We all know Paul Verhoeven as the man behind such blockbuster Sci-Fi classics “Total Recall”, “Robocop”, and “Starship Troopers” (as well as the celebrated trainwreck, “Showgirls”), but there’s another side to the Dutch director; a side most critics would say they wish they saw more of. Before Verhoeven’s Hollywood successes, his Dutch-language films, like “Soldier of Orange” and the brilliant “The 4th Man” showed the work of a visionary director with a gift for crafting highly stylized, darkly humorous, and emotionally resonant films. Verhoeven’s latest, “Black Book”, is a throwback not only to his early movies, but to the classic espionage thrillers of the 40’s and 50’s – albeit of a decidedly darker, more violent, and extremely sensual nature.

The stunning Carice von Houten stars as Rachel Stein, a former nightclub singer who, being Jewish, has spent the waning months of World War 2 hiding behind enemy lines in Holland. When an attempt to cross over into liberated Belgium with her family results in an ambush she narrowly escapes (her family, however, is not so lucky), Rachel seeks out the resistance to offer her services. Given a new name (Ellis de Vries), and a very Aryan makeover, Rachel catches the attentions of the local Gestapo leader, Ludwig Müntze (Sebastian Koch). When the son of the resistance leader is captured, Rachel is asked to get closer to Müntze, and, despite her hatred of the Nazis, sleeps with the man. Soon, though, Rachel discovers that she can be sure who is worse;  Müntze, who isn’t quite the monster he appears, or the very people she’s sworn to fight alongside of.

Black Book is a sexy, fast-moving, and extremely clever thriller, loaded with jaw-dropping twists and turns, and buoyed by a fearless performance by von Houten as Rachel/Ellis.

Black Book features a gorgeous and vibrant transfer, with strong reds and blues, artifact-free blacks, and a high level of detail throughout. The dual-layer BD-50 really struts its stuff in the film's many night/dark scenes, with nary a hint of unintentional grain or loss in definition.

The uncompressed 5.1 Danish audio track is a wonderfully mixed and balanced affair, with crystal clear dialogue and enveloping sound effects, and offers a fantastic representation of the film’s score and delightful WWII era soundtrack.

Extras here are a little scarce. We get a rather staid commentary by Verhoeven, and a
25 minute “Making-of” featurette (in standard definition), which sports interviews with the cast and crew, but, sadly, also feature’s Verhoeven repeating much of what we hear in the commentary.

Beautifully filmed, smartly plotted, and efficiently paced (in spite of its 145 minute running time), Black Book is a great throwback espionage drama with modern edginess. Think "The Guns of Navarone" meets "Mata Hari", and you get the idea. Good stuff!