2022
- A Crushing Responsibility January 16, 2022
- 79th Golden Globe Awards January 13, 2022
- Killers in Stiletto’s January 10, 2022
- Fortune Favours the Bold January 4, 2022
- Extinction Event Deluxe December 31, 2021
- Choice is an Illusion December 31, 2021
- Matthew Morrison Out as ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Judge After Not Following ‘Competition Production Protocols’Matthew Morrison will no longer be a “So You Think You Can Dance” judge after he failed to follow “competition production protocols,” Variety has confirmed. The former “Glee” star announced his departure from the Fox dance competition show, which premiered on May 18, in a statement on Friday. “Having the opportunity to be a judge on […]Ellise Shafer
- How the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Cast Trained to Fly Fighter JetsAudiences coming out of “Top Gun: Maverick” this weekend want to know one thing, are the actors really flying those fighter jets? The answer in short is, yes. Tom Cruise, who returns as “Maverick,” is renowned for doing his own stunt work, and he wanted his stars Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell to […]jazztangcay
- ‘Stranger Things’ Star David Harbour on Joyce and Hopper’s Future: ‘They Have a Very Complex Love for Each Other’SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” now streaming on Netflix. For those who got used to seeing David Harbour as Jim Hopper, a lazy police officer in Hawkins, Indiana, the new episodes of “Stranger Things” may catch you off guard — and that was his […]Emily Longeretta
- Why Was Depp-Heard Trial Televised? Critics Call It ‘Single Worst Decision’ for Sexual Violence VictimsMillions of people have watched Penney Azcarate, the chief judge of the Fairfax County (Va.) Circuit Court, as she has presided over the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for the last six weeks. Azcarate has maintained a low-key presence, accepting or rejecting evidence and occasionally admonishing witnesses to focus on the question. […]gmaddaus
- Disney+ Adds ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Content Warning After Texas School ShootingDisney+ added a warning to the page of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” that some viewers may find “certain scenes” in the Star Wars series “upsetting.” That appeared to be in response to the mass shooting earlier this week at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children dead. A message on some Disney+ accounts on […]Todd Spangler
- The Best Deals on KN95 & N95 Face Masks Right Now May 28, 2022We independently selected these deals and products because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you...
- Matthew Morrison Exits So You Think You Can Dance After Not Following "Production Protocols" May 28, 2022Matthew Morrison is two-stepping down from his judging post on So You Think You Can Dance. On May 27, the Glee alum announced that he was leaving the show's 17th season because he...
- Travis Barker Kisses Kourtney Kardashian's Foot in New Wedding Photos May 28, 2022Travis Barker can't get his hands off Kourtney Kardashian's little piggies. The Blink-182 rocker showed off his playful side in a carousel of wedding photos shared by his wife on...
- Texas School Shooting Survivor Recounts Playing Dead by Rubbing Blood on Herself May 28, 2022For Miah Cerrillo, a split-second choice may have saved her life in a terrifying tragedy. The 11-year-old student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, recalled the morning of May...
- Journey to the Upside Down With These Stranger Things Gifts May 28, 2022We independently selected these products because we love them, and we hope you do too at these prices. Shop with E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase...
- Read MoreDifferent providers offer different cell phones, so take a look at the options from each provider to choose the right one for you. You may also want to look into any promotions that the providers have to offer, such as free cell phones in exchange for signing a contract. Tags: 2gmhass90