impressive

Rating: 9/10 (29 August 2006)

The first movie of Paul Verhoeven since more than 20 years could only turn out to be a disappointment. But fortunately it is not. It is a very impressive and exciting and dramatic story of a Jewish girl that gets involved in the Resistance-movement in World War 2. When she wants to escape the Germans she finds her family killed in front of her eyes. She is rescued and becomes an important member of the Dutch Resistance. She has to act like a spy at the headquarters of the SD and even has to sleep with the head of the SD, who happens to turn out to be the only good German in the movie. I won't tell you what happens, but the movie gives a very good impression of the terrors of war, what people do in these circumstances, the thin line between good and bad and betrayal. The movie was beautifully shot and Carice van Houten is incredible in this movie. Zwartboek is a typical Paul Verhoeven-movie with some nudity and heavy in your face-scenes and provocative and unexpected things that happen. Zwartboek could be the winner of the Oscars for foreign movies next year as far as I am concerned. Also a special credit for the German actor who plays general Franken. Go and see Zwartboek (Black Book): it's a movie that will keep you thinking for quite some while