Black Book
2006 · 2h 25m · Drama, Thriller, War
Watch this tonight if you're in the mood for a tense, morally complex WWII thriller that doesn't pull punches. Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book" is a gripping espionage drama with solid scores across the board and a killer premise—a Jewish woman forced to seduce a Nazi officer while navigating dangerous secrets and betrayal. Just know it's heavy stuff with graphic moments, but absolutely worth your time.
Plot
Israel, 1956: Jewish teacher Rachel Stein rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz. It brings back memories of her experiences in the Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. In September 1944, Rachel's hiding place is bombed by Allied troops; she makes contact with a resistance member and joins a group of Jews to be smuggled across the Biesbosch to the freed South Netherlands. Only Rachel escapes a massacre by patrol Germans, and is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers, whose son is captured trying to smuggle weapons. Kuipers asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze, a mission that she will soon learn that the boat attack wasn't a coincidence.
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Cast: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus