Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and… Black Book? What do these have in common? They’re all (mostly) awesome – and they’re all directed by a crazy man by the name of Paul Verhoven. After two critical flops, Starship Troopers and 2000’s Hollow Man, Verhoven seemingly left Hollywood behind for a grand return to his native Dutch roots. After a five year break from directing (as far as we could tell), he returned – better, in Chad’s opinion – to direct the largest film in Dutch film history, 2005’s Black Book (and eventually leading up to 2016’s Elle, which garnered an oscar nomination for lead actress Isabelle Huppert).
Having dominated Hollywood blockbusters since the 1980’s, Verhoven has seemingly taken the next step to tackling more dramatic, more meaningful films… without losing the quirks that make him unique.