Tremendous Wartime Drama for the 21st Century

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2007)

Forget the English sub- titles for this Dutch language film. Fast paced, dramatic, twisting and edgy, this is a marvellous revamp of the traditional "Resistance" genre, easily the best film I have seen in ages.
The Director Paul Verhoeven has a distinguished English language film career behind him, the best of which is echoed and reworked to great effect. From the "Hollow Man" we have the sense of emptiness and isolation of the main character. From "Starship Troopers", "Total Recall" and "Robocop" we have tremendous all action set pieces bursting onto the screen like firecrackers. From "Showgirls" and "Basic Instinct" we have the salacious sexiness of some pleasingly gratuitous sequences.
The Wartime period is lovingly recreated as the lack of goofs and trivia comments testify ! The tale is essentially that of a wartime Jewess, Rachel Ellis - brilliantly performed by Carice Van Houten - her hiding, and her journey into the hands of the Dutch Resistance to avenge her tragic experiences.
Distance provides perspective and the Dutch Resistance and liberation is not played in straight patriotic mode. Political, personal and conscientious differences are all shown between the fighters with greed and self preservation knowing no National boundaries ! Indeed one of the most sympathetically drawn characters is the SS Commander, Muntze - carefully played by Sebastian Koch. A philatelist and pragmatist, he emerges with more dignity than most amidst a twisting, swirling plot. When Ellis has to seduce Muntze there is a preceding "Basic Instinct" moment when she is seen not only dying her hair, but her pubic hair. She remonstrates with a fellow Resistance fighter not to look - but you cant help! Traditionally this type of film as practised in the forties, fifties, and sixties was slow and laconic. This whips along, totally carrying it's two and a half hour running time. The plot is dense, thus making a second viewing very rewarding, but hey, you have to see it for the first time, and that is exactly what you should do !