a review of 在商言商

“Wat Zien Ik” (original Dutch title) was a pleasantly nostalgic watch for me, featuring a range of Dutch actors I grew up with, against the delightful decor of picturesque Amsterdam in the 1970s, not yet overloaded with cars and tourists. Although the essence of Wat Zien Ik is a typical lighthearted and dated 1970s farce, it offers a nice early peek into Paul Verhoeven’s developing film style: prostitutes specialized in fetish fantasies, the women are strong, the men are mostly suckers, and Verhoeven’s talent for caricatural satire is apparent as well. Also worth mentioning is Verhoeven’s cooperation with cameraman Jan de Bont, who would later become the director of Speed (1994) and Twister (1996).