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Movie: Zwartboek / Black Book
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Actors: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Derek de Lint
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Paul Verhoeven turns his back on Hollywood and returns to The Netherlands to make a good ol' Dutch flick again. His new film Zwartboek (Black Book) is, like most of the Dutch movies, about World War II.
Rachel is a young Jewish girl who witnesses a bloody Nazi attack that kills her family. She joins the resistance and starts a dangerous mission. Rachel infiltrates into the enemy's HQ, with the help of German officer Muntze who's got the hots for her. The female spy becomes an important source for the resistance, but she also discovers that not everyone shares the same objectives.
Verhoeven is one of the most successful directors of The Netherlands. He delivered masterpieces like Turkish Fruit and Soldier of Orange. He conquered the U.S. and the rest of the world with Robocop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct. Verhoeven managed to bring a typical Dutch provocative edge to his American productions. Showgirls and Hollow Man did a lot less, so Verhoeven decided to direct a Dutch feature again.
Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers are one of my favorite movies and I hoped that the director would stay in the U.S. and make his 'comeback' with another sci-fi epic. On the other hand, I thought it also would be interesting to see how he would use his American filmmaking experience for a Dutch movie.
But, unfortunately, that's not the case. Paul Verhoeven really goes back to his roots on this one. Zwartboek is a typical Dutch movie, which means lots of hooters and wieners, sex, violence and hard language. The oldtimers, Thom Hoffman and Derek de Lint, and the old school acting, make it look like the Dutch Film industry hasn't progressed at all. Carice van Houten as Rachel/Ellis does an okay job but can't save the messy story. Zwartboek moves on slowly, without working to a big climax. And what bothers me the most is that little black book, which, according to the movie's title, should be the main character of the film. But the book only gets a few minutes of screen time in the last part of the film.
Regular visitors of movieXplosion.com know that I'm not that fond of Dutch cinema. I try hard being open, though. Paul Verhoeven's return was very promising. I really hoped he could bring something new to the same ol' crap they're making in The Low Lands, but unfortunately, Verhoeven brings something really old that has been done before.
Written by Reggy 18/09/06
© A Film 2006
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