Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Alex Deleon Viewed at Rouen Nordic Film Festival 2007. The undisputed highlight of an otherwise routine week in Rouen was that "Basic Instinct" man, Paul Verhoeven's new Dutch film, "Zwartboek" or (the little) Black Book. After a 20 year Hollywood career during which the Dutch director came up with such megahits as "Robocop" and "Basic Instinct" Black Book marks his return to his native turf and native language. The story, co-written by Verhoeven, centers on a very attractive Jewish woman who is the sole survivor of a group of Jews attempting to escape from occupied Holland towards the end of the war in a boat. Posing as a gentile blonde under a non-Jewish name (her false papers furnished by the Underground) she becomes the mistress of a highly placed Gestapo officer and is given a job in Gestapo Headquarters from where she is able to pass critical information on to the resistance. However, one thing leads to another in this highly charged complex plot where everybody is double-crossing everybody else in a typically Verhoevenesque drama of interlocking paranoia. Eventually Miss De Vries's cover is blown and another ultimately sleazy Gestaponik succeeds in making it look like she is actually collaborating with the Krauts. In the end as the Americans arrive and the country is liberated she is being chased by both sides -- especially because she has come into possession of a little black book which gives facts, figures, and names of key people involved in the fake smuggling of Jews with big-big dividends. In a role which reads something like The Perils of Pauline in WW II our heroine (Carice van Houten) at one point has to gobble a whole chocolate bar to counteract a nearly fatal dose of insulin injected into her arm by a false Dutch "hero" of The Resistance.The plot is so complicated that it may take two viewings to sort it all out, but one thing which is perfectly clear -- (to invoke the words of an infamous ex-president) -- perfectly clear it is, that Carice van Houten, the heroine of the story, is, with this film, well on the way to installing herself as the next great international female Superstar. (Remember, you read it here first!) Ms. Van Houten, who is probably pushing thirty, has been around for a while and is currently the most popular actress in Holland -- which isn't saying much in terms of international recognition, but Little Black Book is on marquees almost everywhere so it seems to be only a matter of time before she is discovered by the outside world. Van Houten has a screen presence far more gripping than Sharon Stone, who became an overnight star as the heroine of Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct" circa 1991 and is a far better actress.If "Black Book", which is currently on wide release in the States, doesn't do it for her all Verhoeven needs to do to launch another (more high-powered) Sharon Stone, is to come out with "Basic Instinct III" with Van Houten in the lead and La Stone will be a forgotten melody. Carice van Houten has it all; charisma, good looks both enigmatic and down-to-earth, sex appeal to burn -- AND she can act! This may be ridiculously early to talk about Oscar 2008, but in my book she's already there.PS: Alas, Van Houten was never discovered by Hollywood -- their loss!

Tejasvi Hegde 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

simondclinch-1 An excellent rendition of the plight of the Dutch, especially those of Jewish descent, under Nazi occupation. Most Jews did not survive under Nazi occupation and this is the story of a woman determined not only to survive but to avenge the atrocities of the SS and Gestapo.Most English-speaking viewers will need the English subtitles to follow the film. Being a Dutch film, the Dutch language is of course flawless and the occasional smattering of English as well.My only gripe is that whereas a large part of the film is spoken in German, the language is often spoken very poorly, both in terms of pronunciation and grammar. For example, it is common in most of the Netherlands to leave the "n" silent in infinitives and plurals ending in "en", but this is not the case in German. Nevertheless, this central Netherlands affectation gets applied equally to the German-speaking passages in the film. In addition, most of the Dutch actors struggle excessively with German nouns. Most irritating was "das Vleugel" which should be "der Fluegel". No excuse, given that vleugel isn't a neuter in Dutch either. Another example: "aufmachen" (infinitive) is used where the imperative ("mach auf") is required instead.Apart from that distraction, which non-reasonable-German-speaking viewers won't be afflicted by, it is a good story with plenty of suspense and is well acted.

Rameshwar IN Wonder how this stayed under my radar for so long while having so many things in excess - runtime, dramatization, graphic content be it sex or violence, production values, contriving, the number of characters and tragically failed missions. But what was hard to believe was the text that said in the beginning - based on real life events. Were they just referring to WWII in the backdrop? Though Carice van Houten gives her best shot, this multidimensional dream character was never converted to an Oscar vehicle.Backdrop is Denmark has come under Nazi rule and Jews are fleeing the country. Carice van Houten (Rachel Stein) is a Jew living in hiding. When her hideout is blown, she tries to make a run out of the country. She gets together with her family and gets on a boat. Rachel alone escapes a ruthless slaughter when a German patrol boat intercepts them. After she smuggles herself back into the city helped by a resistance group, she decides to fight for their cause. Her role is to setup a honey trap to a German Captain and assumes a new identity as Ellis de Vries.Carice van Houten fits the role perfectly upon her looks where she has to be equally cute, sexy and generous on nudity. Production values were extravagant for bringing an authentic feel to the period. With too many melodramatic moments and a highly commercial approach to presentation has not done enough justice to live up to the words in the beginning 'Based on real life events'. The resistance group is full of caricature characters you will find in any sort of group - an aggressor, a thinker, a comedian, a guilt driven paranoid etc. The dilemmas, perspectives and consequences that happen on the immediate aftermath of German surrender to the Allied Forces has never been dealt before - that too this period is not just a commentary based factual display but a proper thriller thread is induced here. Background score found wanting of elevation at certain moments, the action sequences look dated for its time.Seduce you through sex, violence and drama