Black Book (2006)
Zwartboek (2006)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | PAL, 16:9 (720x576) VBR | 02:18:48 | 7.9 Gb
Audio: Dutch (Dutch/English/German) AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps or AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps or DTS 5.1 | Subs: English
Genre: War Drama, Thriller
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | PAL, 16:9 (720x576) VBR | 02:18:48 | 7.9 Gb
Audio: Dutch (Dutch/English/German) AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps or AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps or DTS 5.1 | Subs: English
Genre: War Drama, Thriller
Filmmaker Paul Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands after more than twenty years of success in Hollywood to direct this epic-scale war drama based on a true story. Rachel Steinn (Carice van Houten) is a beautiful Jewish woman living in German-occupied Holland during late 1944. Her family members - who have been falsely promised safe passage to Belgium (their names recorded in the 'black book' of the title) are instead robbed and slaughtered by the Germans on a premeditated basis; Rachel herself manages to escape by diving into the water and swimming away. She narrowly avoids capture, then joins the local resistance movement. With her hair dyed blonde, Rachel can easily pass for Aryan, and when the leader of the Dutch resistance movement learns his son has been captured by Axis forces, Rachel is asked to use her feminine charms to persuade a German commander to arrange for the boy's release. Rachel soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous double life as she becomes a sexual plaything for the Nazis while attempting to bring down their evil empire as a spy. Zwartboek was written by Verhoeven and Gerard Soeteman, who collaborated on the 1977 international success Soldier of Orange. Zwartboek received its world premier at the 2006 Venice Film Festival.Synopsis by Mark Deming, Allmovie.com
Black Book (* * * 1/2 out of four) is a hard-core war film with raw violence, intense action, graphic sexuality and a twisting plot that offers a series of surprises.
Set in the Netherlands during World War II, it is a return to director Paul Verhoeven's Dutch roots after a series of American studio movies. Verhoeven, best known for such fare as Showgirls and Basic Instinct, clearly demonstrates that he is capable of more than just sexual provocation or mindless action as in his Starship Troopers, Total Recall or RoboCop.
Black Book is an agile thriller that consistently entertains. Breaking records in the Netherlands as the highest-grossing Dutch-made film, it explores underground Resistance efforts by the Dutch during the Nazi occupation. Making observations that are both political and personal, Book is almost always cynical and knowing. One disturbing sequence involving the torture of suspected traitors evokes the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
The story's focus is a Jewish woman (Carice van Houten) who forms allegiances with whomever she can in order to avoid capture by the Nazis.
Rescued by Resistance fighters, she becomes an arms smuggler, infiltrating Nazi headquarters. Abruptly seizing an opportunity, she flirts with and seduces a high-ranking Nazi soldier (The Lives of Others' dashing Sebastian Koch) in a move that changes the outcome of several lives.
Van Houten is both steely and sensual, and always convincing as the film's unflappable heroine. Koch, so terrific as the East German playwright who is targeted by the secret police in Others, further demonstrates his depth and range. His character is far more complex (and occasionally unnervingly sympathetic) than the usual cardboard-cutout Nazi officials in films.
Also excellent are Thom Hoffman as a doctor who joins the Resistance and Derek de Lint as the Resistance leader reeling from the capture of his beloved son.
Characters are refreshingly multidimensional: Protagonists are not always humane and antagonists have admirable qualities.
The film's momentum turns sluggish near the conclusion. At nearly 2½ hours, it feels a bit too long, but things are never dull. The provocatively sexual scenes, though somewhat prurient (as one might expect from Verhoeven), have an erotic charge that is startling and unusual in a war film.
Black Book's tale of espionage and uncertain alliances, with riveting performances and intriguing moral complexity, makes for an exciting and absorbing movie. (Rated R for some strong violence, graphic nudity, sexuality and language. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes. Opens today in New York and Los Angeles.)Review by Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
IMDB 7,8/10 from 53 393 users
Wiki
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Gerard Soeteman, Paul Verhoeven
Cast: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn and other
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Special Features:
- 'Director/co-writer Paul Verhoeven interview' featurette (12:36 min)
- 'Actress Carice van Houten interview' featurette (21:53 min)
- Dutch Theatrical Trailer
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