Just like a Hollywood war movie--with more nudity and violence

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2009)

This was inspired by true events. In Holland in 1944 a Jewish girl (Carice von Houten) tries to help the Dutch Resistance after seeing her whole family shot to death by the Nazis. She pretends to be attracted to the head of the Gestapo (Sebastian Koch) and eventually gets him into bed AND falls in love! Does she betray the man she loves or her country?
Paul Verhoeven made this VERY expensive movie in Holland. It seems he learned a lot from making all those films in Hollywood--this plays JUST like a Hollywood war movie from the 1950s. It's glossy and it looks great--but loaded with violence, nudity and profanity. It moves quickly and even though it's 145 minutes it's never dull. The acting is pretty good--von Houten has a very tough role but pulls it off. The same for Koch. You despise him but see his humanity underneath. Verhoeven regulars Thom Hoffman and Jeron Krabbe (who were both also in "The 4th Man") pop up giving strong performances in supporting roles. This movie is a little bit too long and it gets very confusing at the end with the double and triple crosses piling up--but I still loved it. Worth catching but avoid it if you're offended by extreme content.