Amsterdamned

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Amsterdamned
Amsterdamned ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dick Maas
Written byDick Maas
Produced by
  • Laurens Geels
  • Dick Maas
Starring
CinematographyMarc Felperlaan
Edited byHans van Dongen
Music byDick Maas
Production
company
Distributed byConcorde Film
Release date
  • 11 February 1988 (1988-02-11)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryNetherlands
LanguageDutch

Amsterdamned is a 1988 Dutch crime thriller with slasher film elements directed and written by Dick Maas, and stars Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, and Serge-Henri Valcke. [1] The plot revolves around a serial killer who uses the famed canals of the Dutch capital to murder random people, one of which involves a detective's girlfriend linked to the murders.

Contents

Plot

The film opens with a point-of-view shot, as a murderer surveys Amsterdam's canals at night. He slips into the back of a Chinese restaurant, steals a butcher’s knife, and stalks his first victim, a prostitute. After she fights off a cab driver, the killer stabs her and drags her body into the water, watched by a baglady. The next morning, a tour boat collides with her corpse, horrifying the passengers.

Detective Eric Visser is assigned to the case. Eric, raising his thirteen-year-old daughter Anneke, is respected despite his late nights and occasional drink. His partner Vermeer takes him to the crime scene where another officer questions the baglady, who insists a monster rose from the water.

That night, two environmentalists investigating a chemical plant are attacked; one is dragged under, and the other finds his severed head attached to the anchor before being pulled in himself. Eric and Vermeer examine the bodies and realise they are facing a serial killer. Eric reunites with John, an old friend from the river police, and they begin working together.

During an investigation at a sporting club, Eric meets Laura, a museum guide, and her friend Martin Ruysdael, a psychiatrist. Eric and Laura quickly develop feelings. Meanwhile, the killer strikes again, murdering a salvationist and a young woman on an inflatable sunbed. Frustrated at the lack of progress, Eric and John pursue a chemical plant ex-employee, but Eric doubts his guilt.

That night, while Eric spends time with Laura, the killer sinks a skipper's boat. John investigates and is ambushed and killed. Later, when the killer is spotted at a marina, a high-speed speedboat chase follows through the canals and ends in the sewers, where Eric is shot with a harpoon gun. He damages the killer’s mask but collapses.

Eric wakes in hospital while Laura investigates Martin’s house, finds the damaged mask, and believes him to be the killer. Eric rushes to her aid. Martin returns, and the real killer emerges from the water and seizes Laura. Eric shoots him. The killer is revealed as Martin’s childhood friend, disfigured by uranium hexafluoride poisoning and driven to murder. He takes his own life before police can apprehend him.

The film closes with Eric and Laura together on a pedalo, drifting through the canals.

Cast

Production

Writer director Dick Maas got the idea for the film's killer after reading a news story about an Amsterdam prison escape that was conducted with the assistance of a Frogman. [2]

Release

Amsterdamned was released on home video in the United Kingdom by Vestron in November 1989. [3]

Reception

At the American Film Market in 1988, the movie would go on to become the third highest selling motion picture that year. Vestron Pictures released the film dubbed in English on home video. The dubbed version featured the voices of lead actors Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, and Serge-Henri Valcke in English, as they spoke English well. The film was given a limited release, grossing $14,819 on five screens in its opening weekend in North America, and a total of $98,003 over its entire run. [4]

Stunts

The speedboat chase scene and other stunts were handled by Dickey Beer. Legendary stuntman turned stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong worked on the film as a stuntman. The speedboat chase scene left Huub Stapel out of production for three weeks when the boat he rode in crashed on the set of the film. A scene in which the killer drives his speedboat off a ramp from one side of a bridge to another had been seen in a few cinema programs on U.S.-based station TLC. Parts of the speedboat chase were filmed in the Oudegracht of Utrecht.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack by Dick Maas is available on the Apple Music streaming platform. [5]

Loïs Lane – "Amsterdamned"

Sequel

A sequel film, Amsterdamned II , is in the works with Maas directing and Huub Stapel reprising his role as Detective Visser. Filming started in September of 2024 with an expected 2025 release. [6] [7] [8]

References

  1. ↑ Hinson, Hal (March 10, 1989). "'Amsterdamned'". The Washington Post .
  2. ↑ Doense, Jan (March 1989). "Amsterdamned". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ Hayward, Anthony (1990). "Video Releases". Film Review 1990–1. Virgin Books. p. 142. ISBN   0-86369-374-1.
  4. ↑ "Amsterdamned". Box Office Mojo.
  5. ↑ "AMSTERDAMNED (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Dick Maas". January 1988.
  6. ↑ "Dick Maas komt met vervolg op kaskraker Amsterdamned | Panorama". panorama.nl (in Dutch). 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  7. ↑ "Opnamen Amsterdamned II in 2024 van start". www.hollandfilmnieuws.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  8. ↑ Dijkman, Nick (2024-03-26). "Huub Stapel spreekt zich uit: 'Chantal Janzen in Amsterdamned 2'". Superguide Veronica (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-09-23.
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