Monday, April 23, 2007

Zwartboek: Review

It would dishonest of me to admit that I was eagerly anticipated Paul Verhoeven's newest creation Zwartboek (Black Book). In fact, to say that I was dreading it was probably a statement closer to the truth. When looking at Verhoeven's past work and seeing that for every film worth watching (Robocop, Total Recall) there is at least another completely devoid of worth (Showgirls, Hollow Man), with many of the failures being more recent in his career than successes. Granted, I thoroughly enjoyed Starship Troopers, gore and all, but the idea of Verhoeven tackling the subject of the Dutch resistance in World War II seemed off putting to me. After all, Verhoeven was too over the top, too melodramatic to make an effective, tasteful film about the largest war of the 20th Century. As the buzz around the film continued to build, my interest was piqued and thankfully, for not only myself but war film fans everywhere, Verhoeven has worked a minor miracle and in the process, created a wonderfully over the top and endlessly entertaining look at the resistance. Zwartboek has a quick, sharp wit, is filled with some fantastic performances and is surprisingly intelligent, a trait that has seemed to escape Verhoeven's work in recent attempts.


Led by Carice van Houten, who plays Rachel, a Jewish woman whose family is mercilessly cut down by a German patrol during their attempt to escape occupied Holland, the cast digs into the material. Van Houten is a revelation, a bona fide star in the making. Her performance is the emotional center of the film, lending weight to even the most melodramatic moments. Rachel is a strong, independent woman, completely in control of her decisions and is an equal match to the more socially powerful military men she deals with. In other words, she is the exact opposite in execution as Nomi Malone in sexuality although probably close in terms of Verhoeven's aim. Van Houten takes every bit of the material with the perfect blend of playfulness and devotion and gets the absolute most out of her character, something that hasn't happened in a Verhoeven film in a long while. Also excellent is Sebastian Koch, fresh off of The Lives of Others, who plays both Rachel's assignment and love interest. Koch's character isn't as rich as Van Houten but his portrayal of a German officer with a heart of gold is morally complex, adding an additional weight to the film. By creating an almost sympathetic German that battles often times unsympathetic resistance fighters, Verhoeven crafts a moral dilemma for the audience that is difficult to absorb and formulize given Hollywood's history of morally conservative World War II films.

When viewed in relation to Melville's Army of Shadows, Verhoeven's Black Book stands up remarkably well. While it never quite reaches the heights of Melville's astounding work, together, they provide an interesting and in-depth look at the role that the various resistances had during the war. Verhoeven's direction is actually well suited for the material as he is able to create a classic sense of suspense that is unlike Melville's work in Army of Shadows. Where Melville's tension is nearly unbearable in its realism and seriousness, Black Book relies on the Hollywood war epics of old, all excitement and daring and never a sense of foreboding danger. A method that must have felt dated and overused 15 years ago, feels like classic escapism given the more realistic bent that most WWII pictures have taken since the early 90's with Spielberg's Schindler's List.

Black Book is more The Dirty Dozen than Saving Private Ryan. It is almost a relief that one can go to a war film and not walk out feeling like the world is collapsing, but just revel in the old fashioned tales of blinding heroism, granted Black Book's take on the subject remains modern. There is too much moral and thematic complexity on display here to truly be popcorn fare but its a rare film that is both intelligent and fun. Verhoeven's unapologetic filmmaking, the very trait I thought would ruin the film, lends itself perfectly to the material. It is a war film that is refreshingly, pulpy fun at a time when to be anything other than deathly serious about war films is considered classless.


The script, penned by Verhoeven and longtime co-writer Gerard Soeteman, is as entertaining as it is long but is filled with enough twists and turns that the story moves quickly enough that the film never wears out its welcome. The dialogue is snappy and sharp and the characters, while stereotypical at moments, work fairly well as foils for each other. The dichotomy between the resistance and German soldiers is particularly notable as neither can easily fit into two distinct categories. For every moral German, there is an immoral member of the resistance and vice versa. Despite being packaged as a war flick of old, there are some remarkably fresh ideas on display that warrant a viewing.

This isn't a flawless film, far from it. It does run a little long and could use some trimming near the film's conclusion. After the war ends, there is still a good amount of material to cover and while it all remains entertaining due to the twisting nature of the plot, it does drag a bit. With a running time of just about two and a half hours, it is not necessarily a film for the impatient despite its fast moving pace. Also, as with any Verhoeven film, there is going to be a fair amount of graphic content, both violence and sex. This will be off putting for some but as I've mentioned before, the film never feels heavy and the weight of its subject matter is handled with relative ease. Above all else, the film is war film as entertainment, not as a message movie. It harkens back to the days of Hollywood yore, albeit with the typical Verhoeven twist. For fans of the director, this should be considered mandatory viewing as it is easily his best film in 20 years. For those who are on the fence, go see it merely for Van Houten smoldering performance and the utter entertaining nature of the thing. The first true pleasant surprise of 2007.

****/*****

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