A flurry of World War II movies...

A couple of months ago, I went and saw Black Book (or Zwartboek, in its native Dutch), a film by Paul Verhoeven. Verhoeven, you might recall, is infamous for bringing the American moviegoer spectacles such as Starship Troopers and Showgirls, as well as exposing Sharon Stone's crotch to the world in Basic Instinct. He's also responsible for a couple of science fiction classics, though--remember Total Recall and Robocop? Well, before coming to Hollywood, Verhoeven apparently was making a name for himself as a director to watch in his native country of the Netherlands. And seeing that he hasn't had anything close to a hit since Hollow Man a few years ago, I guess he went back to his roots to tell the story of a young Jewish woman on the run from the Nazis in Holland. She eventually finds herself going undercover for the Dutch resistance after seducing a German officer, and in the process, falling in love with him. As in any good movie, though, not everything is what it seems.

It's an intriguing and suspenseful film, and I'd highly recommend throwing this on your Netflix queue when it comes out on DVD for a slight change of pace. Keep in mind, it's in Dutch, so be prepared to read. There's a couple of scenes that are pure vulgar Verhoeven, such as the heroine bleaching her pubes to ensure that nothing gives her alias away or another scene where she's literally gets covered in excrement, but otherwise you'll find this to be a great example of a World War II espionage movie and perhaps evidence of the great filmmaker Verhoeven actually is. You might also watch it just to catch a glimpse of Carice van Houten, who plays the movie's protaganist, Rachel Stein. She seems to be a star on the rise. I've mentioned the upcoming movie in the works, Valkyrie, which is causing so much controversy in the press lately due to rumored problems with filming in Germany due to Tom Cruise and his Scientology beliefs. Well, van Houten will be starring in that movie, and is rumored to be the Bond girl in the next iteration of the 007 franchise.

Anywho, why did I think to post about this movie? Because there's another World War II espionage drama on its way later this year, except this one takes place in China. I know Firecracker George is a big Ang Lee fan, so I thought I'd post this trailer I found of his newest film Lust, Caution which should be coming out sometime in September.