Leofwine_draca If you've seen Dick Maas' previous horror outing - THE LIFT - then you pretty much know what to expect with this kooky crime thriller mixing police investigation with slasher overtones. There's a certain basic artistry in some of the more outlandish scenes - probably the most memorable scene comes when a tour boat, full of gossiping passengers and unruly children runs into a corpse swinging from the bridge; typically, this would be a brief shock scene quickly cutting away to an autopsy or something. But not here - instead, Maas follows the boat through the tunnel as the corpse slides along the glass roof, leaving a trail of blood and gristle behind it. It's an audacious, inventive and highly imaginative moment in what otherwise amounts to a fairly typical thriller.The ingredients here are ordinary and the film has something for everyone : sex and gore (tame), romance, action, stunts, and a lone hero, a rogue cop whose obscure methods find him at odds with his superiors. The cop in question is played by Maas' favourite leading man Huub Stapel, after he did so well in THE LIFT. Stapel fits into the role of "maverick cop" pretty well here and looks the part with his unshaven face and tired leather jacket. As for the supporting actors and actresses... well, nobody really shines in their role but nobody is wooden either. The dialogue is a little difficult to comprehend sometimes due to the culture gap and the heavy accents on display, but all round it's a good effort on everybody's behalf.Fans would be wise to check this film out as it's a unique contribution which really draws out the best scenery in Holland. Basically, it's just so different what with the setting and different lifestyles that watching becomes a way of learning about the Dutch. Personally, I myself find the long canals of Amsterdam very interesting to look out and the film really makes use of them in some tense chase moments. The best part of the film is a prolonged speedboat chase which packs in a ton of stunts and could easy fit into a James Bond film without looking out of place - it's that polished.You're kept guessing as to the identity of the killer throughout and there are plenty of clues and red herrings to chew on. The only thing I think let this film down was the ending, which makes you feel sorry for the killer and gives him a personality - realistic, yes, and a good twist, but not that exciting. Basically, if the idea of a killer stalking the canals of Amsterdam in the wetsuit being chased by policemen who follows his bubbles sounds like your sort of thing, then get this film as that's exactly what it's about and it doesn't disappoint - it may not be a brilliant film, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and was kept interested all the way until the end anyway. Oh yes, and clever title, too.

Comeuppance Reviews A mysterious serial killer is stalking the canals of Amsterdam. He wears a black wetsuit and diving mask, and he kills with a harpoon. As the body count rises, detective Eric Visser (Stapel) is assigned to catch him. It's not going to be easy, as this particular baddie is extremely clever and crafty. Soon, the full force of Amsterdam's police are chasing down the man terrifying their beloved city. Visser must not only catch the killer, but also protect his young daughter Anneke (Dagelet) and her friend Willy (Bakker), not to mention girlfriend Laura (van de Ven of Stunt Rock, 1980 fame). Can he do it? Amsterdamned, as you might be able to surmise from its great title, is an extremely enjoyable movie with a dark sense of humor. It takes Dutch culture, everything from its red light district, to Rembrandt paintings, to Amstel beer and of course its famous canals and architecture, and injects a malevolent, murdering presence into it. That, and the idea that a killer can use the canals to kill and escape, is excellent, original and crowd-pleasing. The whole venture has a great vibe and thus is a winner.Huub Stapel as Visser is your typical quirky, unshaven cop who gets results. To our eyes he resembles a Dutch Jean Reno, or perhaps a Dutch Cobra (AKA Marion Cobretti). He also has a cool jacket and there are other wonderful 80's fashions on display as well. Writer/director Dick Maas not only uses the city of Amsterdam to its full effect, but he also loads the movie up with inventive moments and unique camera angles. This keeps the pace of the movie on track, although at times it is hard to sustain the nearly two hour running time. And even though most of the characters dubbed their own voices, if the movie had been trimmed of a bit of fat, and subtitled instead of dubbed, we'd be looking at an ultimate classic. As it stands, it's merely great. So not a huge loss there.But we see why Maas decided to dub the movie, he was clearly going for the international (and especially the American) market. And he had every right to be successful in it, as the movie has some great chase scenes, as well as its unique concept and location. So he was able to formulate a winner, and Vestron must have agreed, as they released it on VHS here.Featuring the wonderful end-credits title song by Lois Lane, we strongly recommend Amsterdamned.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Lola Mook This is a typical movie from a Dutch guy in the eighties. It may not be as exciting as Lethal weapon in the same years, but we just didn't have the technology and money for that sort of movies here in Holland:P Anyway, i do agree with the statement that this is a good movie. The scenery is indeed good, and the acting is really OK. The fact that Huub Stapel (Eric Visser in the movie) is a bit arrogant is because the director likes this kind of roles in his movie. Just like movies he made before Amsterdamned, such as Flodders, the head character is arrogant, a bit lazy, and tries to be tough. But once you get used to that you can see how funny it actually is.Anyway, i'd say try the movie!

Peter Grunbaum Apart from the stupid title this is an exciting horror movie. The plot is somewhat bizarre though, but that's part of the excitement. Highly recommended for horror fans. This is one scary movie. The title is just so hilarious. I couldn't believe it. I saw this in the Netherlands when I was there playing chess in the 1990s. I guess it is interesting to see some horror movies which are not American. This is a very European film. To be honest, I cannot remember it very well, but there were some nice scenes in the canal. It seems like a good detective story as well as a nice horror movie. I seem to remember that the search for the strange killer is one of the most interesting aspects of the movie.