Vonnegut Would Approve
The story is kept constantly off balance by wondering whether surviving one situation will only cause death at another. The past and the pressure leave the characters with no redeeming humanity. They can only react. Beyond survival with no...
- 03.March.2011
- |
- by: skitter
- skitter rated this movie7/10Good
Vonnegut Would Approve
The story is kept constantly off balance by wondering whether surviving one situation will only cause death at another. The past and the pressure leave the characters with no redeeming humanity. They can only react. Beyond survival with no redemption, retribution is nothing and justice does not exist. Even with enemies vanquished, nothing is changed.
Well filmed, well acted, well told, and very good food for thought.
- 03.March.2011
- |
- by: skitter
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
BLACK BOOK...is a strong movie. Not for the squeamish. I enjoyed it and rated it with 5 stars.
- 10.January.2011
- |
- by: Netflowers
- Netflowers rated this movie0/10
BLACK BOOK...is a strong movie. Not for the squeamish. I enjoyed it and rated it with 5 stars.
- 10.January.2011
- |
- by: Netflowers
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Given the subject matter, I don't know how they managed to make this movie suck so much. I think they were really trying to make it into this espionage epic, but it was pure CHEESE. I was not sold on the love affair. You knew the rich Jews were set...
- 19.May.2010
- |
- by: katkim619
- katkim619 rated this movie0/10
Given the subject matter, I don't know how they managed to make this movie suck so much. I think they were really trying to make it into this espionage epic, but it was pure CHEESE. I was not sold on the love affair. You knew the rich Jews were set up as soon as the main character was like, "Oh, we're all together, we'll never be separated again!" And really how many times do I have to see leading lady's t*ts? I only queued this because the plot sounded similar to Lust, Caution but this is pure crap in comparison. I'm honestly angry I wasted time watching this.
- 19.May.2010
- |
- by: katkim619
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
The Netherlands' director Paul Verhoeven has had some big commercial success in the U.S. with a mixed-bag of slick pictures ("RoboCop," "Total Recall," etc. -- although I thought "Basic Instinct" highly effective---and fun, too) that I liked less...
- 29.March.2010
- |
- by: Democritus
- Democritus rated this movie0/10
The Netherlands' director Paul Verhoeven has had some big commercial success in the U.S. with a mixed-bag of slick pictures ("RoboCop," "Total Recall," etc. -- although I thought "Basic Instinct" highly effective---and fun, too) that I liked less than his first Dutch pictures ("The 4th Man," "Soldier of Orange"). Be that as it may, he is clearly a loving student of American movies. In his back-to-Europe film "The Black Book" he effectively combines the sophistication of a European multicultural mind with the high entertainment values of US movies at their best. The story is more intriguing than the summaries usually imply -- it is actually a thriller of a war mystery, with enough twists and turns to keep one interested; it really is hard to know what surprise is next, and the interest and suspense remain high. Like an American, he can cut through parts of a narrative with quick, broad strokes that make for a great pacing, yet the depth of the characters is unusually deep and complex. The leading actors are all quite good, including a remarkable Carice van Houten in the pivotal role. This is the international enthrallment of Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" or "North by Northwest" with a bit more social reality, and contemporary moral dilemmas are presented despite the movie's surface shimmer. A fine war movie as well, though all the battles are those of espionage and resistance. Entertainment that will not leave you feeling manipulated by trash. The director may now be fully rehabilitated from his appalling "Show Girls" of some years back. 8.09
- 29.March.2010
- |
- by: Democritus
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Wholly implausible WWII thriller has too many twists, most of which are cliched and predictable, others simply absurd, for its own good. It's supposedly based on true events, but somehow, I can't help feeling that quite a few liberties were taken in...
- 22.March.2009
- |
- by: coolerking
- coolerking rated this movie6/10Okay
Wholly implausible WWII thriller has too many twists, most of which are cliched and predictable, others simply absurd, for its own good. It's supposedly based on true events, but somehow, I can't help feeling that quite a few liberties were taken in the retelling of this story. The underlying plot, concerning a Jewish woman (Carice van Houten) who, after losing everyone she ever loved at the hands of the Nazis, becomes a spy for the Resistance, seems promising enough, but ultimately, the film is as hollow and lascivious as any other by director Paul Verhoeven. It doesn't for a moment let us feel any kind of compassion for van Houten's plight, because it doesn't take the time to develop any scene well enough for us to feel anything about anyone. It is pretty to look at, however, and I suppose as long as you don't take it too seriously, parts of it are kind of fun and feel reminiscent of classic Hitchcock espionage flicks. The big difference, though, as one would expect from a Verhoeven film, is that there's lots of gratuitous nudity, which, while not unpleasant, gets kind of ridiculous after about the first five or six of van Houten's topless scenes. After all, there's a fine line between a willingness to bare all for one's craft and just showing off for the sake of it. Two and a half stars.
- 22.March.2009
- |
- by: coolerking
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Appreciated this foreign language film so much I bought the BD version at amazon.
- 19.March.2009
- |
- by: bankron
- bankron rated this movie
 8/10Great
Appreciated this foreign language film so much I bought the BD version at amazon.
- 19.March.2009
- |
- by: bankron
What did you think about this review?
Thank you for voting.
Abuse report sent
Report abuse
Close
|
Mood:
Plot:
Genres:
Time/Period:
Place:
Praise:
Style:
Based on:
Attitudes:
Does this gene fit Black Book?
