Black Book

Rating: 9/10 (11 May 2018)

This Dutch wartime thriller opens in Israel in 1956 when a Dutch woman recognises woman teaching at a kibbutz; it turns out they knew each other during the war. We then see what the latter woman did during the war as the action switched to German occupied Netherlands in 1944. The woman is Rachel Stein, a Jewish singer, who is hiding with a Christian family. When that home is destroyed she seeks out a family friend who has contacts that can get her out of the country. She is passed on to a member of the resistance then meets up with a group of refugees, including her parents and brother. The boat they are travelling on is ambushed by the Germans and Rachel is the sole survivor.
She manages to contact the resistance and after an accidental meeting with a local German commander, Ludwig Müntze, she is told to get close to him to help gain useful information. She soon learns that the man responsible for the death of her family, SS Officer Günther Franken, is working in the same headquarters as Müntze. After planting a microphone in his office the identity of the man who betrayed the refugees is found and the resistance must decide what to do next as striking against any friend of the Nazis can expect repercussions. That isn't Rachel's only worry; she is developing feelings for Müntze. Even after the war is over the troubles haven't finished as those who worked with the Germans will do anything to protect themselves and anybody even suspected of collaboration won't get a fair hearing from the mob that quickly forms.
Writer/director Paul Verhoeven may be better known for over-the-top violent action films like 'RoboCop' and 'Total Recall' but here he shows that he is more than capable of making something more serious. That isn't to say there is no violence; there is quite a bit but it isn't gratuitous instead it feels real rather than exciting. The story isn't simply the heroic resistance versus the evil Nazis and collaborators... Müntze spares Rachel even though he realises she is Jewish and refuses orders to execute prisoners and we see resistance members showing anti-Semitic views and quickly turning on each other when it becomes apparent that somebody betrayed them... the identity of the traitors provides a good mystery. There is a good level of tension throughout the film and it is hard not to fear for Rachel's safety even though we know from the start that she survives the war. The cast does a really fine job; most notably Carice van Houten who does a great job as protagonist Rachel and Sebastian Koch as Müntze. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody looking for a war film that is more morally ambiguous than most.