Given the name of the film on the slate for review today, one could easily be mistaken thinking it was a cheese-fest horror flick. Amsterdamned certainly seems like a movie that is going be nothing but schlock, but I can 100% tell you that the film is far from being cheesy. Instead, it’s an action-packed slasher, with solid performances, a heart-pounding score by director Dick Maas and the 80s scuzziness of Amsterdam to back it all up.
The story for Amsterdamned is simple enough. A killer is on the loose in Amsterdam, and he is using the canals to kill his victims. Detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) is placed on the case, and as the bodies pile up, the identity of the killer is becoming harder and harder to figure out.
Amsterdamned takes a simple slasher tale and injects the flick with loads of action. We have a thrilling bike chase, even though it doesn’t progress the story much. We also have an excellent boat chase through the canals of Amsterdam. The film doesn’t shy away from gore either, with the body count rising steadily as the flick progresses.
As for the killer’s reveal, there are a few red herrings placed here and there, with most not going anywhere. The actual reveal tries to make things a bit surprising for the viewer, but if you’ve seen a lot of these types of films before, you’ll pretty much guess who is committing the murders. Still, I give the film an ‘A’ for effort for keeping things hidden until the very end.
Amsterdamned deserves way more respect than it gets. I never even knew about the movie until Blue Underground announced their fantastic Blu-ray and boy, am I glad they did. The film is a phenomenal thrill ride that will please action and horror junkie fans alike.
As for Blue Underground’s Blu-ray, they have done a fabulous job on the restoration of the film. I should point out that there were some compression issues on the initial release of the disc, but those have been corrected with a recall. I don’t have the fixed version, but honestly, I didn’t notice anything major. I must be blind, or I was too busy enjoying the film to notice.
The audio provided on the disc is Dutch: 5.1 DTS-HD; Dutch, English: 2.0 DTS-HD; French: Dolby Digital Stereo. I watched the movie in the Dutch 5.1 with English subtitles, and besides one or two mistakes in the subtitles, everything else was fine and dandy. Dick Maas’ score sounds amazing in 5.1.
Rounding out the fantastic release are some special features. You have the Making of Amsterdamned, which features a lot of behind the scenes footage. A new interview with actor Huub Stapel, an older interview with stunt coordinator Dickey Beer, a music video, trailers, poster and still gallery, and a collectable booklet with writing on the movie. Plenty to peruse through.
Verdict
Amsterdamned was a smash hit in my humble opinion. It was fast paced even at a runtime of 113 minutes. The action was intense and the horror thrilling. Be sure to pick up Blue Underground’s solid Blu-ray release today!
Special Features
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Dick Maas and Editor Hans van Dongen
- The Making of AMSTERDAMNED
- Tales From The Canal – Interview with Star Huub Stapel
- Damned Stuntwork – Interview with Stunt Coordinator Dickey Beer
- Dutch Trailer
- U.S. Trailer
- Lois Lane Music Video – “Amsterdamned” (Directed by Dick Maas)
- Poster & Still Gallery
- BONUS Collectable Booklet with new essay by author Michael Gingold