---
title: "Black Book"
year: 2006
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/black-book"
fi1m_id: "black-book"
imdb_id: "tt0389557"
tmdb_id: 9075
wikidata_id: "Q163549"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-10-01T19:08:17.651940+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T19:08:39.383702+00:00"
region: "ID"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Black Book (2006)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven · 2h 25m · Drama, Thriller, War

## Identity

Black Book

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/black-book
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** black-book
- **IMDb ID:** tt0389557
- **TMDB ID:** 9075
- **Wikidata ID:** Q163549
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389557/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9075, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q163549

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 67 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Verhoeven’s war: bright sunshine, good frocks, and a betrayal every twenty minutes

> Paul Verhoeven goes home to the occupied Netherlands and makes a bright, fast, pulpy resistance thriller with Carice van Houten in nearly every frame. The last hour turns into a traitor hunt that explains more than it needs to, but it kept us gripped.

## Synopsis

The Netherlands, September 1944. Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten), a singer, has spent the occupation hidden on a farm until an Allied bomb destroys it. Through the notary Wim Smaal (Dolf de Vries) and the policeman Van Gein (Peter Blok), she buys a place on a night boat carrying Jews south through the marshes to liberated territory, and finds her family aboard. A German patrol boat is waiting. Rachel alone comes out of the water alive. Taken in by the resistance under Gerben Kuipers (Derek de Lint) and the doctor Hans Akkermans (Thom Hoffman), she bleaches her hair, becomes Ellis de Vries, and is sent into the SD headquarters in The Hague to get close to its chief, Ludwig Müntze (Sebastian Koch), a collector of stamps. Under him, Günther Franken (Waldemar Kobus) is the one to fear.

## Review

Paul Verhoeven spent two decades in Hollywood making films about robots, giant insects and women with ice picks, and then he went home. *Black Book* is his first Dutch film since *The Fourth Man* (1983), written once more with Gerard Soeteman, who wrote *Soldier of Orange* (1977) with him. It is a resistance thriller about a singer who spies for the underground from inside the German security police in The Hague, and it is fast, bright, lurid and unashamed. We enjoyed it more than we have any right to enjoy a film about the occupation.

Carice van Houten is in nearly every scene and carries all of them. Her Rachel decides early that she is going to live, and the film is a record of what that takes: lying to a man’s face, singing for people who would shoot her, bleaching her hair at a basin to become Ellis de Vries, and not only the hair on her head. Survival, the film says, is thorough and undignified, and Verhoeven shows that last detail without a flicker.

Sebastian Koch’s Müntze is the film’s second surprise. He is a tired, courteous man who collects stamps and would rather talk about perforations than arrests; the two of them meet on a train over his album. Koch plays him without asking for our sympathy, and the film does not pretend he is innocent. It asks whether a decent man in that uniform is any use to anyone, and it declines to give an easy answer.

Karl Walter Lindenlaub shoots the occupation in sunshine. The canals glitter, the reception rooms gleam, and the one grey thing in the film is the uniforms. Wilbert Van Dorp’s headquarters is a grand townhouse with chandeliers upstairs and cells below. Yan Tax dresses Ellis in frocks cut to be looked at, which is the cover. Anne Dudley’s score is lush and old-fashioned, strings and brass from a 1940s studio picture, and it suits a film that knows it is a melodrama. Job ter Burg and James Herbert cut at a sprint, and 145 minutes do not feel long until the last forty.

The night boat is where the film told us what it was. A searchlight comes on, a machine gun opens up, and the people who have paid everything they had to escape are dead in the water within a minute, their bodies gone through for jewellery before the smoke has cleared. We were horrified, and what horrified us was the speed and the moonlight: Verhoeven does not cut away, does not slow down and does not dirty the image to make it respectable. Then he moves on, because Rachel has to.

The supporting cast is drawn in thick strokes and all the better for it. Waldemar Kobus plays Franken, the brute of the building, as a sweating man who sings at parties and keeps a cash box. Halina Reijn’s Ronnie sleeps with Germans because the food is better, says so, and is the most honest person in the film. Thom Hoffman’s doctor Akkermans and Derek de Lint’s Kuipers run the resistance as a gentlemen’s committee; Matthias Schoenaerts’s Joop wants to shoot people and usually gets to. Christian Berkel turns up as General Käutner to remind everybody who is in charge.

The second half takes turns we will not describe. What we can say is that the plot becomes a hunt for whoever betrayed the boat, and that Verhoeven and Soeteman have so many suspects and reversals in hand that for the final forty minutes people mostly stand in rooms explaining the last reversal to each other. Nobody in it is hungry, either; the winter of 1944 in the western Netherlands was one in which people ate tulip bulbs, and some will find the film’s prettiness indecent.

Beside *Soldier of Orange* this is the brasher, faster sibling, closer in spirit to his Hollywood films. It carries a 15 and earns it. Watch it with someone who does not mind a war film that enjoys itself, and do not try to keep a list of who has betrayed whom. The film is keeping one for you, and it will read it out.

*Fi1m score 80, published 1 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics take Black Book as a lively return to form for Paul Verhoeven: a brisk, twisting resistance thriller that is more entertaining than respectable. The praise clusters around Carice van Houten, whose performance is singled out in nearly every review as the thing holding the film together, with Sebastian Koch’s work opposite her noted more than once. The reviews also tend to credit the film’s refusal of moral clarity, its view of collaborators and resisters as equally compromised, and Verhoeven’s taste for the outrageous.

The reservations are about plot and plausibility. Several critics find the twists pile up past the point of credibility, and Slant Magazine argues the plotting is mechanical and the characters thin. The spread is fairly wide, from near-raves to one sharp dissent: The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane dismisses it as shallow soap opera with a sanitised view of wartime suffering, though even he admires van Houten.

## Straight answers

**Is Black Book worth watching?**

*Black Book* is worth watching for anyone who wants a resistance thriller that moves fast and enjoys itself, and we scored it 80. Carice van Houten carries nearly every scene, and Verhoeven shoots the occupation in sunshine and good frocks. The last forty minutes bog down in people explaining betrayals to each other, so it suits patient viewers who like pulp more than the solemn.

**How long is Black Book, and what is it rated?**

*Black Book* runs 2h 25m. It is a drama and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Black Book in Indonesia?**

*Black Book* is not on any streaming or rental service in Indonesia at the moment. It is available in 19 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Black Book, and is it suitable for children?**

*Black Book* carries a UK 15 certificate and earns it, with nudity, sex, torture and a night-boat massacre shot in moonlight that the camera refuses to cut away from. It is not for children, and the squeamish should expect bodies searched for jewellery before the smoke clears. Older teenagers who can take a hard war film will manage; it is lurid rather than dwelling.

**How does Black Book compare to Rome, Open City?**

*Black Book* is the brasher, glossier film, and [*Rome, Open City*](https://film.one/film/rome-open-city) the one that will stay with you longer. Rossellini shot the occupation months after it ended, with real rubble and a warmth that makes the suffering hard to shake; Verhoeven stages his in sunshine, with a twist every twenty minutes. Choose Verhoeven for a thriller, Rossellini for the weight of the thing itself.

**What should I watch after Black Book?**

After *Black Book*, try [*Lust, Caution*](https://film.one/film/lust-caution) (2007, Fi1m 76): Ang Lee’s occupied Shanghai: another woman sent to seduce the enemy and losing her footing. Then [*Rome, Open City*](https://film.one/film/rome-open-city) (1945, Fi1m 89): Rossellini filmed the occupation months after it ended, with the rubble still real.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/5/4): Jenkins finds the film a thrilling, morally unsettling return to form for Verhoeven. He particularly praises Carice van Houten’s committed performance and the film’s relentless plot twists. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/black-book)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (4/5): The review finds Verhoeven revitalised, calling the film a brisk, gripping thriller despite occasional pacing and tension problems. It particularly praises Carice van Houten’s bold performance and the story’s twists and moral complexity. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/black-book-review/)
- **Variety**, Derek Elley (80/100, inferred): Elley finds the film an entertaining, technically polished and emotionally complex resistance thriller. He particularly praises Carice van Houten’s performance and her chemistry with Sebastian Koch. [Read](https://variety.com/2006/film/reviews/black-book-1200513816/)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (70/100, inferred): Nathan finds the film an implausible but memorable and passionate wartime drama, ultimately worth seeing. He praises its morally complex view of the Resistance and Nazis, conveyed through Verhoeven’s outrageous comic sensibility. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/black-book-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Rob Mackie (70/100, inferred): Mackie finds the film a rollicking, passionate thriller, though it does not reach the heights of The Pianist. He praises the complexity brought to the central relationship by Carice van Houten and Sebastian Koch. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/04/dvdreviews.worldcinema)
- **Evening Standard** (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the war epic direct and compelling, though overly long. Carice Van Houten is singled out for carrying the film, while its many twists keep the story engaging. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/hollands-home-truths-7392105.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Lee Marshall (64/100, inferred): The paywall hides the critic’s verdict and the specific element singled out for praise or complaint. The available page confirms a review, but does not provide enough text to describe its assessment. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/black-book-zwartboek/4028477.article)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available content. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/arts/04iht-fmreview6.1.5144456.html)
- **Time Out**, Ben Walters (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its critical verdict is not visible. The available description introduces Rachel but reveals no discernible praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/black-book)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (2.5/4): Gonzalez argues that the film’s mechanical plotting and limited emotional depth may disappoint, despite its abundant intrigue. He praises its voluptuous direction but finds the characters archetypal and the protagonist’s sexual agency confusingly handled. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/black-book/)
- **IndieWire**, Nick Pinkerton (60/100, inferred): Pinkerton finds the film an entertaining, morally ambiguous wartime yarn, though its filmmaking and increasingly tangled plot fall short of Verhoeven’s best. He praises its refusal of moral clarity, especially in its portrayal of compromised survivors and collaborators. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-crass-course-paul-verhoevens-black-book-74847/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (15/100, inferred): Lane strongly condemns the film as shallow, soap-operatic historical drama. He singles out its sanitized depiction of wartime suffering, despite praising Carice van Houten’s performance. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/09/in-disguise)
- **Eye for Film**, Caro Ness (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film immensely absorbing and enjoyable, praising its pace and nuanced treatment of wartime morality. Carice van Houten’s performance is singled out as mesmerising, with Sebastian Koch’s portrayal also praised. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/black-book-film-review-by-caro-ness)

## Details

- **Director:** Paul Verhoeven
- **Director:** Paul Verhoeven
- **Screenplay:** Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
- **Cinematography:** Karl Walter Lindenlaub
- **Editor:** Job ter Burg, James Herbert
- **Music:** Anne Dudley
- **Production design:** Wilbert Van Dorp
- **Costume design:** Yan Tax
- **Producer:** Frans van Gestel, Jeroen Beker, Adrian Politowski
- **Cast:** Carice van Houten as Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries; Sebastian Koch as Ludwig Müntze; Thom Hoffman as Hans Akkermans; Halina Reijn as Ronnie; Waldemar Kobus as Günther Franken; Matthias Schoenaerts as Joop; Derek de Lint as Gerben Kuipers; Christian Berkel as General Käutner
- **Runtime:** 2h 25m
- **Release (Indonesia):** 17 December 2006
- **Genres:** Drama, Thriller, War
- **Budget:** $21 million
- **Box office:** $27 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIklvGsU7bM

## Where to watch in Indonesia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Indonesia at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FR, GB, IE, MX, NL, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- European Film Award for Best Actress 2007: European Film Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2007: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2007: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- Golden Calf for Best Feature Film 2006: Golden Calf for Best Feature Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *Soldier of Orange* (1977): Verhoeven and Soeteman’s earlier Dutch war film, slower and sadder, with Rutger Hauer.
- *Army of Shadows* (1969): Melville’s French resistance as grey corridors and silent men; the opposite of Verhoeven’s sunshine.
- *Lust, Caution* (2007), Fi1m 76: Ang Lee’s occupied Shanghai: another woman sent to seduce the enemy and losing her footing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/lust-caution.md)
- *Flame & Citron* (2008): Two Danish resistance killers discover their orders come from people they cannot trust.
- *Rome, Open City* (1945), Fi1m 89: Rossellini filmed the occupation months after it ended, with the rubble still real. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/rome-open-city.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/black-book