Paul Verhoeven

I can not believe there isn't a thread dedicated to one of the greatest action/sci-fi directors of all times.

Robocop, Totall Recall and Starship Troopers and movies packed with balls to the wall action, comedy, great sci-fi elements and some of the goriest deaths in cinematic history. To top it all off, all of these movies carry a deeper message, of war, justice, philosophy and the nature of humankind.

Let's not forget he showed his versatility with Basic Instinct and Black Book.

Eh, I like him enough, not a huge fan like a LOT of others out there, but he has made a few good films. I like Basic Instinct a lot more than most, Robocop a lot less than I apparently should, I liked Starship Troopers a lot when I was a kid and Total Recall is a solid Arnie sci-fi actioner.

__________________
"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

I say Total Recall is his greatest film. Starship Troopers and Black Book are also fantastic. I'm indifferent to Robocop and Basic Instinct.

Robocop was the first movie I ever gave 100% to. There's so much going on in that film it's unbelieveable.
I'm already hating the remake, it's seriously not needed.
Total Recall, Starship Troopers, The Fourth Man, Flesh And Blood, all top movies.
Basic Instinct... I'm not a fan, but it's still a decent film worthy of a high-ish rating though.

The lowest point in Verhoeven's career is Showgirls, but everything else he's done has been gold.
Hollow Man, Turkish Delight and Soldier Of Orange are underrated as well, they're often overlooked when people talk about his movies.

He's got two more coming out soon, 'Entertainment Experience' and he's produced 'The Winter Queen'.

Verhoeven is definitely my #1 director... shame he's not done more than he has. Maybe that's his appeal though, he keeps things to a minimum in regards to quantity and makes sure that what he does do, is top work.

---

To sum the guy up, when he was a kid he went to the cinema to see War Of The Worlds over ten times, which sums up his love of sci-fi... and, get this... he was born just before WWII and described seeing burning bodies and bombing raids as an exciting childhood adventure.
Which sums up his relaxed attitude to violence and gore I guess.

He's also majored in Physics and Mathematics and wrote a book about Jesus Christ which basically angered his Church because he pulls apart the vision of Jesus as a Martyr.
Jesus, weirdly as it may sound, also appears in Robocop. The death and rising, walking across the water at the end were all utilised by Verhoeven who based them directly on the story of Jesus Christ.

In Verhoeven's words "He's an American Jesus. Even Jesus once said if you have a cloak, sell it and buy a sword... so even Jesus promoted weapons... Robocop is not arresting the bad guys anymore, he's killing them. He's an American Jesus"

Individual outlook on life from a top movie director.

__________________

I can't see it mentioned yet, so I'll put forward The Fourth Man as, arguably, his best film. Not my favourite of his, but it'd make the top 5. Along with Oliver Stone, I think I'd put him up as my favourite director.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

I don't think I've seen a movie he directed that wasn't entertaining. Heck, I even enjoyed Showgirls, trashy as it was.

__________________
#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

I'm more interested in his less action/sci fi orientated films, I really enjoyed:




The Fourth Man

&


Black Book

You guys like Soldier of Orange a lot, I'll have to check it out.

And Honeykid, it's funny you should mention Oliver Stone because I think both directors are very similar in that, they have made some great movies, but have careers punctuated with some not so good ones. I'd rate Stone higher, simply because I love how many of his movies have not only reflected the current world state but are a controversial commentary on American life.

Wow, I didn't know about Verhoeven's book on Jesus, might have to check that out. He is a very learned man and you can tell that simply by the way he makes what may seem to be a big, loud, gory blockbuster but almost all his movies are analogies for problems the human race face. he isn't just a great director, he is a great story teller too.

I suppose I'm one of the few people who gives Showgirls a without a . There's not too much to add. He is a very solid storyteller, but for the most part, his American films have smoother stories to tell; maybe it's the bigger budgets. His early Dutch films, Turkish Delight, Keetje Tippel, Soldier of Orange, Spetters and The 4th Man, are all watchable and show Verhoeven at full roar involving sex and violence.


When he made his first American studio film, the appropriately-titled Flesh+Blood, he basically upped the scope by shooting in Spain but he didn't really have a big budget. The thing about Verhoeven is that he's always seemed to be a satirist. Even his "straight" dramas have a streak of questioning governments, the military and painting human nature in a questionable light, so even films like Basic Instinct and Showgirls play out as social satires. Other films are even more blatantly satirical, such as Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers. Verhoeven seems to be adept at mixing sex and violence with a twisted sense of humor which I tend to enjoy. I think Hollow Man is his weakest film because it probably has his weakest script and makes him come across closer to the bad taste huckster he's sometimes accused of being. Black Book is a return to form in the context of a Dutch WWII thriller which actually would have fit perfectly into his other American films but apparently got better reviews by not being done in the English language. Hopefully his new films will also be good.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

When I think of Paul Verhoeven I think of Sex & Violence.

I just recently saw Robocop cause I didn't really have any interest in it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was taken back by how violent it was too.

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Robocop is violent in an almost cartoonish sense. So over the top, but that's whta makes it such a delight to watch.

Couldn't agree more mark f, Hollow Man isn't the best but Blackbook sure makes up for it.

I really like Hollow Man, though I agree it may well be his weakest film.

I hope you do watch Soldier Of Orange, Watch Tower. It's a cracking WWII film.

It has been found that Mr. Verhoeven is indeed a time traveller

Im really divided with Verhoeven. Total Recall is probably the movie i have seen the most of all movies and i do truly love it. From his older stuff i have seen Soldier of Orange and Turkish Delight which was also some good experiences. Starship Troopers and Robocop are excellent aswell.

BUT i do hate Basic Instinct and Hollow Man with a passion

__________________
TokeZa's Top 100 Movies through Space and Time

TokeZa's inane ramblings about film

Letterboxd profile

Not much of a sci-fi/action fan so the only exposure I've had to him is Black Book, which from what I remember was a convoluted mess.

I've not seen much of his work, but I really like Showgirls. Is it a piece of crap movie? Absolutely, but it's campy and entertaining and ranks in my personal top 100. I also like Total Recall, though not as much.

__________________

I rewatched Showgirls recently and thought it was great. Hollow Man, though... now that is a really poor film.