Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Black Book
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 43
  3. Negative: 5 out of 43

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    10 out of 10
    Rate this:
    out of 10
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

  3. Characters remaining: 5000 out of 5000

view
per page
  1. Carolinek.
    Sep 4, 2007
    2
    Terrible film - a very complicated plot that was not explained well. Hated the scene with all the poo just unnecessary.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. MartinL.
    May 19, 2007
    10
    This is one of the most riviting movies I have seen in years. For 2 hours & 25 minutes there was no time did the movie hesitate to engulf you in the events it portrayed. A must see!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. BillB.
    May 20, 2007
    9
    I saw this on a sudden whim, with hardly any information in advance. I was immediately drawn in and carried along, furiously. This is my kind of movie. Well done in every way, thrilling, captivating, suspensful, shocking, funny (at times), with a heroine who is relentlessly charming, saucy, energetic, smart, and downright cool. This movie gave what I go to the movies to get. The negative reviews strike me as pathetic quibbles, the stuff people write just to be able to stand apart from the crowd. To me, this is a don't miss.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. mBlues
    May 30, 2007
    10
    An amazing story, that could not have been thought up by a fiction writer, wonderfully told. Seeing this film was heart-wrenching, and something to think about. An absolutely great film.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. francel
    May 8, 2008
    2
    This is 'Indiana Jones meets the Dutch Resistance'. I haven't seen this many fanciful, absurdly unrealistic escape scenes since, well, Indiana Jones. The difference is that this movie, peopled with stock characters and flimsy action sequences, wants to be taken seriously as a commentary on WWII Nazi atrocities. Puhleeze.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. MarkW
    Oct 9, 2007
    3
    Black Book may be the most overrated film of 2007. While getting past stereotypical cartoon Nazis and saintly resistance fighters is a worthy goal, this melodrama is little more than a well acted soap opera. Carice van Houten's performance makes this film mildly entertaining, and may account for so many reviews seeing more in this mess than is actually delivered.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. AndrewK.
    May 26, 2007
    8
    This movie was awesome. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Everyone in the film is brilliant, but Van Houten especially stands out. It had the cool resistance-group action feel of Munich with the style and spirit of a foreign film. Does this count as a foreign film since it was made by Paul Verhoeven? I don't know and I don't care. The action scenes were intense, the sex scenes were erotic and there was just the right dose of humor at all the right times. The best film I've seen so far this year.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. JayC.
    May 4, 2007
    8
    Kept me on the edge of my seat and very involved with the harrowing sequence of Van Houten's performance. Hard to believe any person could survive so many personal losses and still function. Two hours and 35 minutes went fast and left me drained but continuing to think about who did who to whom. Thats entertainment.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. ShirleyR.
    Jun 18, 2007
    10
    Liked it better than "The Lives of Others". First rate-must see. Very well written, acted and grabs you right away, then doesn't disappoint. Will see it again to catch all the little clues along the way.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. AurelianL.
    Jun 4, 2007
    10
    Surprisingly good. fast paced and interesting. More complex characters than you would expect for a action romp. Interestingly, teaches me that listening to the New Yorker for film reviews is a total waste of time. Nigel Andrews in the Financial Times was much more reliable in predicting its appeal.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. JohnT.
    Jul 7, 2007
    3
    A very silly melodrama. Lots of gunfights in which dozens of heroes and german soldiers get killed, lots of bare breast and a story line like naked snake wrestling.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. RobT
    Nov 10, 2007
    9
    This is not only a return to form for Verhoven, but by far the best movie he has ever made. It's effectiveness comes from the fact that it doesn't try to be too preachy or delve too deep into the history of the German occupation of Holland. It is, at its core, a taut thriller that doesn't let up for a moment during its two and a half hours. The fact that it takes place during WW2 is almost irrelevant.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. Christopher
    Nov 13, 2007
    10
    This was one of the best films one can see. It was well done; great plot, great acting and excellent photography. I watched it 2 times - it was that good.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. EdN.
    Mar 29, 2007
    10
    This is a smart movie made by a great filmmaker working at the top of his powers from a script by a tried and true collaborator about a subject - Nazi occupied Holland - that both know a great deal about.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. Shootsy
    Apr 28, 2007
    5
    Basic Instinct 3: The Black Book - whether it's the music, the fast pace script or the numerous twists I couldn't help myself thinking I was watching more a thriller than anything else. It was quite entertaining; and maybe there lies its biggest failure when dealing with such sensitive material.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. AnitaB.
    Apr 29, 2007
    9
    An exciting, fast paced WW II movie which portrays human shortcomings terrifically.The French were not the only collaborationists! Great acting, over the top exciting movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. AndresZambrano
    Apr 29, 2007
    5
    An official selection at this year's Film Comment Selects, Paul Verhoeven's Black Book can be classified, as Noel Murray of The Onion says, as one of the most fun movies ever made about how people basically suck. An excuse for good film making this is not: while the premise of Verhoeven's film is a well crafted an enticing one, it does not repay for the serious narrative deficiencies, especially when such a plot eschews and tries to balance morality with thrills.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. Enrique
    May 16, 2007
    10
    Absolutely one of the best political thrillers ever.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. GregS.
    Jun 17, 2007
    10
    Run! Do not pass go! This is a brilliant film, well written, incredibly photographed and with carefully selected actors who pour their hearts and abilities into their complex characters. It is our film of the year. The Canadian references are especially appreciated. The crowds scenes, the intimacies, the brutalities and the twists and turns of the plot kept us caught up in the time and tragedy of the occupation of Holland. Any one giving this a Yellow vote fails to appreciate the true significance of this masterpiece. A film to be seen over and over.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. JackS.
    Oct 16, 2007
    8
    A very silly melodrama. Lots of gunfights in which dozens of heroes and German soldiers get killed, lots of bare breast and a story line like naked snake wrestling. Therefore, a very watch-worthy flick. Heh.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. [Anonymous]
    Oct 19, 2007
    9
    Strong, exciting, visually superb, but sort of James Bondish. Outstanding entertainment with significant sadness.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. CuculizaO.
    Dec 31, 2007
    8
    Verhoeven doesn't want to teach you a lesson. He just wants to entertains you telling this story through a riveting thriller with Van Houten gracing the screen just as well as any other movie siren these days.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. George
    Mar 29, 2007
    10
    Saw this movie last fall at a special screening and was absolutely blown away. Why this film was not nominated for an Academy Award I will never understand. Perhaps because of its degradation? Believe me, Wertmuller went way beyond this and was called a genius. Maybe it is because Hollywood has a lingering love/hate relationship with Paul Verhoeven? He is in top form here as is Carice van Houten. I want to see her again and hope some roles come her way as a result of her performance. Outstanding.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. GaryB.
    Apr 14, 2007
    8
    Black Book presents a negative picture of Dutch resistance to Nazism during World War II. Most Dutch were ambivalent to Nazi ideas, and a huge number of young Dutch joined the SS. They were no better than the French, as this movie portrays. Duplicitous traitors and self-serving, the Jewish heroine, perhaps based on some real facts, looks invincible in the face of so much moral ambiguity. A well made story and film, but a bit vulgar and over-done on several counts.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. ChadS.
    May 18, 2007
    7
    "Black Book" is a handsomely mounted, very entertaining thriller about...the holocaust, which is slightly better than a life-affirming comedy("Life is Beautiful") about the holocaust, I guess. Ellis(Carice van Houten) is unlike any protagonist we've ever seen in a film about Jews during the war, because she never seems sufficiently devastated about the plight of her people, even her family. Ellis' greatest outpouring of emotion is for a Kraut. In her former incarnation, as Rachel, a German plane bombs the home of her Christian safekeepers, and she never seems at all perturbed about their sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice these people paid for hiding her from the camps. They were Dutch, I believe. After the war, Ellis is branded as a collaborator for the Nazis. This is when "Black Book" goes over-the-top with the tears and action. She's punished twice, if you're perceptive enough to see what happens to her as such. In a key scene, meant to elicit sympathy for Ellis, vengeful millitary officials dump a vat of feces on the hapless Jew, who you're supposed to feel sorry for her. But this woman is no Anne Frank. You can make the argument that this retribution by the Dutch people(which is directed at her for allegedly setting a trap for the revolutionaries), is actually an act of incidental vigilantism for that Christian family she never feels any remorse for. There were small children who burned up in that household. She's punished again for crying over Muntz(Sebastian Koch). I'm not really sure what this filmmaker is trying to say, but "Black Book" is undeniably fun to watch, even though it's about one of the darkest chapters in human civilization.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. ERG1008
    Aug 24, 2010
    8
    Jewish Dutch girl hides from the Nazis, reunites with her family, joins the resistance, gets friendly with high ranking Nazi officer, deceit & mayhem. Surprised this was as good as it was considering Paul Verhoeven was the director. Yes it has his usual amounts of pointless nudity but the story is very gripping & Carice van Houten is very convincing in the lead role.
prev next
Page:
  • 1

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 4 out of 34
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    Just for starters, no movie about the Dutch Resistance during World War II has any right to be this wildly entertaining, not to mention this provocative and potently erotic.
    Read full review
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Ray Bennett
    90
    It succeeds on almost all fronts. The epic film is a high-octane adventure rooted in fact with a raft of arresting characters, big action sequences and twists and turns galore.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    80
    Moves like an express train across almost 2½ hours without any sense of rush and with strong, empathetic characters etched en route.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »