Paul Verhoeven tends to invest formula (be it sci-fi in nature, or modeled on Hitchcockian suspense) with a mad, pulp energy, as though he felt like anything short of a cackling, sensationalist dive into pop trash—perfectly tuned for the horny boy—would cheat the masses. He’s not out to make movies that transcend their genre-based roots. He just brings a crazed sort of conviction to them. In that respect, he’s an honest filmmaker. None of his films are deep. That said, almost all of them startle and entertain, and insist (in contrast, I think, to most big-budget fare of the ilk he has specialized in) on a rather cheap and ugly vision of life on earth (and other planets). Perhaps he is a satirist, a knowing hack who is serious about his craft. No matter how you slice it, though, his catalog is impressive and (as the above points make clear) he has a voice all his own.
Top American Verhoeven Films
- Robocop
- Starship Troopers
- Showgirls
- Basic Instinct
- Total Recall