Available on Blu-ray 09/16/2025
A pilot makes extended runs on his plane to deliver packages that may not be approved by the airline.
Written by Charles Gormley, Jan Verstappen, and Harrie Verstappen from an idea by director Wim Verstappen, Dakota is a rarely seen film that seems to have some fans online, at least enough to warrant a re-release on Blu-ray from Cult Epics. After watching it and just not getting into it at all, those fans are clearly different from this viewer. The story here is pretty thin with some elements of interest here and there through the runtime but nothing that truly stands out a few days post watching, so most likely will be completely out of memory a few weeks later. The writing is ok here with long stretches of not much and characters that feel like they are missing something. It’s hard to pinpoint the issue here, perhaps too small of production or perhaps too many cooks on the script, but it doesn’t connect well, and the pace is both glacial and uneven. The direction here works with the script and creates what it can from it, but it feels a bit uninspired.
The cast here does decently well considering the above. Their characters do not feel like they are complete, they all feel like quick sketches of real people, like the LaCroix of characters. This leads to actors doing well but not having too much to worry about it seems. The cast is talented, do not get the above wrong, but the characters not being all that interesting here, it limits the interest in the performances.
On the upside, the film does have beautiful cinematography that does look very much from the 1970s, a specific look that works great here. The cinematography work here is credited to two people, Theo van de Sande and Jan De Bont, yes that Jan De Bont, so there was plenty talent behind the camera. The film looks good and has its own style here, the mix of solid camera work with the era’s look makes this film stand out visually.
Overall, Dakota is not a bad film but it’s not greatly good either, it’s mostly just there. It exists and it’s competent, but it’s not something that stick in memory for a long time. The acting is ok, the story is not particularly interesting, but the cinematography is solid. In terms of this new release, the 2k transfer looks good on Blu-ray and the sound is decent as well. The extras here are mostly basic with a photo gallery, a reversible sleeve, and trailers. The most interesting extras here are the audio commentary by Peter Verstaten and the Cannes Film Festival feature.