Review of Black Book (2006) by Spangle — 12 Jan 2017

Paul Verhoeven knows sex and violence and Black Book finds him utilizing both in a film about a Dutch Jew who joins the resistance in WWII and infiltrates the Nazi headquarters in Holland. Identified as the best Dutch film of all-time by the Dutch themselves, it is not hard to see why Verhoeven's film has become so praised. With his trademark sexual exploitation and neck spurting violence, Black Book is a thrilling and suspenseful WWII thriller that constantly defies expectations with its portrayal of betrayal and the improbable allies and enemies made by our hero. Set in the final day of Nazi occupation of Holland, the film is neither damning nor sympathetic to either side and Verhoeven finds a balance in the war, opting instead to tell the story of one incredible woman.

With Carice van Houten starring as Rachel Stein/Ellis de Vries, Black Book is already off to a good start as Van Houten turns in a characteristically terrific performance. Subdued, sensual, and manipulative, Van Houten is a perfect fit for the sexuality demanded by Verhoeven's lead characters. She also handles herself in the dramatic scenes incredibly well, being both emotionally available while never crying. You can see what she has seen and had happen to her has a deep emotional impact, but on the outside, she is a rock and ready to take on all comers. This power and strength is a positive trait of the character and one that Van Houten exemplifies at all times. Though the men in the film are obsessed with her breasts and she is constantly having them exposed, an act that would theoretically establish her as subservient to the men leering at her nude body, she retains power and control of the situations she finds herself in. Of course, men do rescue her in the film, but at all times, she is ten steps ahead of the men in the film and always capable of fighting back.

Interestingly, the film finds ethical people on both sides. Sent to become the girl of Captain Muntze (Sebastian Koch), Rachel/Ellis quickly discovers that he is a decent man who, in spite of his crimes he has committed, wants to see an end to the bloodshed. Though he should pay for his crimes, he is not as evil as other Nazi leaders and wants the war to end as soon as possible. He also truly loves Ellis and refuses to give her up, even upon finding out that she is a Jew. On the flip side, she becomes enemies with people on the resistance side who are actually collaborators with the Nazis and have betrayed the resistance consistently in order to become rich. It is this ethical relativism that makes Black Book stand out from the crowd in WWII films. Though films such as Stephen Daldry's The Reader have tried to paint a Nazi guard as sympathetic, it did so through the guise of having her engage in a pedophilic relationship with a young man. Black Book, fortunately, does not take this approach. Instead, it humanizes him through his love and stances taken in favor of Ellis, much to his detriment with the Nazis. He is a simple man who loves collecting stamps and is not the monster the Dutch perceive him to be. By the time the film ends, his death is one that is greatly mourned by Ellis and the audience alike.

The action sequences and moments of suspense are equally well handled by Verhoeven. We know he knows how to make a great action set piece through his work on RoboCop or Starship Troopers and Black Book is no exception. Brilliantly filmed, choreographed, and exuberant action scenes both thrill and instill great awe throughout the film as the men weave through the Nazi headquarters and the streets of Holland. Of course, one of the great flaws in many war or pseudo war films is its characters. Here, this is true as many characters blend together or are underdeveloped, such as staunch Christian Theo (Johnny de Mol). Now, the counter argument is that this is Rachel/Ellie's film and her story, which is fair. That said, the sprinkles of characterization we receive for everybody else is often not sufficient. Fortunately, the film does enough to highlight key motivations and traits of important players that foreshadow and drops hints for the audience to pick up on that play key roles later on.

A thrilling, unpredictable, and greatly dramatic WWII thriller, Black Book finds that director Paul Verhoeven still knows sex, violence, and thrills, and can find ways to make these feel unique and thoroughly engaging. At every turn, Black Book is a great exercise in ethical relativism and a terrific look at the Nazis reign of terror in Holland the betrayal that ensued across the country and across Europe in the wake of occupation.