Black Book makes fighting the Nazis almost fun again

***1/2 (out of 5)


Wow, an exciting, almost fun movie about fighting the Germans during World War II and incredibly, involving a Jew in the mix. You know this movie wasn't made by Hollywood. H-wood doesn't make fun World War II movies anymore, even though they used to be their bread and butter (Stalag 17, The Great Escape). But the Dutch director who made a big splash 15 years ago with a triple play of RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct, Paul Verhoeven, goes back to his native Holland to film the true story of the Dutch Resistance and the Jewish singer who did her best to help bring down the Nazis.

At first, Rachel is much like Anne Frank, hiding in her room from the Nazis, passing the time by studying a Bible so that her sponsors will feed her. If she recites a passage correctly she gets a bowl of soup, if she doesn't she starves for the night. But when events cause her to flee she can only turn to the Resistance for help. In exchange, she goes undercover as a Gestapo secretary and eventual mistress to help the Dutch win their freedom. I didn't understand why the Germans seemed so easygoing here as opposed to films that were set in Poland and France, butI was told that the German troops were stretched thin and the Dutch didn't seem to be much a threat.

Still there are moments that are pure Verhoeven. Like the gratuitous nudity and a scene involving feces that seems way over the top. Plus, the acting of the lead Carice van Houten seemed underwhelming for such a big part. Some pretty horrific things happen to her and she bounces back without any apparent emotional scars. I realize that the role was probably written that way, but a better actress could have done more with it. If Meryl Streep were playing this part, you could definitely have both the carefree moments and the haunting of the soul.

The Freditor