Black Book

3.5/4

Rated R for Some Strong Violence, Graphic Nudity, Sexuality and Language

Starring: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch,  Thom Hoffman, Derek de Lint, Waldemar Kobus, Halina Reijn

Who would have thought that the director of such exploitative fare as “Basic Instinct” and (ugh!) “Hollow Man” could have created the best WWII movie since “Saving Private Ryan”?  Despite being saddled with sub-par material, Paul Verhoeven has always shown he has talent.  But with “Black Book,” he has proven himself to be a master storyteller.

The story takes place at the tail end of WWII.  Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) is a Jewish singer in hiding in the Nazi-controlled Netherlands.  When her hiding place is bombed, she and her family attempt a dangerous escape into free Belgium.  They are ambushed, and everyone except Rachel is murdered.  She meets up with a resistance movement led by Gerben Kuipers (Derek de Lint), who offers her sanctuary in exchange for work.  Rachel, now known as Ellis de Vries, volunteers to act as a double agent to seduce a leader of the Gestapo, the much hated Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch).  Things get murky when she falls in love with him.

The acting is of the highest caliber.  As Ellis, Carice van Houten makes a stunning debut to filmgoers on this side of the Atlantic.  She throws herself into the role, both emotionally and physically (one of the hallmarks of a Verhoeven movie is a frank depiction of violence and especially sexuality, and this is no different. van Houten fearlessly shows just about every part of her body).  Ellis is a strong, determined young woman with a quick mind (which helps her get out of a number of tricky situations), but she is also very vulnerable.  She grieves for her family, but she does not let that get in the way of getting the job done.  The fact that she was ignored by the Oscars is shameful. 

Sebastian Koch is a great romantic counterpart for Ellis; he may be a Nazi, but he is also a pragmatist.  He knows the war is over, and he’s just trying to stop the bloodshed.  He also has a nice understated romantic chemistry with his van Houten (not surprising, since they started dating at the time of filming).  Thom Hoffman is also good as the vengeful doctor, and Waldemar Kobus is excellent as portraying the vile and utterly evil Nazi officer Gunther Franken.  Halina Reijn is delightful in a small, but important role as the oversexed Ronnie.

Paul Verhoeven has fashioned himself a complex story that could have gone wrong in so many ways.  But it never does (at least until the end).  By keeping the story firmly on Ellis and presenting things in chronological order (except for bookending sequences set in 1956 Israel), Verhoeven is able to present things in a manner that eliminates the possibility of confusion while still being able to fully address the film’s complexities.

The Dutch director also has a knack for character development, which hasn’t been visible before (to be fair, the scripts he was given were nowhere near as good as this one).  Except for a few minor exceptions, there are no truly good or truly evil characters; they live in the grey area between them.  Not only does this make them much more interesting, it makes it easier to identify with them, which is crucial.

The only flaw with the film is that the scene where everything is explained is messily written.  Previously unknown characters are involved in what happens, and it creates a bit of confusion.  I had to watch the film a number of times before I understood what really happened.

I can’t recommend this film highly enough.  With its twisting story and strong characters, this is truly a must-see for any filmgoer.

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