Tuesday, December 08, 2009

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Zwartboek - "Black Book" (2006) - Review

This is one of those long films that fly by in no time. Even watching significantly better-than-average films, there are times when I find myself thinking "Nice flick but is it ever going to end?" Not so with this one.

The story is about a Jewish woman who hooks up with the Dutch resistance during the final months of World War II. For much of the movie, she dons the guise of a non-Jewish Dutch singer in order to seduce one of the Nazis (a much more charming and sexier version of your typical Nazi). One can only imagine the surfeit of possibilities for spying. (Yes, Mata Hari does come to mind.)

Lots of intrigue with double-crosses and at least one double-double-cross (triple cross?) follow. There is romance, believe it or not. There are a few scenes that probably would have got this film an NC-17 rating twenty years ago. Not all of those scenes have to do with sex or nudity.

Though the story is pretty dang good, I'm not sure I'd have liked the film as much as I did without the performance of Carice van Houten. Quite frankly, the story was a tiny bit overwrought. (It was based on "actual events". I suppose WWII was an actual event.) But this girl's acting chops made this film something I recommend without reserve. I would watch it again if only to see her gut-wrenching sobs. I believed that she felt her pain might kill her.

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Here is a review from somebody who didn't like it quite as much as I did.

Forgot to mention... subtitles. What I consider a bonus is that they are in multiple languages - mostly Dutch but lots of German and even some Hebrew.

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