Wonderful masterpiece of war and psychological thriller

Rating: Null/10 (29 April 2008)

This film is about a Jewish woman infiltrating the German Army during the Dutch resistant in the World War II.
"Black Book" is really an astounding film. Despite the length of the film, every single second has its significance and cannot be cut out. The plot is so tightly woven and quick paced, we needed to pause every now and then to discuss what's going on and to clarify what's happening. The fact that we want to discuss it is an indication that we are very drawn to the plot and want to know exactly what happened. The story unfolds in a fascinating and gripping way that viewers beg for more.
It's sad and yet thrilling that no one could be trusted. Good guys seem bad and yet bad guys seem good. It's a never ending struggle for Ellis de Vries, and I think this is one of the reasons that the plot is so engaging. At the end, the humiliation scene is particularly moving and disturbing. It is just one of the many shocking scenes, but they do not look out of place or contrived at all as it could have with other movies. That's another wonder of "Black Book".
Carice van Houten is an amazing actress. I feel it's wrong that she didn't get an Oscar nomination for the best actress. She has a 40's quality, radiating elegance and yet mixed with all sorts of pain when she was being undercover. The rest of the cast is also very good. They collectively create a lot of tension and carry the film very well.
It's hard to believe that "Black Book" is directed by the same guy who directed "Showgirls". It's a much welcomed change, and I look forward to his next film.