Black Book

Paul Verhoeven returned to Holland to make this riveting World War II resistance thriller with a runaway pace and a gripping sense of peril. Carice van Houten is our heroine, a Dutch Jew in hiding who becomes an undercover agent sent by the resistance into the heart of the enemy's occupying headquarters. This wickedly inventive espionage drama, inspired by real events, is no "Soldier of Orange" with heroes battling Nazi invaders, but a film full of corrupted figures hiding behind a pose of heroism and self-righteousness. Verhoeven isn't as cynical as he is suspicious of such poses. He reveals a strain of anti-Semitism that runs deep among the resistance fighters, the corruption that runs through every organization, and the lure of power and money that twists everything and everyone within its grasp. Sebastian Koch co-stars as the ranking German officer who falls for our bleached blond Mata Hari. Features commentary by Verhoeven (in English) and the 25-minute featurette "Black Book: The Special" (in German with English subtitles, like the film). Also available in Blu-ray format.