“Black Book” is an off putting but absorbing WWII drama that takes place  in the Netherlands. The film is about a resourceful Jewish woman who becomes a spy, and sleeps with the enemy in order to help the resistance against the Nazis. 

But like some of Garbo’s characters, she starts feeling some compassion for the enemy. She learns that that not all Nazis are pure evil, and that the world is not all black and white. 

Believe it or not, this serious, well crafted, intelligent, and ambitious historical epic  was directed by Paul Verhoeven, who also made “Showgirls (1995),” considered by many to be one of the worse films ever made.  

But  before Verhoeven came to America, he made many first-rate films including the near masterpiece “Soldier of Orange (1977)” as well as “Turkish Delight (1977)”, Spetters (1980)” and excellent “The Fourth Man (1984).” 

Many of his Dutch works are erotic, philosophic, violent, and psychologically disturbing with a touch of sadism. His directing style is as clinically detached as David Cronenberg’s, which is perfect for the occasionally lurid material.  

In America, he made some interesting genre films (such as “Robocop,” “Basic Instinct,” and “Starship Troopers”) as well as a few unmitigated disasters (Hollow Man.)  But none of his American films comes close to greatness, and Hollywood temporarily diluted his visionary tendencies. 

Going back to Europe to make films seems to have unlocked his potential, and “Black Book” is his best film in decades. It does not quite match the brilliance of some other Holocaust films (such as “The Pianist” and “Schindler’s List”), but it’s in the same ball park. 

One of the most remarkable elements of “Black Book” is the riveting, breakthrough performance by Carice van Houten, playing the difficult role of the mercurial, chameleon-like Rachel Steinn.   

Houten is perfect playing a woman who appears passive but is actually in control. Her character partially rolls with the changes but remains devoted to the task of Jewish-Dutch liberation.   

Rachel’s life is disrupted when she is hunted by the Nazis.  Her family tries to escape in a boat with all their possessions, but her parents are brutally gunned down by the Gestapo. She escapes, and swims to the mainland after all the shooting stops. 

She immediately joins up with the resistance, and she ends up being a kind of Mata Hari for the allies.  Her dark hair is dyed blonde, and she begins calling herself by the German sounding name, “Ellis.” She uses her intoxicating beauty and her singing talents to seduce a high ranking German officer named Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch).  

He suspects her Jewish origin because her hair was not dyed thoroughly enough, and he notices she has some black highlights. But he doesn’t care, and keeps sleeping with her anyway.  She plants a recorder his office, and she soon learns that he is not quite as bad as the other Nazis.  

She begins to develop an appreciation and affection for him, especially after he tries to work out a truce between the Nazis and the Dutch freedom fighters. 

But there is also a double agent working with the Nazis who is benefiting from Jewish deaths.  The film has a somewhat ambiguous attitude toward morality, and after the liberation some innocent people are killed or brutalized. 

“Black Book” is superb film making, and it represents a career peak for Paul Verhoeven. He shows that the Nazi occupation subject has not been not played out, and he finds a fresh way to approach the material.  Also a few scenes in the film (such as the insulin scene and the excrement shot) are as original as anything I have seen all year.