Product Details

• Actors: Thijs Römer, Tara Elders, Cahit Ölmez, Jack Wouterse, Johnny de Mol
• Directors: Theo van Gogh
• Writers: Theo van Gogh, Tomas Ross
• Producers: Gijs van de Westelaken
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Dutch (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Subtitles: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Koch Lorber Films
• DVD Release Date: January 16, 2007
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JLQQ4Y
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,598 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > Netherlands

• For more information about "May 6th (06/05)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

May 6th is the final film from controversial Dutch director Theo Van Gogh--he was murdered by an extremist while completing post-production on this film--and his death casts a considerable shadow over the assassination storyline of this exciting thriller based on real events. Van Gogh anchors his story on the 2002 murder of right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn, which is accidentally captured on film by a photographer (Thijs Romer) during a glamour shoot. After noticing some curious details in the background of one shot, he begins investigating the crime, and uncovers a vast network of shadowy figures, ranging from a Turkish immigrant to Dutch investigators and businessmen, all of whom appear to be connected in some way. As with all of Van Gogh's films, the acting is top-notch and the direction bold and delivered in a semi-documentary style; his nods to Hollywood-style action and romance, however, leave something to be desired, but they won't detract too greatly from the film itself, which is a tense and politically charged drama that poses more questions that the average mainstream American thriller. A 55-minute documentary on the murder of Van Gogh, as well as his video diaries, is included on the disc as supplemental features. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

A White Knuckled Thriller Based on Actual Events

A dangerous game of cat and mouse has set into motion a chain of events that reveal a political conspiracy in the death of controversial Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. Jim de Booy, a tabloid journalist, stumbles into an investigation that puts his life and the lives of friends and family at risk as he races to bring the truth to light. Based upon the book by Tomas Ross.

"A political thriller shot in a flashy, frenetic fashion reminiscent of Michael Mann's TV cop dramas." – The Guardian

"van Gogh’s dramatic recreation is remarkably even-handed: a daring, white-knuckled thriller" – Toronto International Film Festival

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, almost..., February 19, 2007

By	Bill Moor - See all my reviews

The film was excellent and riveting up to the resolution, which was weak. I assumed someone else gave it a final edit after Van Gogh's murder, maybe not. In either the case, the end wasd too 60ish. But, overall, well worth the seeing.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to understand violence (including including Islamofascist terrorism) in European politics, October 31, 2007

By	CMW-Tzvi "Tzvi" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This is an essential DVD for anyone who wants to understand the pressures of violence (including Islamofascist terrorism) on European politics.

As time fades, fewer Americans remember the assassination of Pym Fortuyn during the Dutch election cycle of 2002. (Fortuyn is often described as a right-wing politician, but the facts that he was openly gay and that his concern was for the well-being of Dutch society seem to show the lie regarding his actual position on the political spectrum. Only if you make the assumption that his questioning of the Netherlands' very liberal immigration policy would rouse nationalist fervor against all Arab/Moslem immigrants can you call him right wing - he thought that more controls were needed to not give haven to Islamic terrorists.)

More of us remember the assassination of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh which occurred in broad daylight while this film was being prepared for distribution. This DVD includes van Gogh's film about Fortuyn's murder, Theo's personal video diaries during the filming and post-production period, and a Dutch TV documentary one year later dealing with Theo's assassination and the lack of action by the police before, during, & after his murder.

Interestingly, the same ineptitude/possible complicity of the Dutch autorities can be seen in both the film and the documentary. One even could wonder whether the assassinations of Fortuyn & van Gogh were orchestrated by the same group of politically connected persons in the police forces...

As a political junkie of an international stripe, I found this entire presentation captivating.

5.0 out of 5 stars An international political complot, July 23, 2009

By	Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Theo Van Gogh's movie about the murder of Pim Fortuyn is an absolute masterpiece.
It shows the real `sinister' interests behind this dramatic coup d'état.
Pim Fortuyn would have won the next elections in the Netherlands and would probably have been the next Dutch Prime Minister in 2005.
With his more or less liberal, pro-market agenda, Pim Fortuyn was acceptable for the rightist political and economic powers and their media, until ... it appeared that he would not respect the Dutch NATO obligations (e.g., the purchase of brand new fighter planes), and would instead spend the huge sums available on more social programs. From that moment on, he became an outcast, an outlaw, free to be killed by any person who could be manipulated by the forces Pim Fortuyn had unleashed against him. He was shot dead under the eyes of the secret services.

One of his main media opponents was the socialist (?) TV commentator MVD. This man is the perfect example of the adage `do as I say, not as I do'. He defended passionately with his mouth the underdogs and the poor immigrants, while building a mansion of more than 2 million euros in his backyard. If anyone in the Netherlands had done the same, only one tenth of the actual Dutch population would have found a place to live there.

This movie is a must see for all those who want to understand the world we live in.