At last, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven heads home after years on the Hollywood scene to direct this World War II drama loosely based on true events and set during the final months of the war in Holland.

A young Jewish woman Rachel Steinn (played by Carice van Houten) is forced to go to ground after being separated from her family and later witnessing their murder. Joining the Resistance in a bid to get even, Rachel inveigles her way into the world of the Senior S.S. staff after a Resistance operation goes wrong and some of their number get imprisoned.

This is therefore a thriller of cross and double-cross where you're never quite sure who can be trusted as the good guys or the bad guys. Naturally, at the heart of it, there's a black book of names and the film has one or two suspenseful moments.

Black Book sets up the tension well enough and in many ways is a throwback to older World War II thrillers, but in saying that, there's a tired feel to the film, like you've been here before and seen it in better plotted films. The script shows at times that it has been thrown together a little with too much reliance on coincidental plot twists.

However, if you're into Verhoeven's films, you'll probably be interested in watching the cute Carice van Houten in a glamourous lead role and naturally with Verhoeven at the helm, you'll get to see enough of her. If you're prepared to suspend your disbelief, you might just get swept along by the plot too, and find this a tense and rewarding experience.