Black Book (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Who knew that pubic hair could be a pivotal plot point in a great movie? It is in 'Black Book', a Dutch war thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct). This is the story of a Dutch Jewish singer who barely survives WWII in Holland. With the Nazis occupying her country, she infiltrates the Gestapo headquarters for a Dutch resistance group. Her intent is to discover who betrayed her family by killing them in an attempt to relocate them to safety. This film has it all: epic war setting, interesting characters, credibility-bending melodrama, high-octane adventure, narrow escapes, and twists & turns galore. The main character is a tad aloof (for my liking) when having to face some of the atrocities that she does. But overall, I was engaged throughout this shamelessly entertaining movie.
Israel, 1956: Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) encounters a friend from her past while working & living as a teacher in a kibbutz. Seeing this friend takes her down memory lane to 1944 where her hiding place is bombed by allied troops! She eventually reunites with a group of fellow Jews (including her family) who aim to be smuggled by boat to the liberated South. But some Germans show up & murder everyone aboard (except for Rachel who frantically swims to safety in the dense marshes). She's rescued by the Dutch resistance, led by a man named Kuipers. But when the Germans capture Kuipers' son, he asks Rachel, now named Ellis de Vries, to seduce SS-hauptsturmfuhrer Muntze (Sebastian Koch, of The Lives of Others) and find a way to rescue their comrade.
Rachel dyes her hair blonde (even pubic hairs) to prove to Muntze that she couldn't be Jewish. This is ludicrous, but also makes 'some' sense, & you take it for what it is. He falls for her, & she proves to be an able spy for the resistance. But someone within the resistance betrays her & she's viewed as committing treason from both sides! The situation is made worse by the fact that she actually falls in love with Muntze. His learning of her secret makes it dangerous for both to be seen together. So, the only thing left to do is run for their lives before they're taken down by either the confused resistance and/or the disheveled Nazis. Who initiated the attack on Rachel's family? Who is the betrayer in the resistance? ... Look for clues everywhere. Whose lives will be lost as they try to prove their innocence?
Carice van Houten conveys Rachel superbly as a no-nonsense survivor; the ultimate heroine. Rachel rarely falters, & if she does, she covers quickly. She does what she has to do to survive (takes menial jobs, bears her breasts to an MD, sleeps with an officer, shoots a gun, etc.). She suffers SO much grief, but rarely displays her true emotions. I view this as one of the weaker points in the film because I thought van Houten should have displayed more disgust at both war, & its circumstances. But she's strong. And no one truly realizes the significance of war or what they're doing until it's over anyway ... which is why she emotionally contemplates her past in the opening 1956 segment.
'Black Book' grabs you with its taught action, & suspenseful surprises (haha, maybe one too many). It is (at the same time) audacious, clever, exciting, colorful, & arresting (as the 145 minutes move briskly). It's well photographed, well acted & gives you something to think/talk about afterwards. The story is terrific fiction, but many aspects of the film are rooted in fact. The plot tends to get looney towards the end. It isn't as 'serious' as it could be. But then, haven't we seen ENOUGH ultra-serious films about WWII or war, in general? I welcomed the change. The screenplay is rich, provocative, & shows that all people (no matter what side they're on) have both good & bad inside of them.
Israel, 1956: Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) encounters a friend from her past while working & living as a teacher in a kibbutz. Seeing this friend takes her down memory lane to 1944 where her hiding place is bombed by allied troops! She eventually reunites with a group of fellow Jews (including her family) who aim to be smuggled by boat to the liberated South. But some Germans show up & murder everyone aboard (except for Rachel who frantically swims to safety in the dense marshes). She's rescued by the Dutch resistance, led by a man named Kuipers. But when the Germans capture Kuipers' son, he asks Rachel, now named Ellis de Vries, to seduce SS-hauptsturmfuhrer Muntze (Sebastian Koch, of The Lives of Others) and find a way to rescue their comrade.
Rachel dyes her hair blonde (even pubic hairs) to prove to Muntze that she couldn't be Jewish. This is ludicrous, but also makes 'some' sense, & you take it for what it is. He falls for her, & she proves to be an able spy for the resistance. But someone within the resistance betrays her & she's viewed as committing treason from both sides! The situation is made worse by the fact that she actually falls in love with Muntze. His learning of her secret makes it dangerous for both to be seen together. So, the only thing left to do is run for their lives before they're taken down by either the confused resistance and/or the disheveled Nazis. Who initiated the attack on Rachel's family? Who is the betrayer in the resistance? ... Look for clues everywhere. Whose lives will be lost as they try to prove their innocence?
Carice van Houten conveys Rachel superbly as a no-nonsense survivor; the ultimate heroine. Rachel rarely falters, & if she does, she covers quickly. She does what she has to do to survive (takes menial jobs, bears her breasts to an MD, sleeps with an officer, shoots a gun, etc.). She suffers SO much grief, but rarely displays her true emotions. I view this as one of the weaker points in the film because I thought van Houten should have displayed more disgust at both war, & its circumstances. But she's strong. And no one truly realizes the significance of war or what they're doing until it's over anyway ... which is why she emotionally contemplates her past in the opening 1956 segment.
'Black Book' grabs you with its taught action, & suspenseful surprises (haha, maybe one too many). It is (at the same time) audacious, clever, exciting, colorful, & arresting (as the 145 minutes move briskly). It's well photographed, well acted & gives you something to think/talk about afterwards. The story is terrific fiction, but many aspects of the film are rooted in fact. The plot tends to get looney towards the end. It isn't as 'serious' as it could be. But then, haven't we seen ENOUGH ultra-serious films about WWII or war, in general? I welcomed the change. The screenplay is rich, provocative, & shows that all people (no matter what side they're on) have both good & bad inside of them.