Black Book dir. Paul Verhoeven
Intelligent WWII drama set in the Netherlands during its occupation.
I think if I’d realised that this film was directed by Paul Verhoeven (the man responsible for Basic Instinct and Showgirls), I might have given it a miss. That would have been a great shame, because this is an excellent film. Set towards the end of the Second World War in the Netherlands, ‘Black Book’ follows the story of Rachel Stein, a Jewish woman in hiding. Near the start of the film, her hiding place is bombed by the Allies, so she has to go on the run. It would be giving too much of the terrifically twisty plot to say much more, but she ends up working with a Resistance group, and when she goes undercover, she has to pretend to ‘fraternise’ with the Germans.
The plot, as I’ve mentioned, is very gripping, with lots of twists and turns, but one of the things I liked most about the film was the characterisation. Too many war films (with some notable exceptions, like ‘Das Boot’) fall into the trap of making the Resistance (or Allied troops) appear saintly and the Nazis thoroughly unpleasant. Black Book realistically and unflinchingly portrays the good and bad people on both sides. Rachel herself (or Ellis, as she calls herself later) is a very likeable heroine, and her quick-thinking and ability to improvise saves the day on a number of occasions. She is also quite non-judgmental of the actions of those around her, recognising that pragmatic issues sometimes override moral issues.
Understandably, given the subject matter, the film is pretty grim in places, with a lot of violence and one really disgusting scene. Despite that (and my general dislike of violence in films), I’d really recommend this film.
