"Director: Paul Verhoeven"

• Starship Troopers | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £5.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (166.94%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A gloriously over-the-top treat, Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers takes the militaristic moralising of Robert Heinlein's pulp classic and sets about undermining it mercilessly. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) desperately wants to join the Mobile Infantry and kill some Earth-threatening alien bugs. He also desperately wants Carmen (Denise Richards), but only gets to fulfil one ambition in the second of Verhoeven's futuristic satires (also cowritten with his RoboCop scriptwriter Ed Neumeier). Set in a fascistic future where kids must do military service to qualify as citizens, own property or even have babies, the film's dark Vietnam and Nazi-era parallels are all the more disturbing given its deceptively sunny Beverly Hills 90210 teenage cast (though scenery-chewing veteran Michael Ironside steals the movie as tough-talking Lt Rasczak). The CGI arachnids are among the most convincing and dangerous-looking creatures ever seen on screen, and with the movie clocking up the highest number of blanks ever fired on a film set, it's also pretty loud! Verhoeven went on to be Executive Producer of the Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles animated TV series a couple of years later. On the DVD: Starship Troopers in this DVD incarnation can now be played continuously on one side of the disc (the original Region 2 release version was that crime against the DVD format, a "flipper"). You'll also feel really spoiled by the extras here: five deleted scenes (approximately six minutes) pad out Carmen's love triangle problems. There are impressive screen tests for Denise Richards and Casper Van Dien (three-and-a-half minutes). An eight-minute featurette zips by with key interviews and fact flinging. And a real treat is three scene developments with layers of FX work explained by Verhoeven. But what makes this DVD essential is the director's enthusiastic commentary alongside screenwriter Ed Neumeier: dissing astrology, making a stand for feminist issues, saying how he went nude to placate the actors for their shower scene, and drooling with praise for his FX team, Verhoeven makes a fascinating statement that "war makes fascists of us all". After a studio disclaimer, and beginning with his reaction to the film's critique in Time Magazine, this is no-holds-barred fun. --Paul Tonks

• Robocop Trilogy | Blu Ray | (26/05/2014) from £11.45   |  Saving you £-3.46 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  No matter how hard you look, the brutal truth of the Robocop Trilogy is that there’s only one film in there that’s consistently worthy of your attention. Yet this keenly priced boxset does offer a chance to look at the two subsequent sequels with the benefit of a high-definition upgrade. And while both have major problems, they still make for intriguing viewing. The original first, though. Robocop is a bone-fide science fiction masterpiece, an hour and a half of satire, violence, humour and the future of law enforcement. There’s a fairly conventional good vs evil story at the heart of it, yet this is nonetheless an ambitious film, gloriously realised on a low budget. The sequel, Robocop 2, tries its damnedest to mirror the original, but it stumbles several times, not least for failing to carve out an identity of its own. So keen is it to be reverent to what went before, that the film suffers. But there are ideas here, and moments that make the movie well worth sitting through. The third? Well, Robocop 3 is car crash cinema, sadly. Shoddy effects, and a decision to tame down the violent edge for a more child-friendly rating costs the film dear. It’s entertaining, albeit not for the right reasons. Yet this remains a fascinating trilogy, boasting one excellent movie, one intriguing failure, and one film that’s as far removed from what made Robocop so interesting in the first place that it’s almost hard to resist. --Jon Foster

• Elle | DVD | (10/07/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michele's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game--a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

• Starship Troopers | Blu Ray | (06/08/2007) from £7.99   |  Saving you £16.00 (200.25%)   |  RRP £23.99

  The Federation needs you for a desperate do-or-die mission in 'Starship Troopers' the ultimate sci-fi action thriller from the director of 'Total Recall'... hailed for its mind-blowing special effects and amazing futuristic settings! The new millenium brings man face-to-face with the deadliest enemy of all... an intelligent race of alien bugs some thirty feet tall some that fly and all capable of destroying every living thing on Earth! That's where brave young freedom fighter Johnny Rico comes in. While Johnny trains in an elite infantry unit his stunning girlfriend Carmen becomes a top starship pilot - but is seduced by a suave flight instructor! Join their mission to the aliens' home planet where an all out inter-planetary war is about to begin... with mankind on the line. Epic filmmaking and jarring action sequences that put you in the middle of it all make 'Starship Troopers' the definitive space-age story in this or any other universe.

• Total Recall Ultimate Rekall Edition | Blu Ray | (24/12/2012) from £14.90   |  Saving you £5.09 (34.16%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The ever-popular sci-fi classic directed by Paul Verhoeven, based on a Philip Dick novel and starring Schwarzenegger in one of his best roles. The year is 2084. Douglas Quaid construction worker on Earth, is haunted by a recurring dream. He buys an implanted memory from Rekall Inc to try and make sense of it, but something goes wrong. He finds himself as a secret agent fighting against the evil Mars administrator Cohaagen.

• Black Book | DVD | (30/04/2007) from £6.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (185.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Paul Verhoeven returns to his native Netherlands for this gripping WW2 thriller about a young Jewish woman out for revenge following her family's murders.

• Benedetta | Blu Ray | (10/10/2022) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From renowned provocateur Paul Verhoeven (Elle, Basic Instinct), Benedetta is a subversive erotic drama based on the true story of a 17th century nun entangled in a forbidden lesbian affair. Virginie Efira stars as the titular Benedetta, a nun whose religious fervor begins to manifest in increasingly sensual and violent visions of Jesus. These hallucinations arouse the suspicions of Charlotte Rampling's shrewd abbess, Sister Felicita, whose distrust grows when a farm girl called Bartolomea (Daphné Patakia) enters the convent seeking refuge, and quickly develops an attraction to Benedetta. Premiering at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Verhoeven's intoxicating latest is a transgressive and alluring look at faith, power and religion, and is every bit as scandalous as you would expect from the controversial filmmaker.

• Basic Instinct | Blu Ray | (14/06/2021) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A new restoration of Paul Verhoeven's classic 1992 erotic thriller BASIC INSTINCT. Starring Michael Douglas as Nick Curran, a hardboiled detective with a weakness for beautiful women and dangerous relationships and Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell, a stunning, enigmatic novelist with a talent for seduction and a history of relationships that end in death. As the only suspect in a controversial murder case that the detective is investigating, Catherine ignites Nick's suspicion and his passion, and he soon becomes involved in his most dangerous liaison yet. Featuring one of the most talked about scenes in film history, Basic Instinct is blistering portrayal of sexual obsession, murder and betrayal. Special Features DISC 1 Feature Audio commentary with Camille Paglia Audio commentary with Paul Verhoeven and Jan de BontBasic Instinct: Sex, Death and Stone DISC 2 An unending story - Scoring Basic Instinct Blonde Poison - The making of Cast & Crew interviews featurette Storyboard comparisons (Love scene - Car Chase - Elevator murder Screen tests (Sharon Stone x 4 - Jeanne Tripplehorn x 1)

• Total Recall Ultimate Rekall Edition | DVD | (24/12/2012) from £10.78   |  Saving you £5.21 (48.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The ever-popular sci-fi classic directed by Paul Verhoeven, based on a Philip Dick novel and starring Schwarzenegger in one of his best roles. The year is 2084. Douglas Quaid construction worker on Earth, is haunted by a recurring dream. He buys an implanted memory from Rekall Inc to try and make sense of it, but something goes wrong. He finds himself as a secret agent fighting against the evil Mars administrator Cohaagen.

• Total Recall 4K | Blu Ray | (04/01/2021) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Get ready for a surprise, with a mind-blowing 4K restoration of the much loved sci-fi action classic, TOTAL RECALL, directed by Paul Verhoeven. In celebration of Total Recall's 30th anniversary, this collection is one you won't forget. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Douglas Quaid) and Sharon Stone (Lori Quaid), accompanied by an iconic soundtrack by Academy Award-winner Jerry Goldsmith this is the ultimate version of the cult classic. Extras: Total Excess: How Caralco Changed Hollywood Open Your Mind: Scoring Total Recall Audio Commentary by Paul Verhoeven & Arnold Schwarzenegger Total Excess: How Caralco Changed Hollywood Audio Commentary by Paul Verhoeven & Arnold Schwarzenegger Models and Skeletons: The Special Effects of Total Recall The Making of Total Recall Imagining Total Recall

• Robocop | Blu Ray | (25/11/2019) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

• Robocop | Blu Ray | (27/01/2014) from £8.75   |  Saving you £11.24 (128.46%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When it arrived on the big screen in 1987, Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop was like a high-voltage jolt of electricity, blending satire, thrills, and abundant violence with such energized gusto that audiences couldn't help feeling stunned and amazed. The movie was a huge hit, and has since earned enduring cult status as one of the seminal science fiction films of the 1980s. Followed by two sequels, a TV series, and countless novels and comic books, this original RoboCop is still the best by far, largely due to the audacity and unbridled bloodlust of director Verhoeven. However, the reasons many enjoyed the film are also the reasons some will surely wish to avoid it. Critic Pauline Kael called the movie a dubious example of "gallows pulp," and there's no denying that its view of mankind is bleak, depraved, and graphically violent. In the Detroit of the near future, a policeman (Peter Weller) is brutally gunned down by drug-dealing thugs and left for dead, but he survives (half of him, at least) and is integrated with state-of-the-art technology to become a half-robotic cop of the future, designed to revolutionize law enforcement. As RoboCop holds tight to his last remaining shred of humanity, he relentlessly pursues the criminals who "killed" him. All the while, Verhoeven (from a script by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner) injects this high-intensity tale with wickedly pointed humour and satire aimed at the men and media who cover a city out of control. --Jeff Shannon, amazon.com

• Basic Instinct | DVD | (15/09/2008) from £7.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (116.86%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger. Michael Douglas stars as Nick Curran a tough but vulnerable detective. Sharon Stone costars as Catherine Tramell a cold calculating and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. Catherine becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered - a crime she had described in her latest novel. Has she been set up by a jealous rival or is she guilty? Obsessed with cracking the case Nick descends into San Francisco's forbidden underground where suspicions mount bodies fall and he finds within himself an instinct more basic than survival.

• Robocop | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £7.11   |  Saving you £12.88 (181.15%)   |  RRP £19.99

  He's RoboCop. And in the near future he's law enforcement's only hope. A sadistic crime wave is sweeping across America. In Old Detroit the situation is so bad a private corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) has assumed control of the police force. The executives at the company think they have the answer - until the enforcement droid they create kills one of their own. Then an ambitious young executive seizes the opportunity. He and his research team at Security Concept

• RoboCop UHD | Blu Ray | (18/07/2022) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  RoboCop, from Orion Pictures, marked Flesh + Blood director Paul Verhoeven's Hollywood debut and instantly became an enduring sci-fi/action classic when it landed in theaters in the summer of 1987. Verhoeven's peerlessly exciting and kinetic visuals were matched by a sharp script, iconic cast and exceptional special effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing) and Phil Tippett (The Empire Strikes Back). The film takes place in Detroit in the not-too-distant future. Heroic cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) is gunned down in the line of duty, only to be resurrected as RoboCop a cybernetic mix of spare human parts and Motor City steel, and the latest defense against crime designed by the all-powerful OCP Corporation. As RoboCop's memories of his former life as Murphy resurface, only his ex-partner (Nancy Allen, Dressed To Kill) stands beside him to fight against the vicious thugs responsible for his death, as well as a nefarious top-level OCP executive orchestrating the chaos from above. Unsurpassably thrilling, unexpectedly moving and unforgettably hilarious in equal measure, the future of law enforcement is back on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray in a restored Director's Cut, packed with hours of brand new bonus features. Product Features 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos surround sound options Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for the Theatrical Cut and re-edited in 2014 for the Director's Cut) Commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon Commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, an interview with co-writer Michael Miner RoboTalk, a conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nicholas McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures' The Prodigy) Truth of Character, an interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis Casting Old Detroit, an interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film's ensemble cast was assembled Connecting the Shots, an interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt Analog, a featurette focusing on the special photographic effects, including new interviews with Peter Kuran and Kevin Kutchaver More Man Than Machine: Composing RoboCop, a tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson RoboProps, a tour of super-fan Julien Dumont's collection of original props and memorabilia 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett RoboCop: Creating A Legend, Villains of Old Detroit, Special Effects: Then & Now, three archive featurettes from 2007 featuring interviews with cast and crew Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg Four deleted scenes The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett Director's Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes, presented in 4K (SDR) Two theatrical trailers and three TV spots Extensive image galleries Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper

• Hollow Man | Blu Ray | (20/04/2020) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From Paul Verhoeven, visionary director of RoboCop and Starship Troopers, comes a tales of transparent terror! Hollow Man's Oscar®-nominated special effects are as ground-breaking now as they were upon its original release nearly 20 years ago. A team of scientists led by the ambitious Dr. Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) have developed a ground-breaking serum for invisibility. Desperate to take their research to the next level, Caine volunteers himself as a test subject with horrifying results... Extras: HD Transfer in Original 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio Optional English Subtitles English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Disappearing Act - The Genre Jaunts of Paul Verhoeven: An Interview with Critic Kim Newman about the Hollow Man Legacy and the career of Director Paul Verhoeven Hollow Man Trailer

• Schwarzenegger Triple | Blu Ray | (25/10/2010) from £18.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (31.60%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Titles Comprise: Total Recall: They stole his mind: now he wants it back! In a futuristic world construction worker Doug Quaid obsesses about taking a vacation on the planet Mars. His wife objects so Doug instead opts to have an artificial memory of a Martian holiday implanted into his mind. The trouble is during the implantation procedure Quaid suffers a strange reaction. Why? It seems as though he has already been to Mars but his memories of his journey have been wiped... Now secret agents and the cohorts of a megalomaniacal industrialist are out to get him. Can Quaid experience total recall and finally figure out just why everyone is trying to stop him from reaching the red planet? Red Heat: Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) nicknamed Iron Jaw is a ruthless cop who heads Moscow's homicide division. He is sent to Chicago to pick up a Russian drug-dealer arrested on a minor traffic violation. In Chicago Danko is assigned to partner with Detective Art Ridzik (James Belushi) a wisecracking plain clothesman notorious for cutting corners. Different people from different cultures Danko and Ridzik Work closely together and develop a unique relationship laced with humur and respect. The chase leads them into a world of international drug trafficking controlled from within the walls of Statesville Prison and puts Ridzik in conflict with his superior Commander Donnelly (Peter Boyle) as the two renegade cops alternate police procedure Russian Style with Ridzik's free-enterprising techniques. Raw Deal: Three FBI agents are guarding a key witness whose testimony will end the Chicago crime organisation. Led by Luigi Patrovita (Sam Wanamaker). When the witness and the bodyguards are brutally murdered in an early morning raid. FBI agent harry Shannon (Darren McGavin) seeks out the service of former agent Mark Kaminsky (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Kaminsky forced to leave the Bureau due to his excessive violence and brutality is asked to assume a second identity with the intention of infiltrating the Patrovita organisation and destroying it from the inside. Informed that the reward for a successful mission is reinstatement with the FBI Kaminsky agrees to undertake the task.

• Robocop Boxset | DVD | (02/09/2009) from £32.90   |  Saving you £-22.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Synopsis TBC

• Basic Instinct | Blu Ray | (15/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger. Michael Douglas stars as Nick Curran a tough but vulnerable detective. Sharon Stone costars as Catherine Tramell a cold calculating and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. Catherine becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered - a crime she had described in her latest novel. Has she been set up by a jealous rival or is she guilty? Obsessed with cracking the case Nick descends into San Francisco's forbidden underground where suspicions mount bodies fall and he finds within himself an instinct more basic than survival.

• Robocop Trilogy | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £32.99

  Paul Verhoeven was almost unknown in Hollywood prior to the release of RoboCop in 1987. But after this ultra-violent yet strangely subversive and satirical sci-fi picture became a huge hit his reputation for extravagant and excessive, yet superbly well-crafted filmmaking was assured. Controversial as ever, Verhoeven saw the blue-collar cop (Peter Weller) who is transformed into an invincible cyborg as "an American Jesus with a gun", and so the film dabbles with death and resurrection imagery as well as mercilessly satirising Reagan-era America. No targets escape Verhoeven's unflinching camera eye, from yuppie excess and corporate backstabbing to rampant consumerism and vacuous media personalities. As with his later sci-fi satire Starship Troopers the extremely bloody violence resolutely remains on the same level as a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The inevitable sequel, competently directed by Irvin Kershner, thankfully continues to mine the dark vein of anti-consumerist satire while being reflexively aware that it is itself a shining example of that which it is lampooning. Sadly the third instalment in the series, now without Peter Weller in the title role, is exactly the kind of dumbed-down production-line flick that the corporate suits of OCP might have dreamed up at a marketing meeting. Its only virtue is a decent music score from regular Verhoeven collaborator Basil Poledouris, whose splendid march theme returned from the original score. On the DVD: Packaged in a fold-out slipcase these three discs make a very collectable set. All are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic prints, although only the first movie has any extra material worth mentioning. Here the Director's Cut option allows the viewer to see Paul Verhoeven's more explicitly violent versions of Murphy's "assassination", ED-209's bloody malfunction and the shootout finale. These extended sequences are handily signposted in the scene selection menu, and the filming of them can be seen in a sequence of Director's Cut footage. Deleted scenes include "Topless Pizza" ("I'll buy that for a dollar!") and there are two contemporary "making of" featurettes plus a good, new half-hour retrospective. Both the latter and the director's commentary make abundantly clear the Reagan-era satire and are chock full of quotable lines from Verhoeven--"I wanted to show Satan killing Jesus"--and his producer--"Fascism for liberals". Stop-motion animator Phil Tippett gives a commentary on the storyboard-to-film comparisons, and there are the usual trailers and photos. Showing just how much the sequels are rated in comparison, the second and third discs have nothing but theatrical trailers and their sound is just Dolby 2.0 whereas the original movie has been remastered into Dolby 5.1.--Mark Walker