Amsterdamned (1988) User Reviews

The best (and only) Dutch action movie

[basrutten · 7/10 · 24 April 2002]

"Amsterdamned" is probably the only real Dutch action movie ever made. As such, it's also the best Dutch action movie ever made. When compared to standard Hollywood action movies, Amsterdamned falls somewhere in the middle: it's not a masterpiece, but it's not terrible either.

The acting is usually terrible in Dutch movies, and this movie is no different. Monique v.d. Ven and Huub Stapel are fine, but the supporting cast is filled with a bunch of over-acting amateurs. Sound quality is poor too: I am from Holland and I often have trouble understanding what the people are saying. But the action sequences (and there are a lot of those) are surprisingly well done for Dutch standards. And fortunately, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously.

All in all the action and humour make up for the occasionally terrible acting and somewhat flawed plot.

**/2 out of **** stars

Amsterdamned

[HorrorFan1984 · 8/10 · 4 May 2020]

A serial killer is stalking victims in the famous Amsterdam canals. Can a young detective save the city from being Amsterdamned?

The films opens with a very convincing stalking scene with an unknown assailant swimming around the canals. The monster claims their first victim, a prostitute who is walking the dark, desolate streets late one night. She is brutally stabbed and then strung up in the canals for a tour group to find the next morning while their boat rides through. We meet a police detective named Visser who is assigned to the case

Visser investigates a local scuba diving facility where he meets a beautiful woman named Laura. They spark a relationship immediately. Meanwhile, the serial killer claims a few more victims along the way. Most are stabbed and dragged into the canal to die. Visser begins to feel the pressure from the police commissioner and mayor as they are terrified what these murders will do for the public image and tourism in Amsterdam. Will Visser stop the psychopath?

I really like Amsterdamned a lot as a late 80's slasher for many reasons. One, the filming locations. I found the canals and dark alleys/streets surrounding it to be an eerily perfect place for the killer to stalk their victims. Another is that the POV stalking scenes of the killer are top notch. They are done in such a creepy way, Dick Maas deserves a lot of credit for the work on them. They create a lot of on the edge of your seat tension and terror. Also, this movie looks REALLY good for being done in 1988 in terms of picture quality. The one major negative for me was killer reveal and the ending. It all just felt a bit rushed.

I highly recommend Amsterdamned to any horror fan. It is a slick and high quality late 80's slasher flick with amazing stalking POV scenes and some gore as well. The ending is a bit of a mess for me, but the acting and scares makes this a must see.

8/10

Good thriller marred by a rushed ending.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 7 February 2021]

I saw this for the first time recently due to the director (I have enjoyed Dick Maas' The Lift and Prooi) and also got enticed into checking this movie due to some good reviews.

It is indeed a solid action thriller but the ending is kinda rushed n there is no mystery/suspense element to it.

It has a good car sequence doing a full 180, an amazing boat chase sequence reminding us of Bond's Live and Let Die.

While viewing this, Shape of Water came to my mind, especially during the tunnel scenes.

Veerman and Eric rush to Dr Martin's house when the nurse informs Eric about Laura's missed call. How they deduced that Laura will be at Martin's house is beyond me.

Martin's doors were all open. Now who keeps their doors open man. At least not here in my beloved country India.

Our lead guy (Eric) gets his face spit upon by a suspect and without washing his face he consumes coffee n then later has sex with Laura (a lousy one though). Hope he washed his face before kissing her.

A surprise from Holland...

[gridoon · 7/10 · 28 September 2001]

Technically, "Amsterdamned" is about as good as any average American thriller about serial killers and tough cops; Dick Maas directs competently, shows a sense of humor and the unusual setting is an extra plus (how often do you get to see a boat chase in the Amsterdam canals? Not even the Bond pictures exploited that opportunity). It's just that the whole concept of the film treads on all-too-familiar territory, and that there are a few too many climaxes, making the film feel protracted. (**1/2)

Very, very good slasher movie that makes the most of a good budget...

[LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez · 7/10 · 7 August 2005]

Being that I was born in Sevilla of Spanish heritage, studied in Moscow, currently reside in England and speak Russian/Polish/Spanish and English fluently, you could say that I am somewhat culturally blessed. But when I'm not at home in Spain, you can usually find me enjoying the company and astonishing beauty of Polish women in Krakow or relaxing somewhere in the Netherlands. I love everything about Amsterdam. From its rich and tranquil canal based landscapes to its friendly and welcoming inhabitants, (that's not mentioning its wealth of world class soccer stars) you truly haven't lived until you've been there. That's why I was infinitely excited when I learnt that Holland had created its own addition to my favourite cinema sub-genre – a Dutch slasher movie! You read it right; Amsterdamned manages to mix the B-movie bliss of a masked psychopath with the cultural trademarks of my summer break paradise. And the best thing about it is that it's actually an amster-damned good movie (Apologies for the pun)…

It opens with a cool credit sequence that mixes some brilliant underwater photography with an eerie horror soundtrack that was provided by director Dick Maas. The shot pans along the riverbanks as a yet unidentified predator stalks its prey. It's almost like Jaws in a canal, as we watch the camera emerge from the murky depths, scan the area and then move on to another location. Next we cut to a prostitute flagging down a taxi later that same night. After an amusing bust up with the randy driver, the hooker is left walking the back streets to find her way home. Before she even has a chance to begin her journey, a dark figure raises out of the canal and repeatedly stabs her with a large blade. The killer, leaving a streaming trail of blood behind him, then drags her corpse into the river and disappears into a mass of bubbles. The following morning, the woman is discovered hanging upside down from a bridge and dripping with blood by a boat that's filled with tourists. That scene launches a terrific flair for subtle pitch black humour from the director, which continues throughout the movie.

Next up we meet Detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel); a hard-boiled Dirty Harry-alike who is immediately put on the case of the bizarre killings. After a vital clue is found at the scene of the second slaughter, the Police seem convinced that the maniac is a diver and begin checking out all the local clubs and stores. Whilst following that lead, Eric meets Laura (Monique Van de Ven), a beautiful artist who is keen to help him crack the case. Meanwhile the body count is rising and the town mayor wants this killer caught. Can Visser track down this maniacal madman? Or will the killer find him first…?

Amsterdamned is probably one of the best slasher movies to be released towards the end of the eighties. Boasting a superb script ("What does she mean a big black monster with huge claws?" "I don't know but your mother-in-law better have a good alibi!"), some stunning photography, a great cast of characters and an extremely talented director; this is truly a great advertisement for Dutch cinema. It's not really a teen-slasher in the hackneyed Friday the 13th mould. Instead it's best described as a slasher/murder-mystery/thriller, which makes the most of being part of each category. The first thing I noticed was that Amsterdamned was extremely well financed even compared to its American brethrens. How many hack and slash flicks have you seen that have included a town-wide motorcycle chase AND a colossal boat pursuit in the same feature? Dick Maas did an extremely good job of making his movie stand out from the mediocrity that had engulfed the cycle this late into its rein.

Even though it is not famed for it's extreme gore, there's enough gooey corpses floating about (literally) to keep the bloodhounds interested. It's also competently written, which means that you won't have worked out the psychopath's identity when he is unmasked at the conclusion. The body count is fairly high and most of the murders are carried out creatively, whilst trying to pack in as much suspense and intrigue as possible. My favourite would have to be the underwater battle between the killer and an unsuspecting Police diver. The whole scene is filmed aboard a submerged boat and the claustrophobic tension is superbly executed. Unfortunately, Amsterdamned was yet another victim of poor dubbing for international broadcast, which means that the voice-overs sound like a consignment of English speaking foreigners from everywhere else BUT Holland! It's impossible for me to rate the cast's performances because I own the dubbed version, but I've heard that they're pretty poor from the supporting actors anyway.

This is wholly recommended to slasher fans across the globe. It's extremely well financed, boasts some snappy dialogue, superb direction, a cool killer costume and even a enjoyably cheesy theme tune; how can you argue with that. The boat chase alone is worth the budget purchase price. I'll be keeping a close eye on the Dutch movie-market to see if they bless the slasher genre once more with such credible output. Make sure you give this one a go

The most authentic thriller for the Amsterdam canals

[jos_santen · 7/10 · 18 January 2012]

In my opinion, there aren't that many Dutch thrillers that couldn't be characterized as "only be suitable for typical Dutch soil". Indeed, the storyline of Amsterdam is perfectly aptly for the Amsterdam canal network, of both its singular beauty and mystery. Indeed, there's a contradiction between the attraction that these canals have on both numerous tourists and all the Amsterdam inhabitants. The canals are only worshiped by being navigated and watched from the wharfs and buildings. As far as I know, Amsterdamned is the very first movie that unravels a fear that's felt by many Dutch water freaks who dive, swim or sail in any Dutch lake, shore, swimming pool or ditch. They have fantasized about exploring the Amsterdam canals, but feel too much fear of realizing it because of being scared off by the menacing nontransparent waterlines. The murderer of Amsterdamned must have occurred in anyone's nightmare before this movie was released. Therefore, Amsterdamned is a kind of epoch-making story. Water crime is hardly ever published in media. Amsterdamned is a perfect paramount of the thin line between imaginable crimes from the canals that once could happen in reality and anyone's unspoken recurring fear of hidden malevolent divers. Although the main characters of Amsterdamned are just flat and a little shallow, the tension is built up very well. Indeed, it takes a lot of time before the real perpetrator is both found and arrested. His mutilated voice is only unveiled in the very end of the movie. So before this revealing scene, the main question is: what's the face behind the masquerade in the shape of a diving suit? Furthermore, the diver's motives for his atrocious deeds in the canals, is only told very lately by a psychotherapist, who previously didn't appear to be an ambiguous person at all. Therefore, Amsterdamned has enough surprising personal plots.

An extremely enjoyable movie!

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 22 October 2012]

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.

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Great giallo thriller that can appeal to both slasher and thriller fans

[acidburn-10 · 9/10 · 7 February 2015]

Now I can't believe that this little gem has passed me by for so long, especially being a big fan of slashers and giallo movies, well this was a nice treat and it's appealing enough and just when you thought you've seen everything that this genre has to offer, "Amsterdamned" puts a unique spin on things by featuring a killer dressed in scuba diving gear swimming around the canals of Amsterdam looking for his next victim.

It's all well paced, being mainstream enough for thriller fans and yet gruesome e and sleazy enough for horror fans. That is also dozens of red herrings that keeps the viewer interested enough to keep watching up until the final reveal which okay can be a bit of a cop out, but the dozens of stunts that were handled very well, and when the killer pops out of the water to claim its next victim, it is genially scary and given the fact that he can do this and escape easily into the canals does add a sense of danger to the proceedings and makes everything a lot more tense and frightening.

The main central character Vissor played brilliantly by Huub Stabel who's trying to solve this case before the killer strikes again and also has the best scene in the movie with the speed boat chase, which was exciting and thrilling at the same time, and will always be an iconic memorable scene. This movie also uses the beautiful city of Amsterdam to its full effect showing all the beautiful sights and scenery. Another standout performance was Serge-Henri Valcke who clearly steals the show with his funny comedic elements, which adds a touch of greatness to this movie.

All in all "Amsterdamned" is a great watch and is a definite highlight in the giallo genre and has a great mix of everything and plus a really cool killer.

Good film.

[lois-lane33 · 7/10 · 2 November 2014]

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.

I know it's only a bad film, but I like it!

[rainking_es · 5/10 · 20 June 2005]

One of the most popular movies from the Nederlands made by one of the most popular directors from the Low Lands. A thriller about a serial killer who finds his victims in the canals of Amsterdam City and the cop who's trying to catch him. Original, ain't it?

OK, it's not Truffaut, it's not Hawks or Von Trier, the dialogs are such a mess, and the situations are hackneyed to the nausea but, what can I say? I like this movie! I watched it first when I was 9 or 10 and it has kind of a nostalgical meaning from me. Anyway, you may have a nice pop-corn bag and a bottle of Coke, embrace your girl and turn the lights off.

The best of it all: the very spectacular boat-chasing all around the canals of Amsterdam.

*My rate: 5/10

Aquatic serial killer in one of Europe's finest cities!

[The_Void · 9/10 · 24 April 2006]

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!

Revenge on society. Innocent people had to be slaughtered.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 10 November 2019]

Amsterdamned is written and directed by Dick Maas (also providing the musical score). It stars Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke, Hidde Maas, Wim Zomer and Tanneke Hartzuiker. Cinematography is by Marc Felperlaan.

Hard-boiled police detective Eric Visser (Stapel) sets out to capture a gruesome serial killer who is terrorizing the canals of Amsterdam - apparently from the water itself...

If you was to list the genres this film homages you could be here for some time, while any attempt to pigeon hole it as one specific genre piece is pure folly. The strength in Mass' movie is that it successfully blends a number of filmic strands to great effect, even serving up some deliciously humorous dialogue in amongst the suspense and murderous shenanigans.

Working off from a unique standpoint of having a serial killer operating from beneath the waters of Amsterdam's canal system, this gives the pic its own identity. Sure some of the sequences have been tried and tested elsewhere - notably a superb homage to "A Nightmare On Elm Street" - but Maas stitches it together with a thrilling panache that's aided by Felperlaan's atmospherically piercing colour lenses.

The characters are neatly etched in a matter of fact way, giving them an earthy and vulnerable realism that's refreshing. While some scenes are suspenseful/frightening because it's left purely to suggestion over blood inducing show and tell. It's a bold choice from Mass not to go overtly Giallo Slasher on his audience, but by choosing to tantalise in the name of keeping the mystery aspect alive proves to be a good decision.

There's some truly great scenes to hold attention here. A bloody victim's body literally paraded aboard a sightseeing tourist boat, an extended speedboat pursuit that's fit for a Bond film, and Visser's trawling through Amsterdam's murky underground waterway tunnels is quality horror staging. There's proof positive here that the director knows his genre tropes.

Acting is a mixed bag, but there's no faulting Stapel as our main man. He instils Detective Visser with a steely film noir resolve that's most engaging, even as ikt happens looking into the bargain like a future Vincent Cassell. As the main female draw card, Monique van de Ven is sensual without being overt, and she makes a smart accompaniment to Stapel's more rugged edges.

Sadly the finale is something of a let down, not so much in the reveal, but in the quickness of it all, it feels rushed and ill thought out, especially given the pic runs at just shy of 2 hours in length. There's also the issue of the heavy synth score, which while a staple of many an 80s production, was even by 1988 feeling very old hat. Personally I kept drifting off into Harold Faltermeyer 's score for "The Running Man", only this was the one note version.

Small complaints, though, for this is a very smart and well thought out Dutch thriller. 7.5/10

A Persistent Floater

[targaid · 3/10 · 18 December 2021]

This is a truly awful film. There is an interesting idea at the heart of it and it could have been moody and atmospheric, but it's as cheesy and out of place as its dreadful Europop theme song at the end.

The acting is abysmal, made worse by the dubbing. The lead did his own dubbing for this so it can be assumed that this was the logic behind having every character played with heavy Dutch accents. Some well into parody level thickness. Dialogue in dubbed films often seems stilted or awkward due to poor translation and there's definitely a touch of that here with some oddly poor translations. The biggest problem is not only the dubbing but the painfully amateurish performances turned in by just about everyone in this. It's obvious few of them ever took any training in acting for camera.

Then add in the out of place Carry On style humour awkwardly shoe-horned in, the sped up chase scene elements and the increasingly Roger Moore-era Bond movie stunts all totally misplaced in a serious crime thriller. Yes, they actually do the speedboats jumping from the water to slide through a party then back into the water further along.

Still not daft enough? Make the killer almost as indestructible as Deadpool (make him look like Deadpool for good measure), give him super strength, and a back story better suited to a comic adaptation that seems to be an attempt to give the killer some pathos and the last shreds of dignity fall away from this inept waste of celluloid.

Truly something you'd have to flush repeatedly to dispose of.

Fun filled thrill

[bertine centen · 31 October 2002]

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.

Damned in Amsterdam.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 30 July 2019]

Taking part in the Dutch film viewing challenge on ICM,I dug into the back of my DVD shelves for unseen titles. Having picked up their output when seeing it in sales,I noticed in my line of UK DVD company Shameless, a Dutch Thriller,which led to me visiting Amsterdamned.

View on the film:

Whilst not their smoothest looking transfer, Shameless present a good, slightly dark picture and a very good, clean soundtrack of Dutch or Eng Dub (most of the cast did their own dubbing.)

Turning down the chance to make a Elm Street sequel (which he later said he regretted,due to missing his chance to get his foot in the door in Hollywood) to instead target his own auteur vision, writer/director/composer Dick Mass reunites with cinematographer Marc Felperlaan to dive into a Action-Crime Giallo/Slasher hybrid!

Inspired by the Slasher influenced third and final wave of Gialli, Mass holds on a knife edge a balance in the murder set-pieces between the drizzled in red Slasher slayings, (complete with jump scares) with more suggestive, foreboding tension in the long first-person tracking shots and the black scuba diving outfit-wearing psycho bubbling under the waters swimming towards the Giallo.

Although featuring a surprising lack of skin, Mass, (who mentions in the making of his love for US crime films) brings the thrills in superb,off-beat Action show-stoppers. Taking full advantage of the unique location, (and backed by his own rumbling synch score) Mass connects slick tracking shots and sharp whip-pan views with a gritty edge which digs in during nail-biting boat chases down the canales,and tight car/motorbike races down the narrow, blue tint burning, streets of Amsterdam.

Setting Eric Visser's (played by a terrific, aggressive Huub Stapel) murder investigation round the canales, the screenplay by Mass keeps the murders wickedly unpredictable, thanks to spending a little time with each possible victim, building fear of the psycho coming up for air at any moment. Holding Visser out as the lone cop not convinced the case is solved until the bitter end, Mass makes the unveiling of the killer after rough and tumble exchanges, (including a intense fight in a submerged boat) go off the boil, due to a last minute twist feeling out of place from being more in keeping with US Slashers, instead of the murky waters of Amsterdamned.

Dutch giallo slasher

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

Dutch director Dick Maas started his career directing the videos for Golden Earring, including "Twilight Zone" and "When the Lady Smiles," which was controversial as it showed a man about to assault a nun. He moved into feature films, including the comedic Flodder and The Lift. He's also known for the American version of The Lift, which was called Down, and the absolutely deranged holiday movie Sint.

This film is at the crossroads of giallo and slasher, using the canals of Amsterdam instead of Venice to create a place where the killer can appear at seemingly any time and place to murder at will.

The film starts with a bravura scene of violence, as a prostitute is murdered and then her body, hung above a bridge, literally rains blood on to a boat full of tourists.

What keeps it from being giallo and pushes it toward slasher is the fact that its protagonist is not a stranger in a strange land, but instead Eric Visser, a detective struggling to be a single father while solving cases around Holland's capital.

And what pushes it even further into slasher territory is the film's propensity to deliver on the gore, from decapitated heads to bloody kills. The antagonist is so brutal that one of the witnesses refers to him as a monster that came out of the water.

That said, where it does flirt with the giallo are the sheer number of red herrings that this movie throws at you, which makes sense, as Holland's fishing industry continually lands plenty of them from the nutrient-rich coastal waters of the North Sea.

Ridiculous title

[PeterRoeder · 7/10 · 16 November 2003]

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.

Follow the bubbles...........

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 27 March 2010]

A mysterious diver hiding in Amsterdam's canal system embarks on a rampage of gruesome murders.

Terrifying city officials and leaving few clues for the city's best detective, who doesn't suspect that both his new girlfriend and twelve-year-old daughter may be closer than he is to finding the killer..

An absolute hoot from beginning to end, the fact that this film is so full of humour, despite the bad script, makes this a curious watch.

It's a typical eighties film, we start with the hero, sporting a hangover and a mullet whilst in the bath, getting alerted to the first murder, only to apprehend a robber in the bakery and then giving a payoff one-liner.

He finds the first body, gives a one-liner and starts his investigation proper. We are given a few red herrings along the way as to who the murderer is, but the story and the narrative, make it a little hard to understand what is going on.

It's part slasher, part horror, part crime, part comedy, and it all works in a random way.

The cast are good, but a lot of the support tend to overact, and the main speed boat chase isn't just the longest one in history, it's the single funniest action set piece i have ever seen.

Throw in a random sex scene, with some extremely questionable noise coming from the fairer of the two, Riffs on Jaws and Friday the 13th, then you have one weird entertaining film.

It's the best Dutch film about a disfigured deep sea diving killer in the world ever.

Interesting "psycho" version of "Jaws"

[lord_ruthven · 8/10 · 13 December 2006]

Again, terror comes from the water, but don't let you be fooled, there's nothing that can be taken for granted in this eccentric Dutch horror flick. This is the third movie directed by Dick Maas, one of the most successful directors of the little known Dutch cinema, after the lucky "De Lift" (1983), awarded at the Avoriaz festival. "Amsterdamned" is a thrilling slasher that's almost a "psycho" version of the famous "Jaws", from which ironically borrows the famous scenes with subjective camera technique, underwater and on the surface. With his effective visual talent, Dick Maas (who wrote the script and composed the soundtrack, too), films a fascinating and putrescent Amsterdam, with its muddy canals and its magnificent settings. Apart from the inventions of Dick Maas' direction, the script, never banal and full of turning points, that always avoids to sink in "already seen" things, the credible acting by all the members of the cast, the excellent make-up of the disfigured maniac, shrewdly showed only in the end, are praiseworthy. This is entertainment cinema at his best. You must see it!

"I hope your mother-in-law has an alibi."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 9 February 2024]

This interesting variation on the time-honored "cop vs. Killer" genre sees a homicide detective (Huub Stapel, "The Lift") in pursuit of a savage psycho who emerges from the canals of Amsterdam at night to slaughter various victims. The psycho wears black diving gear, but it will be hard for the cops to narrow their search since there are so many registered divers in the country.

It's the unique setting that makes the real difference in this entertaining, visceral thriller. The plot is pretty standard-issue, right down the line, hitting a lot of the beats that you expect in films like this. It also tries to throw you for a loop in its hasty resolution, in terms of revealing who the killer is.

But there are other plusses here. The cast (also including the beautiful Monique Van de Ven ("Turkish Delight") as the appealing leading lady) is engaging, even when cast in cliched roles. (However, I found the character of young teen "psychic" Willy (Edwin Bakker) overly annoying.) Writer / director Dick Maas (the aforementioned "The Lift") also does the decent music score, the film has a solid and sometimes spooky atmosphere, and the highlight is a fairly exciting speedboat chase, the kind of thing that wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond feature.

"Amsterdamned" manages to have its cake and eat it, too, being slick and polished enough to attract some mainstream viewers while also including the kind of graphic violence that an audience for trashy Euro-cult flicks would appreciate. (It is pretty amusing when a tour boat bumps into the body of the initial victim, which has been left dangling off a bridge.)

Good fun in general; if you're like me and enjoyed "The Lift", then I would advise checking this one out as well.

Seven out of 10.

Stupid Dutch Film

[xerxes-6 · 3/10 · 21 January 1999]

Why are continental films so damn poor. Don't they have film schools there? Amsterdamned is just another example of this. Please quit now before it gets out of hand, you've already inflicted Paul Verhoeven on us - enough is enough.

This is DAMNED good fun !

[erwan_ticheler · 8/10 · 6 April 2001]

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!

An 80s Horror Gem!

[paulclaassen · 7/10 · 21 November 2023]

It all started with the brutal killing of a young hooker. She was killed, dragged into a canal, and then hung from a bridge. One of Amsterdam's best detectives, Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) is assigned to the case. He is assisted by Vermeer from the River Police. (Years ago, Eric stole Vermeer's wife, but when they also separated, Eric and Vermeer became friends again.)

Soon, more victims are found in the canals and Eric is convinced the killer is a diver who is familiar with the canals. His investigation leads him to diving clubs, where he meets Laura - a keen diver and museum guide. As predicted, she becomes the romantic interest, and I actually rather enjoyed the chemistry between them. Laura recently lost her husband, and is seeing psychiatrist Martin Ruysdael - an ex-diver - who occasionally takes Laura to dinner or the theater, although they are not a couple.

With most of the action taking place on the canals, this allows for beautiful cinematography with great aerial shots of Amsterdam. At least back in 1988, films were shot on location, so everything looks very realistic. The boat chase sequence was absolutely incredible!!

With action, suspense, some humour and a bit of gore in the mix, 'Amsterdamned' was a highly entertaining movie. This is an 80's horror gem that deserves to be seen. As an added bonus, Huub Stapel is oh-so-sexy!!

Typical Dutch

[Maedhros35 · 4/10 · 23 December 2003]

This movie combines most of the not-so-good parts of Dutch movies in general: poor camera, awful sound, and *poor* dialogues.

In addition to those, this film also has a storyline which is easily forgotten and a strange, out-of-the-blue-ending. Note: most of the shots in the canals ("grachten") was done in Utrecht, not Amsterdam.