Black Book [Zwartboek]

Paul Verhoeven, Netherlands, 2006, 145 minutes

The last days of WWII are coming and Holland awaits with baited breath. However the resistance still have a lot of work to do and are eager to recruit Rachel Stein, a young Jewish woman whose family were killed trying to escape the country. With hair (and other parts besides) dyed blonde and renamed Ellis De Vries she is ready to help her country.

An unexpected turn of events means that she catches the eye of a German commandant, Ludwig Müntze, and being a good Mata Hari figure she is willing to use her considerable physical charms to get well in with the occupying forces and act as a spy from within. However when things start going wrong Ellis' loyalties start to be questioned, especially when she starts to develop real feelings of affection towards Müntze, who is not the evil man she had thought, rather a decent man serving a bad cause. As the liberation draws ever closer Ellis finds herself dreading the days she had previously looked forward to as her former comrades turn against her, hiding the real traitor. Will she be vindicated?

This simple tale of good and evil is a highly entertaining and gripping romp. I normally dislike thrillers but this one did keep me genuinely enthralled for the more than two hours of running time.

It is split into roughly two halves. The first feels somewhat like 'Carry on Up the Dutch resistance'

with the lead character exploiting her playful sexiness to the full and the film bounces along in a most engaging way. However there is an undercurrent of danger which never quite goes away and rears itself in the second half. Characters reveal hidden sides which we never suspected and there are many surprises. Verhoeven has created as taut and exciting a film as we can expect to see this year.

The performances are superb, Carice van Houten (Rachel/Ellis) has a hard job as she is is virtually every scene however she excels. War films tend to be very masculine tales and so it is a nice change to see one with a female focus.

A suspenseful, playful and stirring tale of daring do, a heroic heroine, villainous villains and proof that chocolate is good for you. It may not be great cinema but it is a great film and well worth seeing.

Review by Louise Oliver
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2007