Waste of Money.

hyped garbage

Absolutely the worst movie.

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

A period piece that draws you in despite some questionable plot arcs and convenient gaps in judgment amongst characters. That aside, this is a tense pic that has its hands deep in the oil wells of reality, pumping away to generate tension, excitement, confrontation and some timely duets by the main architect of the Netherlands gestapo despite not being it's head. there are both sympathetic scenes and exaggerated action and rolled up in hard to believe plot where the obvious is overlooked.Mind you, I believe that was the point the director was attempting to make about the reality of the time. Flashes on our starlets breast and bush did nothing to add to either element, if only to add brashness to our character, but to the detriment of suspense of disbelief. Not that sex wasn't used by both sides to get what they wanted or needed, but it was pedaled more than bought and that's a bit hard to swallow. The acting is above par but definitely mixed all along, confusing this viewer and adding to the overall thought that the high cost film was spiraling and had to wrap up before these inconsistencies could grow further.

The Dutch movie Zwartboek was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Black Book (2006). It was co-written and directed by Paul Verhoeven.The movie shows us the ghastly treatment of Dutch Jews--and, in fact Dutch people in general--during the German occupation of Holland. Rachel Stein--who changes her name to Ellis de Vries--is a Jewish woman who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to Israel. (We know that she survives because the first scene of the film begins with Rachel teaching an elementary class in a kibbutz in Israel. The rest of the movie is shown as Rachel's flashback.)The plot tells us how she survived, and how she was able to help the Dutch resistance movement as they tried to free their country from the Germans. The movie is extremely convoluted. It's also incredibly violent. It's definitely not for the faint of heart.The film works because Carice van Houten is so convincing as Rachel Stein/Ellis de Vries. Of course, she's very beautiful, but she's also a great actor. Her beauty enables her to infiltrate the German headquarters, and her intelligence allows her to survive, even though betrayal is everywhere.The film is long, very sexual, and, as I stated, very violent. If that's the type of film you like, don't miss The Black Book. This really isn't my kind of movie, so I gave it a rating of 7. However, the overall IMDb rating is 7.8, so other reviewers like it better than I did. We saw the film on DVD, where it worked well. We watched it straight through. However, it's 2 1/2 hours long, so you could watch half of it one day, and the other half the next.

Honestly, I did not expected the movie be so good.Thought it is just another military and spy story.Looking at the ratings, thought to give a try and glad that I came across this movie.The never ending unfortunate story of Jews is very well narrated.All actors act carried out their role very well.Carice van Houten is one of the finest actor around.Sebastian Koch is elegant as always.Movie keeps you glued to the seat.One of the movie to watch

I came across this film by chance and made a note to myself to watch it. I'm grateful for that decision because the 'Black Book' is a must-see. It connects with all your emotions; it really digs deep. Most important of all, it takes you on a journey of an exciting story which you do not have to relate to to understand. I have not yet credited the actors or Verhoeven and so I must applaud their efforts. The story is fantastic but it was the actors that really brought it to life and the strongest performance for me was from Carice van Houten. I have researched how long Verhoeven worked on this film for-over 15 years! It definitely showed and his film was gripping from the opening scene. I do like (not love) war films, but you do not have to like war films to enjoy this. This has a slightly different focus that I believe to be more to do with human values. I would recommend this film especially to anyone that loves action, drama and history: you'll be in for a treat.