Black Book (Zwartboek) DVD Review

"Black Book" reviews

DVD

Black Book

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-04-27 15:00:28

Provider

DVD Review

Paul Verhoeven has given us sublime futuristic (Robocop and Total Recall), sublime sexy (Basic Instinct), silly futuristic (Starship Troopers) and silly sexy (Showgirls).

With Black Book he seems to be treading new territory, ironically by going back in time, with a WWII action rollercoaster shot through with political and sexual overtones - the latter inspiring some typical Verhoeven scenes.

It stars Carice Van Houten as a Jewish singer, Rachel, whose bid to escape Nazi-occupied northern Netherlands fails in tragedy when the boat in which she and others are travelling is ambushed. All on board are killed, except for Rachel who dives into the river. Immediately joining the Dutch resistance (pointedly called terrorists by the Nazis), she falls under the wing of the highly disciplined socialist Kuipers (Derek de Lint).

When three members, including Kuipers' son, are captured by the Nazis, Rachel - now re-named Ellis - is ordered to infiltrate the Nazi command. "You want me to screw him?" she clarifies. But of course.

Rachel/Ellis grows deeper into her role as the Nazi's lover, bugging his office, dying her pubic hair to match her new blonde Aryan hair-do. She feels guilt for her duplicity, even though her work, helping to root out a Nazi spy in the resistance, is essential.

Van Houten is magnificent as Rachel and, while the sex as power element here won't surprise those familiar with the director's previous work, Verhoeven has helmed a movie that should provide one of the peaks on his wildly up and down film graph.