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Moviola > Films > Black Book
Black Book (15) 145 minsIn Holland in 1944, beautiful Jewish singer Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) is living in hiding. After her safe house is bombed she and her family attempt an escape but are betrayed into an ambush from which she is the only survivor. She joins the Dutch resistance and, having proved herself resourceful and cool-headed, is chosen to seduce Müntze (Sebastian Koch), a high-ranking officer in the SS, and infiltrate his headquarters. The seduction is easy, but Rachel traps herself by falling for him, and he in turn risks his career and life to protect her when he learns her secret. Once the Allied victory arrives, circumstances become grave for Rachel and Müntze as they discover that the end of the war doesn't mean the end of betrayals and killing. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and twenty years in the making, this is a fast-paced, action-packed, sexy thriller in which both Nazis and resistance fighters are complex characters, not cardboard cut-outs, and which gives us in Rachel an unforgettable heroine.
"This is one of the best war movies to emerge about World War II in the last ten years. It has everything a good war thriller should have: impeccable period detail, wonderful performances, action, romance, tragedy, and heart-stopping suspense. Black Book offers the best of both worlds: Hollywood spectacle and European sensibilities. It's 145 minutes well spent." James Berardinelli "Rarely off-camera, Van Houten, only 29, throws herself into the part of a lifetime, with a face that can spin on a dime between fear, defiance, caprice and caring. But for all of Verhoeven's technical skills, the film still wouldn't work without her on-screen chemistry with Koch, who makes Müntze a tragically flawed figure rather than simple villain." Variety
NB This film is in Dutch and German with English subtitles.
www.sonyclassics.com/blackbook
Last modified: 20-Jun-2008 |
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