All Paul

I finally got around to seeing Black Book, Paul Verhoeven's 2006 return to foreign language film.

It's the story of a Jewish woman stuck in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during WWII. (It actually has a framing device so we know from the start she'll survive, which I think is a mistake.) Because it wasn't made in Hollywood, or in English, somehow I thought it would be like an art film.

But I forgot, this is Verhoeven, who made pretty wild films (on much lower budgets) even before he came to Hollywood. I mean this isn't just the guy who made Basic Instinct, Total Recall, Robocop, Showgirls and Starship Troopers, he also made Spetters, Soldier Of Orange and The 4th Man.

So Black Book is a rare European film I recommend due to all the cool sex and violence.