Black Book (Zwartboek) (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jennifer X

  
  I feel like it could have ended about 50 times. While it's sexy and dangerous and all that fun stuff, it did feel a trifle self-indulgent. I think that's how a lot of biopics turn out.

• danny d

  
  the story was flawless and well executed, the cinematography was solid, and the actors were great. a solid tale of the french resistence to nazi rule, i was gripped the entire way through. you see the characters evolve and develop so well that i cared about each of them. the smut… More
  the story was flawless and well executed, the cinematography was solid, and the actors were great. a solid tale of the french resistence to nazi rule, i was gripped the entire way through. you see the characters evolve and develop so well that i cared about each of them. the smut was a little much for my tastes, but overall a wonderful movie.

• familiar s

  
  A mediocre first half followed by a relatively well second half..... except for the ending which was a tedious drag.

• Drew S

  
  I would never have thought it possible to describe a World War II epic as a "hot fucking mess", but then Paul Verhoeven came along and laughed in my face with this lurid masterwork. Black Book is basically a story of a cunning, seductive young Jewish woman who tries to… More
  I would never have thought it possible to describe a World War II epic as a "hot fucking mess", but then Paul Verhoeven came along and laughed in my face with this lurid masterwork. Black Book is basically a story of a cunning, seductive young Jewish woman who tries to rescue her oppressed countrymen with the help of her breasts. You'll probably feel really dirty for watching it, but it's nonstop slash-and-burn entertainment. Perhaps this sort of trashy fun isn't what most people look for in their Holocaust movies; this is twice as derisive as Inglourious Basterds, so if you had a problem with that movie, stay the hell away from this one. The movie has plenty of merits - its filming has an incontrovertibly classic feel, thanks largely to Verhoeven's cinematic eagle eye. The scope may be a bit more limited, but this really feels like the war movie of a master film-maker. Carice van Houten is a delightful heroine, and her technical ability seems considerable even though the role is honestly not much of a challenge - Tang Wei did this bit better in Lust, Caution, conveying just as much as van Houten in a movie less histrionic by half. The girl at least deserves an award for being such a great fucking sport, because after filming a certain scene in a detainment camp toward the end, I probably would have just walked off set. Her willingness to repeatedly whip out the hoots on camera is a bit distressing as well. Maybe she's less judgmental than I am, but Paul Verhoeven is old and creepy and you know he ogled her rack the entire time. Ultimately, this trash is gussied up mighty pretty, but it's trash all the same. Cinematic junk food. I was thoroughly entertained despite Black Book's obvious ideological problems, largely because van Houten is so likable that I stuck with the movie even through its most infuriating passages, waiting to see how she fares. Your mileage may vary.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"To fight the enemy, she must become one of them."</i> In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"To fight the enemy, she must become one of them."</i> In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Paul Verhoeven's first Euro flick in decades is riveting, rousing cinema. The sexy Carice Van Houten plays Ellis, a Jewish woman who goes undercover to, literally, infiltrate a Nazi stronghold in Holland. She befriends and seduces Muntze, a Nazi head honcho and poster boy for Dramatic Irony. Not only is the charismatic Muntz (Sebastian Koch) a card-carrying Nazi swine, he is also a keen stamp collector who is not unsympathetic to the Jewish nation. My threadbare synopsis barely hints at the splendid complexities of this magnificent, epic love story. Verhoeven has found the perfect dramatic vehicle in which to indulge his passion and preference for heightened drama, raw sexuality, and impactful, relevant violence. The film moves at lightning pace and is filled with unexpected twists and turns. The screenplay by Gerard Soeteman and Verhoeven is a model of economy and the lensing by Karl Walter Lindenlaub is superb. Van Houten is believable and stunning in her richly layered performance. A scene in which she is showered in feces is pure Verhoeven, as is a powerfully erotic moment when she dyes her pubic hair blonde. "Black Book" is tight, terrific movie-making that feels like it sprung from the belly of the director's "Soldier Of Orange" via the vaginal canal of "Turkish Delight".

• Chris W

  
  The tone is uneven, the running time is a little too long (or the pacing is just off), and things get a little exploitative, but overall, this is not only a well made film that looks great, but a really good movie in general. Verhoeven returns to his roots both cinematically and… More
  The tone is uneven, the running time is a little too long (or the pacing is just off), and things get a little exploitative, but overall, this is not only a well made film that looks great, but a really good movie in general. Verhoeven returns to his roots both cinematically and personally, and I'm glad he did. This film shows how far he's come as a director, and proves that he really is a master filmmaker. Aside from what I've already said, I don't have any complaints. The acting is terrific, the cinematography is wonderful, and the art direction, and costumes are gorgeous. I liked that it was both an espionage film and a Holocaust drama, but again, the balancing of the two is a little off, but not enough to ruin the movie.

• Ken S

  
  Damn near perfect. Verhoeven's triumphant return to form.

• Mark H

  
  Jewish woman poses as a Nazi during World War II in order to persuade a German commander to release a member of the resistance. Dutch film director, Paul Verhoeven, returns to his native roots to direct this entertaining epic drama. Interesting mix of classic storytelling and… More
  Jewish woman poses as a Nazi during World War II in order to persuade a German commander to release a member of the resistance. Dutch film director, Paul Verhoeven, returns to his native roots to direct this entertaining epic drama. Interesting mix of classic storytelling and graphic doses of sex and violence are combined to form a most compelling tale about espionage and revenge. Dutch stage and film actress, Carice van Houten, plays the film's heroine in an unforgettable performance.

• Ginny  

  
  <font size=1>Late Post:</font><br><br>Set in a time where Jews were hunted down, Rachel Stein, a singer that comes from a Jewish wealthy family, had to go into hiding in order to survive the holocaust. On her journey, she had suddenly become a spy for the… More
  <font size=1>Late Post:</font><br><br>Set in a time where Jews were hunted down, Rachel Stein, a singer that comes from a Jewish wealthy family, had to go into hiding in order to survive the holocaust. On her journey, she had suddenly become a spy for the resistance and ended up working closely with the Nazis. If they should ever find out her true identity, she would be taken out instantly.<br><br><center><img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/10/74/37/10743747_gal.jpg" width=200></center><br>Jane Bond near the end of World War II. Thrilling, sexy, addictive, alluring and strangely captivating. A bit long but every scene in the movie made sense and didnt feel like it was stretched or anything of the sort. An instant classic!<br><br><b>Director: Paul Verhoeven<br>Rated R</b>

• Red L

  
  This is a good movie. Interesting. Plot twists until the very end. Makes you wonder about the Dutch resistance. Sometimes subtitles get to me, and this movie has Dutch, German and Yiddish in it, but the film was so engrossing, I never noticed the subtitles.

• Mason W

  
  Black Book is a great foreign film from Germany. This story is regarding a Jewish woman who goes undercover in Germany to not just save herself but countless others during WWII. This is a well done movie with good twists and turns alng the way that keeps your attention.

• Craig S

  
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Paul Verhoeven.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Carice van Houten, Halina Reijn, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman.</b> I was surprised to find my theater packed for this film, it was released during the film festival and… More
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Paul Verhoeven.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Carice van Houten, Halina Reijn, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman.</b> I was surprised to find my theater packed for this film, it was released during the film festival and hardly is it ever popular, but after finishing Black Book, there was good reason why my theater was packed. The story follows a Jewish woman during the war, trying everything in her power to hide herself from the Germans. Her hiding place is bombed and she receives word that a ship is sailing for Jews to find new shelter, but when a German boat infiltrates there travels, she luckily escapes, joins the resistance as a spy and gets tangled in a web of deceit, betrayal and lies. This is the Paul Verhoeven I have been waiting for, if this is what he is capable of in his home country, than that is where he should stay. The film isn't perfect in quality, I think the lack of funding at one point and little time for development didn't help, but his direction is strong. Its not quite the Verhoeven we know, but it also is. His use of explicit violence, nudity and sex is present and portrayed in his own trademark style, but he also manages to create a very compelling film of espionage, that has an essence of classic 60's thrillers, you can see inspiration from Hitchcock in the deliverance, the film continuously twists and turns, even though we know the ending already (the first scene of the film is years later), it helps to build the tension and it keeps us engrossed throughout. The cinematography is elegant and full of meaning, so many beautiful uses of colour to represent many key scenes. There were times where the control over the German language seemed a bit off, I guess with Verhoeven being of a completely different language, but the cast holds strong over it....and that brings me to Carice Van Houten. I only ever knew the name, not the actress, but I am sure to remember her for a long time. She delivers a very captivating and powerful performance and proves to be one of the best leading ladies in quite some time. I hope that if this film hits your town, that it is as surprisingly popular as it was in mine, because there is a reason. A brilliant film of espionage that is sure to captivate many different ages, it is flawed in some production elements, but with a brilliantly written script, strong direction and a powerful performance, it proves to be Verhoeven's best and one of the best films made last year (there are many).

• Lanning :

  
  The potential of this project is squandered, scene after scene after scene. The editor, or someone, was asleep at the board. Talk about a walk into the realm of the unbelievable. While I usually agree that truth is stranger than fiction, I think we're taling about truth… More
  The potential of this project is squandered, scene after scene after scene. The editor, or someone, was asleep at the board. Talk about a walk into the realm of the unbelievable. While I usually agree that truth is stranger than fiction, I think we're taling about truth portryed by a competent company. And this really is based on a true story! Even Jerry Seinfeld would have to agree that this is ironic. I wonder if van Houten had written into her contract that the more she exposed her breasts, the more she would make -- a kind of bonus clause. Sad. Sometimes less really is more.

• Dean M

  
  Excellent untold story of World War II where the distinctions between good and evil become blurred by the complexities of human nature - very interesting. Carice van Houten does perfectly performance in her role as beautiful Jewish singer and a part of heroine to avenge for the murder… More
  Excellent untold story of World War II where the distinctions between good and evil become blurred by the complexities of human nature - very interesting. Carice van Houten does perfectly performance in her role as beautiful Jewish singer and a part of heroine to avenge for the murder of her family. She's really hot and sexy in her nudity scenes - whooo!

• Michael S

  
  One of the best films of the year. Technically amazing and emotionally engaging, this is Verhoeven's best work since Robocop.

• Aaron N

  
  Exploitation master Paul Verhoeven, of Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Showgirls fame, tackles Nazi resistance. A young Jewish woman decides to join a Dutch resistance group after seeing her family blown away by the Nazis, barely escaping herself. In… More
  Exploitation master Paul Verhoeven, of Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Showgirls fame, tackles Nazi resistance. A young Jewish woman decides to join a Dutch resistance group after seeing her family blown away by the Nazis, barely escaping herself. In this group, she becomes a spy and forms a relation with a Nazi commander who actually prefers negotiation to violence. Deadly spy games, double and triple crosses ensue, with plenty of Verhoeven style nudity and violence throughout. All though it is fairly easy to follow, and very well paced for a two and a half hour movie, there is a lot going on in terms of story, with clever twists and turns. Although even with subtitles, the movie goes back and forth between German, Dutch, Hebrew, and English, and its all very easy to follow. Carice van Houten in the lead as Elsie is very good, with a combination of sadness, deception, beauty, and smarts. Sebastion Koch as the Nazi commander, who was also very good in The Lives of Others, is very good again here as well. The chemistry between these two shows very well. Other supporting players do good in their parts as well. Being a Verhoeven movie, it may not approach the greatness that is Starship Troopers, but that's for different reasons, this is probably his best film, very well made, looks good, good acting, a good story, and even the layer of B-movie goodness that makes a Verhoeven film work.

• Nate Z

  
  [CENTER][img]http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3581/photo18qg2.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial]If there's one thing you can say about Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, it's that his films are never boring. He's shameless when it comes to the amounts of… More
  [CENTER][img]http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3581/photo18qg2.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial]If there's one thing you can say about Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, it's that his films are never boring. He's shameless when it comes to the amounts of sex and violence he squeezes into his films, and this isn't typical bouncy violence but cold, serious violence that manage to have whiffs of dark comedy to it. The sex is sleazy and ridiculous, often outpacing the late-night flesh peddlers on Cinemax. I don't think Verhoeven knows how to do anything subtle, and frankly I wouldn't want him to. The man is responsible for brawny sci-fi ([I]Total Recall[/I], [I]Robocop[/I]), killer lesbians ([I]Basic Instinct[/I]), the most subversive mainstream Hollywood movie of the modern era ([I]Starship Troopers[/I] is pro-fascism, people), and the most surreal visual effect I have seen in my life - a breast groping itself ([I]Hollow Man[/I]). Verhoeven even shows up in person to accept his Razzie award for Worst Director for 1995's camp classic, [I]Showgirls[/I]. This man doesn't have an off switch. The man makes enjoyable movies, both intentionally and unintentionally. It's been a long six years since Verhoeven's last film and in that time off he's settled back into his homeland. [I]Black Book (Zwartboek)[/I] is a tale loosely based around true stories involving the Dutch resistance in the Nazi-occupied occupied Netherlands. And if there is anyone that can throw in some sex with our good old-fashioned WWII violence, it is Paul Verhoeven. Rachel (Carice van Houten) is a Jew hiding out in the Netherlands. She and her family is trying to pass out of the country by river when they are ambushed by the guns of a Nazi boat. Rachel is the lone survivor and watches all of her family members get mowed down. She joins the underground resistance movement to find out who betrayed her family. She dyes her hair blonde, both above and below the waist to be thorough, and cuddles up to a stamp-collecting S.S. leader, Ludwig Muntz (Sebastian Koch). She works her way into his trust and along the way uncovers a twisty conspiracy to trick rich Jews into ambushed escapes. [I]Black Book[/I] is skillfully made and pulpy enough to keep the viewer's enjoyment level in a good place. From start to finish the movie presents enough trials and setbacks to keep an audience satisfied, and enough sex and violence to meet out the standard Verhoeven quota. Nazi occupation hasn't been deeply explored from the Dutch point of view, and Verhoeven decides not to make everything so black and white. Muntz is a compassionate S.S. officer that wants to work negotiations with resistance fighters to stop further bloodshed. Rachel deeply falls for him, at the disgust of some of her fellow men at arms. On the other side of the coin, once the Nazis have been toppled there are several Dutch civilians and bureaucrats that can behave just as cruel. Those now with power strike out against those deemed to have sympathized and collaborated with German rule. Verhoeven is making a point that there was good and bad on both sides, which is admirable, though this point has been made better elsewhere. [I]Black Book[/I] is filled with various twists and double-crosses, so the audience is involved until the very end. Plus, the sex and violence help too. There's terribly little below the surface when it comes to [I]Black Book[/I]. It's a thrilling, unabashedly entertaining movie but nothing beyond a sexed-up, suped-up version of a 1940s behind-enemy-lines potboiler. The characters have little to them beyond basic motivations like greed and lust and revenge, so it all can seem like an empty but high-spirited, fun-filled time at the movies. Verhoeven has never imbued his female roles with much characterization, more often showcasing them as ass-kicking vaginas on legs (whoa, now there's a mental image for you). Another flaw is how [I]Black Book[/I] is structured. We open on a tourist trip to Israel in 1954 and see Rachel teaching a class of schoolchildren. This colossal misstep drains the tension from whenever Rachel is in danger; we already know she has to survive to teach our little ones. [I]Black Book[/I] is a largely fictional take, a collection of various historical pieces and figures, so that means that the outcome for our heroine is not preordained. Rachel very well could die amidst her undercover infiltration, but alas the movie opening in flashback erases this threat. Van Houten is an enticing screen beauty that brings to mind Hollywood stars of old. She has a very simple, prim, elegant look to her, and a presence that is coy and sensual but far from trashy or vulgar. This helps add traces of believability to a figure that does some incredible acts in the name of God and country. Hollywood would have cast Rachel as a tall, buxom bombshell, but it would all be wrong. If this girl turned heads she would be dead. Van Houten gets thrown through the wringer, and at one point literally shit upon, and she handles it with steely grit. The best moments are when we see how Rachel rebounds from setbacks, when she is forced to break from her resolve and think. Her first encounter with Muntz in a train car is a good example, but even better is how she reacts when Muntz accuses her of dying her hair and being a Jew. She grabs his hands and places them on her hips and finally rests them on her exposed breasts. "Are these Jewish?" she asks. She defuses the situation and lives another day, and it's perfectly played by a nervous but nervy Van Houten. She makes two plus enjoyable hours even more enjoyable. [I]Black Book[/I] is clearly and fairly rated R, but part of its rating piqued my curiosity. One of the items that help push the film into the restricted rating is "graphic nudity." Now, what exactly is graphic nudity? I recall last year's [I]Babel[/I] also getting an R-rating for what was deemed "graphic nudity." One thing the two films have in common is that they both show quick glimpses of exposed female genitalia. I suppose that the MPAA feels that nudity becomes graphic when we see pubic hair. This confounds me. What about pubic hair turns nudity into an extra, more offensive category of nudity? At the end of the day, it's just hair, people. I did some quick research and [I]Basic Instinct[/I], infamous for Sharon Stone's career-making leg crossing, is rated R for mere "strong sexuality." For the record, when Stone flashes her naughty bits they were bare. So let the record show that hair seems to be the qualifier between what is nudity and what is graphic nudity. Maybe I'll write a dissertation on this some day. As for another aside, how freaking cool is the name [I]Zwartboek[/I]? It sounds like some fun term I'd come across in the pages of Douglas Adams' [I]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[/I]. The Dutch language is a tad bizarre for my American ears; it's sounds like a mixture of English and German, and sometimes it seems like a subtitled sentence is actually direct English. I know I can't stop saying "zwatboek" around my home in place of gasps and curses. [I]Black Book[/I] is Verhoeven's first Dutch language film in over 25 years, and it also feels like he's enjoying movies again after his bad experiences across the Atlantic. I welcome more entertaining Dutch films from their favorite filmmaking son. He may not be he most subtle man behind a camera, but we already have plenty Terrence Mallicks and Gus van Sants to bring confounding contemplation to movies. We need more people like Vanhoeven who know how to please the sense, kick you in the balls, and make you grateful for the experience. Nate's Grade: B [/FONT][/COLOR]

• Gordon A

  
  Slick war time drama with a fine performance from Carice but some of the later twists are somewhat contrived

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]Once upon a time, Paul Verhoeven directed two respectable movies in his native Holland , "Soldier of Orange" and "The Fourth Man", before embarking to Hollywood for an inconsistent career there, of which, "Total Recall" was the best… More
  [font=Century Gothic]Once upon a time, Paul Verhoeven directed two respectable movies in his native Holland , "Soldier of Orange" and "The Fourth Man", before embarking to Hollywood for an inconsistent career there, of which, "Total Recall" was the best of the lot. "Flesh and Blood" was not bad. "Robocop" was vulgar and overrated. "Basic Instinct" was a mediocre Hitchcock knock off and I got halfway through "Showgirls" when my brain started to melt...so when Verhoeven returned to Holland to make "Black Book", I thought it might it be interesting...which it is almost.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In "Black Book", Rachel Stein(Carice van Houten), a Jewish woman in hiding from the Nazis in the Dutch countryside in 1944, is the sole survivor of two separate attempts on her life; the second of which claims the lives of her parents and brother. After that, she is smuggled into the city, has her hair dyed blonde, given a new identity and goes to work for Gerben Kuipers(Derek de Lint, who was also in "Soldier of Orange"). Eventually, she joins up with the resistance movement...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Black Book" is a convoluted mess of a glossy potboiler that goes on too long. The movie starts out simply but eventually ties itself into knots for the sake of doing so. Yes, things are never as simple as black and white but there still has to be an overriding logic.("Where Eagles Dare" had similar moments of lunacy but it was not as close to the Holocaust where it had to take itself seriously.) For instance, what would a woman in hiding be doing sunning herself on a lakeshore listening to a phonograph? It's a shame because there are some worthwhile moments including a couple of shots at holy rollers and thoughts on how much a life is worth during wartime. But movies such as "Europa Europa" and "Mother Night" were much better, smarter and had some very interesting thoughts about identity.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]So, I guess you can't blame everything on Joe Eszterhas...[/font]

• Fascade F

  
  Awesome...TOTALLY awesome...This is one well paced and totally captivating performance where a woman playing the heroine moves you in so many emotions that you have GOT to see this. Revenge...is a bitter pill to swallow...but tastes so sweet after it is served! Every woman despite… More
  Awesome...TOTALLY awesome...This is one well paced and totally captivating performance where a woman playing the heroine moves you in so many emotions that you have GOT to see this. Revenge...is a bitter pill to swallow...but tastes so sweet after it is served! Every woman despite your nationality or language background needs to see what this woman (Carice Van Houten) went through to play both sides of the fence to have both sides turn against her is unbelievable! See this then buy it. You will never forget it.

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