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Black Book

Play trailer Poster for Black Book R Released Apr 4, 2007 2h 24m War Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 158 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After narrowly escaping death, young Rachel Rosenthal (Carice van Houten) becomes part of the Jewish resistance, assuming the name Ellis de Vries. Her superiors order her to seduce a Gestapo officer named Ludwig (Sebastian Koch). Ellis is successful in her mission but soon finds herself falling in love with her mortal enemy.
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Black Book

Black Book

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Critics Consensus

A furious mix of sex, violence, and moral relativism, Black Book is shamelessly entertaining melodrama.

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Critics Reviews

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Claudia Puig USA Today A hard-core war film with raw violence, intense action, graphic sexuality and a twisting plot that offers a series of surprises. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 1, 2007 Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com Paul Verhoeven's WWII drama stars the lovely Dutch actress Carice van Houten as a Jewish Resistance worker, and costars her breasts. All three deserve awards consideration. Apr 30, 2007 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail The happy ending demands that [Verhoeven's] return-journey film -- Black Book -- be a rousing artistic triumph. It isn't. Too many of his lazy Hollywood habits have followed him home. Rated: 2/4 Apr 27, 2007 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Verhoeven cleverly avoids conventional wartime good-guy vs. bad-guy storytelling [...] asserting that war makes people do things that may not be correct or righteous, but are compulsory to survival. Rated: 4/4 Mar 8, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... a riveting World War II resistance thriller with a runaway pace and a gripping sense of peril. Jan 7, 2023 Full Review Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) A genuinely epic war drama. Sep 8, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 2 hours and 24 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language, Graphic Nudity, Sexuality and Some Strong Violence. In Dutch and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/02/25 Full Review Jelisije J Sad to say the final twist of who was the betrayer didnt quite work, but the performances were very good and the characters were quite interesting. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/15/25 Full Review Tim B This film had great potential but had either been a great deal longer and radically cut or was made as a series of episodes. The characters were two dimensional, the villains clichéd and the plot hung together not really. If you enjoy war thrillers directed as spaghetti westerns, then this film is for you. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Mark N This film just happened to come on the TV when I didn't really have time or energy to watch, but after a few minutes, I couldn't leave it. I waited for a point in the film where I could make a conclusion, switch off and go to bed, but the moment never came. The plot keeps developing with new twists and turns. Totally captivating. I really enjoyed it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/06/24 Full Review Trixie M The story was really absorbing; the actors were all perfectly in their roles; the action was excellent and, at times, horrifying. It seemed to have everything that real life offers. Left me feeling 'how on earth could one person survive with so much mental pain'. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/23 Full Review Gareth v Verhoeven loves to turn it up a notch even when not required as he has done yet again here on this WWII movie set in his homeland. Enjoyable enough. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Black Book

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Movie Info

Synopsis After narrowly escaping death, young Rachel Rosenthal (Carice van Houten) becomes part of the Jewish resistance, assuming the name Ellis de Vries. Her superiors order her to seduce a Gestapo officer named Ludwig (Sebastian Koch). Ellis is successful in her mission but soon finds herself falling in love with her mortal enemy.
Director
Paul Verhoeven
Producer
San Fu Maltha, Jens Meurer, Teun Hilte, Jos van der Linden
Screenwriter
Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, VIP 4 Medienfonds, Egoli Tossell Film, Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique, MEDIA Programme of the European Union, uFilm, CoBo Fund, Studio Babelsberg, Umedia, Motion Investment Group
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Sexuality|Some Strong Violence)
Genre
War, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Dutch
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 4, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.4M
Runtime
2h 24m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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