--- title: "Black Book: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/black-book/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/black-book" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 13 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): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 13 reviews: 6 positive, 6 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/5/4. 8 January 2007. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/black-book) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 19 January 2007. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/black-book-review/) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2006. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2006/film/reviews/black-book-1200513816/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2006. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/black-book-review/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2007. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/04/dvdreviews.worldcinema) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/hollands-home-truths-7392105.html) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2006. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/black-book-zwartboek/4028477.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2007. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/arts/04iht-fmreview6.1.5144456.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2006. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/black-book) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2.5/4. 2 February 2007. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/black-book/) ## IndieWire — Nick Pinkerton Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2007. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-crass-course-paul-verhoevens-black-book-74847/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 1 April 2007. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/09/in-disguise) ## Eye for Film — Caro Ness Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 May 2007. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/black-book-film-review-by-caro-ness) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/black-book.md