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This tale of Nazi occupied Netherlands in the 1940's is heavily sold on the name of director, Paul Verhoeven; the Showgirls schlock-meister who was also the subversive behind Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct. Working with his long-time writing partner, Gerard Soeteman, this is the first film he's made in his home country for over 20 years � a tricky amalgam of historical candour with the sensibilities of Robocop.

It's 1944 and renowned Jewish singer, Rachel Steinn is fleeing the Nazis when a stray bomb destroys her hiding place. Seeking refuge in southern Netherlands, which had already been liberated, she finds herself on a boat with a group of other Jewish people. When tragedy strikes, she starts aiding the Dutch resistance under the alias, Ellis De Vries; her Jewish roots hidden literally beneath a peroxide rinse. Her continued survival and the success of the resistance movement � as the Nazis are about to succumb � owe much to her sleeping with high-ranking German officer M�ntze (Koch), an affair leading to attachment and consequences for both.

The first thing that strikes about Black Book is the impressive production work. Nazis paraphernalia, and all the details of Dutch life of the period seem to be accurately recreated. Verhoeven actually lived through some of these scenes as a boy, but his memories have obviously been backed up by extensive research.

On the flipside, the storytelling style owes much less to European cinema and more to the conventions of the traditional American war thriller and this lessens the film's power. There are predictable plot twists, some of which are sign-posted very blatantly in an early scene and, of course, Verhoeven's usual lascivious use of the female form. One scene in particular shows the audience what no other director would at that moment, but does it really add to story as a whole? Rachel's plight is based on the true accounts of several real people, and retold as an archetypal Hollywood survival story. She faces numerous trials and perils but perhaps the most unexpected arrives after the Nazis have fallen, and we see how the Dutch treated those they understood to be collaborators.

The morality of some of the Dutch in this instance is questioned, which is interesting to see. That aside, the moral compass of the film seems to get misplaced at times. At one point a Nazi collaborator is asphyxiated while two other characters sit quietly � there is a touch of sadism, almost nihilism at this moment that, for some, will leave a nasty taste in the mouth. Also Rachel's relationship with M�ntze seems underdeveloped and he would not appear to be anything like the relatively honourable character the film hints at in the last act.  

Carice Van Outen provides a strong presence, taking in her stride the inevitable nudes scenes, and one particularly humiliating sequence where her character is covered in excrement.

Verhoeven continues to plough his own furrow and Black Book certainly has his authorship stamped through it. Although, it feels like once they had opted to make the hero a woman, it triggered all of Verhoeven's old instincts and preoccupations; and not in a good way.

Holland's most expensive film to date had all the ingredients to be a considerable one, but something got lost along the way. Lapses in taste and style suggest the talented director should have left some of his usual tools at home.