Tight Romantic Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2007)

If you like "Casablanca", you will like "Black Book".
If you are interested in WWII movies, you will be pleased with "Black Book". Subtitles do not distract from your understanding of this movie. Yes, violence is present.
Immediately I fell into this movie although I was 20 minutes late for it. I certainly reminded me of Hollywood movies of the 1940s sans the out of focus halos around the heroine. Colors are rich and sharp here compared to Hollywood's black and white versions of WWII events. And you may wonder how they found these derelict buildings seen in the film.
I think that some comparison to "The Pianist" is fair. We are viewing survival methods of a women who is also a spy. We follow her inner conflicts and loyalties during WWII as she represents "the resistance". Sex play is contained therein as she manipulates the right people.
If I sound cool, you're right. But this is a film loaded with action, conflict, comparisons to Greta Garbo, violence, romantic style, and vulgar displays of human incarceration. This may be called a romantic thriller. And strangely, we feel a little empathy for a Guestoppo who manages to submit to the lures of the leading romantic lady who is also a Heb and a spy. (spoiler) The violence is "normal" Nazi machine gunning and two people get a hatchet in the face in the last days of the war. And do those Nazi's look real.(end of spoiler) After 2.5 hours, I felt satisfied, never bored. And I felt as if I had learned more of history. I appreciated the sacrifices of the "Resistance Fighters" during WWII. Based upon a true story.