The Dutchman (2025) review

The Dutchman is a largely enjoyable tale about identity and stereotypes with sharp writing and strong performances.

There’s also an intriguing supernatural element that adds an air of mystery. Even with a shaky final act and an extended monologue that doesn’t vibe with the rest of the film, The Dutchman is a solid viewing experience.

Clay (Andre Holland, Moonlight) is feeling overwhelmed and stressed. He doesn’t feel fully comfortable sharing his insecurities with his wife, Kaya (Zazie Beetz), which both acknowledge played a role in her one-night affair.

Both Clay and Kaya want to restore their marriage and are in therapy. The Dutchman opens with both sharing their takes on how their marriage has crumbled to therapist Dr. Amiri (Stephen McKinley Henderson, Civil War).

The Dutchman is a meta film in some sense as Dr. Amiri is named after playwright Amiri Baraka who crafted the play in 1964. As Clay starts to experience some bizarre events, it’s Dr. Amiri who tries to navigate him through the other side while admitting his role in Clay’s situation.

Clay takes the subway en route to his home to prepare for a major event with his best friend, Warren (Aldis Hodge, Black Adam). Before he gets to the subway, he gets selected for a “random” check of his bags by police officers.

Director/co-writer Andre Gaines (After Jackie) seems to stage this scene to suggest no matter how successful Clay is in business, he isn’t immune to being treated like a criminal despite doing nothing to warrant any suspicion.

Gaines and co-screenwriter Qasim Basir don’t do enough in The Dutchman to establish Clay’s insecurities about his identity. A scene or two where Clay experiences like an outsider in situations where he’s not black enough or too black would have been more impactful than Clay throwing that notion out during the therapy session.

When he’s in an exhausted mental state prepping his speech for the event, Clay encounters Lulu (Kate Mara, Fantastic Four), who immediately starts seducing him.

Initially, Clay is leery of Lulu’s advances, but he eventually succumbs. Lulu quickly shifts from being an eager one-night stand fling to a tormentor eager to ruin Clay’s life. The Dutchman offers a cautionary tale to those considering stepping out on their marriage — if a situation seems to good to be true, it is and it’s best to just go home and take a cold shower.

Lulu starts throwing out cruel race-baiting barbs and threats of rape to force Clay to allow her to come with him to the party. Gaines throws in some quick clips teasing that Lulu is not the youthful temptress she projects, but a quick cut to Clay remembering how quickly the subway police assumed the worst would have gone a long way to explaining his decisions to endure Lulu’s threats and derision.

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The party scene is arguably the highlight sequence in The Dutchman. It gives the ensemble the opportunity to flex their talents. Holland gives Clay a quietly reserved desperation as he attempts to figure out how to navigate this situation.

Mara makes Lulu a true wildcard capable of doing or saying anything with no concern who she offends. Those exchanges might be the one instance where The Dutchman doesn’t fully ring true as it sure seems like some of the other attendees would have more than strong words for Lulu even if Clay couldn’t react.

Beetz has the most complex role in The Dutchman. Kaya is crushed seeing Clay flaunt his affair but won’t let her pride stop her from continuing to fight for their marriage.

Everything comes to a head with the final act where Clay has to confront Lulu. Gaines sets this up well despite the unusual setup with Clay taking to Amiri on a stage. It doesn’t fully make sense, but Gaines and Basir explain it as a curse. That decent enough to wash over some script inconsistencies.

This doesn’t work as well on the subway where Lulu and Clay have an extended discussion about race and privilege. Clay’s dialogue could work in a play setting, but it doesn’t fully land as it’s already been well established that Lulu is a little looney. There’s no point in Clay having this monologue with her since her opinion doesn’t matter.

It’s not fully clear if the passengers are privy to any of this conversation or if it’s just playing out between Clay and Lulu in somewhat of a time standing still moment.

At 88 minutes, The Dutchman isn’t terribly long getting all of the essential story elements told in relatively brisk fashion.

Gaines shows plenty of potential with the suspense thriller aspects. Bringing more subtlety and nuance to the issues of race throughout the film would have helped give The Dutchman a stronger final act, but this is still a ride worth taking.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo Credit: Rogue Pictures / Inaugural Entertainment

For another adaptation of The Dutchman, check out the 1966 adaptation on DVD on Amazon.

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