Director Paul Verhoeven is living, breathing proof of that old Hollywood adage, "You're only as good as your last film."
After relocating from his native Holland to Hollywood in the 1980s, he became a bona fide hitmaker with "Robocop," "Total Recall," and the era-defining "Basic Instinct." But when the director's much-touted "Showgirls" tanked in '95, Verhoeven soldiered through the already green-lighted "Starship Troopers" -- which also got a lukewarm reaction -- before screeching to a dead halt in 2000 with "Hollow Man," which starred Kevin Bacon.
It took a few years, but Verhoeven has fled Hollywood for the Netherlands, and with pan-European financing, has put together one of the most lavish, expensive Euro-films ever made.