Amsterdamned (1988)

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!

Fmovies: I'm not used to hearing Dutch so that was a bit different. The plot moves along well and the ensemble acting is well done/ I liked seeing all the different places in Amsterdam. Since it has become a place of pilgrimage for people into drugs and prostitution in recent years you generally don't see or hear much about the place at all up to and including movies from there. This film was a rarity in that sense that it captures the city before it 'went to the dogs' is how most people would put it. Several unexpected twists keep you hanging and keep you interested. More for people who can appreciate a good yearn rather than your typical action movie fan, since its not really an action movie. Good cinematography helps the project work well as a whole. Worth seeing.

This must be one of the best dutch action/thriller movies made until now, at least in my opinion. Huub Stapel is perfectly cast as the protagonist with Monique Van De Ven as his love interest. The movie locations mostly involve canals/water, which create a nice, thrilling horror-atmosphere. Director Dick Maas also takes care of the great soundtrack. To me, he had already proved he's perfectly capable of this by doing a great job producing the score of "De Lift" (1983) also starring Huub Stapel. The movie simply keeps the spectator in suspense throughout the whole installment. This movie mixes thriller and horror elements perfectly! To me, it's a great one!

Amsterdamned fmovies. Like I say in my comments on "De Lift", this is particularly funny for Dutch-aholics. A lot of the scenes are references to Dutch famous people, or will later become references to those.

The Bond-like chase through the canals of "Amsterdam", is one of the most famous scenes, and is up to Hollywood standard. Huub Stapel is again the best choice for the leading character "Eric Visser", charming, tenacious, and this time single. The comic relieves are numerous in this movie, but the best to me are the scenes where Stapel's daughter Anneke and her friend Willy try to find the killer through telepathy. And luckily Dick Maas doesn't resort to an old Hollywood trick, and let them solve the whole thing.

Unfortunately, the whole industry in Europe is only interested in making "interesting, and challenging" movies. Movie making in Europe should be about the art, not about the money, according to the critics. The result, however, is that most movies from Europe are either depressing to the point of throwing yourself from a tall building, or completely incomprehensible, or just boring. There are a few great exceptions to the rule, and this is certainly one of them.

For those who saw it in 1988 in a theater, and happened to be in a theater that (as is usual in Holland) puts in a break half way through the movie, so they can scam you out of your money selling over priced drinks (okay different story), you might remember one of the best finishing touches to a movie ever seen: the hand that shoots out of the water, holding a strawberry ice cream cone! That actually had me about 5 inches of my seat.

Amsterdamned is the best Dutch movie I have ever seen (I haven't seen the Assault or Karakter !). The film is great fun to watch, Good action-sequences and great humour that only dutch people will understand. How can an american understand language like Goat-fucker or Rusk-dick. The acting is not bad. Huub Stapel and Monique van der Ven (Turkish Delight) are well casted and the setting, Amsterdam, is perfectly picked. Together with Paris there isn't a prettier city. Although the water-sequences look a lot like jaws, I wouldn't call it a rip-off.

A fine piece of Dutch cinema!

Dutch director Dick Maas clearly has a flair for entertainment. This serial killer film is lifted above the norm by a series of fantastic sequences; from creepy murder scenes to a hilariously over the top speed boat chase through the canals of Amsterdam, Amsterdamned is a delight to watch from start to finish. It goes without saying that this film takes place in Amsterdam, and it would appear that the film is something of a love letter to the great Dutch city. Amsterdam's streets make for an excellent horror location, while the canal shots are what really give the film its originality. Maas also gives us sequences in which the reputation of the city is discussed. Personally, I love the location shots of this film; having visited Amsterdam a couple of times myself, it's nice to recognise where the film is taking place. The plot is basically your run of the mill serial killer yarn, but it's lifted above the norm because of the fact that the murderer himself is water-based. Amsterdam's canals make for his home, as the murderous diver drags anyone who comes too close to the river to their doom. We follow the trail of murders and the police investigation into the crimes.

The film runs at around 105 minutes; a running time that would usually lead to me saying is too long for this sort of film. However, despite the fact that the film plays from what is a very basic plot, it never becomes boring. Dick Maas bombards the audience with stunning location shots, deliriously entertaining sequences and some very sinister moments of horror to ensure that Amsterdamned never becomes trite or dull - and besides, every time there's a danger of the film going downhill, our competent director is on hand with another grisly murder sequence! For a film that runs so freely, it's surprising that it's actually not all that messy. Maas blends several different styles together, but the plot always stays on course. The atmosphere is always foreboding as it is made clear that the murderer could strike at any time. I've got to say that I was a little disappointed by the end, however. After a brilliant 100 minutes, Maas sees fit to tack on an ending that feels very trite and overly used. However, the build up to this let down is fantastic and by the time it comes to the ending, it doesn't really matter how it ends because you've just witnessed what is one of the finest films ever to come out of the Netherlands. Personally, I loved every minute of this great film and really can't recommend it highly enough!