Saint (2010)

Aah, just the sort of film to put you in the Christmas spirit! Jolly old Saint Nick riding his horse over the rooftops of Amsterdam with his army of zombies, cutting the throats of the adults while devouring the children. Fair gave me a warm glow inside, to see the blood strewn around the snow and those decapitated heads rolling down the street. Think I'll go put up my tree now and hang my decorations, I feel so festive. In the meantime, enjoy this new Xmas classic... It may be nowhere near as good as It's A Wonderful Life or White Christmas, but it probably reflects my own sensibilities about the holiday far more than those two ;) 5/10

Fmovies: I already had low expectations of this movie, but my friend really wanted to go to this movie. And even with my low expectations, it was a disappointment. Why? 1) the story is really thin. If you can actually say that there is a story. Right before the movie ended, I thought the clue would finally come. But it did not! 2) Having Egbert-Jan Weber who is 28/29 years old, playing a 18 year old schoolboy, is not really convincing. Same goes for Caro Lenssen, she is not that young as well. 3) to be honest, I am not a fan of Dick Maas. I think his style is too simple for me. It was also never really scary. The movie was more a parody.

Positive note: Egbert-Jan Weber is nice to look at and Caro Jenssen also has a fresh nice face. She always shows something vulnerable that I like.

But to sum it op: do not spend your money on this movie!!!!

In an era of the successful Grindhouse revivals, The Asylum and the increasingly crazy J-spolitations, it would appear that schlock is on the rise...but "Saint" makes us remember that not all purposefully silly B- movies can be thoroughly entertaining. When over-the-top gore, crazy characters, hilarious dialog and preposterous plots are what make these movies work, "Saint" only nails the preposterous plot, concerning a murderous, zombified St. Nic going on a killing spree through Amsterdam. Typing this out, it sounds like it should be great fun but the fact is that "Saint" is not gory or funny enough to be a successful B-movie.

Saint fmovies. Currently the Dutch film industry is under fire. Right wing political parties are demanding heavy reforms in the arts. Basically because they think art has become too 'elite'. Well, here's the movie for the masses and it's called 'Sint'. Based on the very popular Dutch holiday Sinterklaas (Santa Clause, but with a horse instead of reindeer and black slaves instead of elves... yeah, really), 80s action wunderkind Dick Maas ('Amsterdamned' & 'The Lift') brings us another 'action spectacular'.

It's a shame though that Maas forgot the thing he did best in the 80s; write a compelling script with colorful characters we care about. Instead he believes that his audience will be satisfied with some decent enough stunts and effects (for Dutch standards). The complete lack of any sense of dread (it is a horror film you know), a protagonist (pretty much every character has a supporting role) or a third act (or first for that matter) are just minor details.

I can't help but think there are more than enough eager young filmmakers who can deliver the same (or better) quality stunts and effects, but with the care and love we remember from Dick's earlier efforts. If a filmmaker has reached the point of paying homage to his own work, not once but several times (for example, by showing us clips of his TV series 'Flodder'), than it's pretty save to say he's done evolving as a filmmaker.

Instead of giving money to a relic, please help new genre talent. Interesting Dutch directors with the same commercial sensibilities, but who still have the fire to make something worth while. And then, who knows, one day we might even walk out of a Dutch genre film without saying; "Well, what did you expect from a Dutch genre film?" or (even worse) "That was pretty decent by Dutch standards."

I went to see SINT yesterday at one of the advance screenings. The place was completely packed with all sorts of people! Conclusion: Dick Maas gives his audience what they expect from him: a great original plot, super scary moments, good jokes and one the most original chases ever seen: the bad guy (Saint Nicholas) on his horse on the roofs of Amsterdam, chased by cops in cars on the streets. Great CG, never seen before in Dutch cinema! SINT is a spooky thriller with lots of action and horror. Even those who are not familiar with the Saint Nicholas legend (A celebration in Holland every year on December 5, similar to Santa Claus) will relate to the fight between good and evil which is a common emotion all over the world.

It seems to me that most of the reviewers have missed the point. That there was none. This movie is simply out to entertain. It is not one of those kinds that depend on a chilling story or strong characters.(Although there were some sequences that were quite thrilling). It simply is a slasher movie based on a classic myth and still grand celebration in the Netherlands of the original St. Nicolas.Sinterklaas (OG Santa if you will).It is supposed to be over the top.Bad acting,bad dialog,not very likable characters,and lots of lots of (CGI) blood and gore. To expect more will surely lead to disappointment.Everybody familiar with Dick Maas previous work could have expected this. Since it is far from a stretch even when this production is more leaning towards a comedy.And his comedies weren't exactly of the subtle and clever kind. Maybe not completely on par with Dead Snow and Rare exports (which can be debated) it sure does provide the same amount of entertainment.