Black Book

Often cast as the agent provocateur of Hollywood, director Paul Verhoeven has shifted subject matter from lesbian serial killers and invisible sex pests to World War II with Black Book (Zwartboek), his first Dutch production for twenty years. It follows Mata Hari-esque Jewish singer Rachel Steinn (van Houten) who joins the resistance in the occupied Netherlands following the slaughter of her family by the Nazis. When members of the resistance are captured, Rachel uses her "talents" to cosy up to SS officer Müntze (Koch) in an effort to free her comrades, but her loyalties become divided when she falls for him. It being Verhoeven, there's an attention to detail which seems unnecessary, including an eye-watering scene in which Rachel uses a liberal dose of peroxide to ensure that "collar and cuffs" match. Some great performances and technically excellent action sequences make for an entertaining and morally ambiguous treatment of WWII. [Colan Mehaffey]