Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		2.5

Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 17, 2017

Dick Maas' "Amsterdamned" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by writer/director Dick Maas and editor Hans van Dongen; new video interview with stunt coordinator Dickey Beer; new video interview with actor Huub Stapel; original music video; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's essay "Canal Plus Murder: The Story of "Amsterdamned". In Dutch, with optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Where are you, creep?

I would like to quickly mention how I discovered Dick Maas’ Amsterdamned. It must have been two, possibly even three years after the film had already been released in Europe and at the time I actually did not know anything about Maas’ work. It was during one of my regular visits to a small independent theater that on the weekends had late-night double-bill screenings of very interesting films, mostly older black-and-white gems and occasionally rare foreign films that you could never see listed in your local fancy multiplex. During the day the owners had an older but more mainstream film and charged about half of what the nearby multiplex would charge which allowed them to get decent traffic and stay in business. The late-night screenings, which started after 10.00PM, were even cheaper and reserved for the older and more exotic films that attracted primarily film buffs and young people that did not have a whole lot of money to spend. So on the weekend when I discovered Amsterdamned I actually went to see David Hemmings’ Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr, but decided to stay for the second screening because I liked the promotional materials for the former that were placed in the lobby. The two films really could not be any more different, but someone had told the theater owners that because they both had long jet boat chases they would make a perfect double-bill. I wanted to mention this story so that I can return the favor. I do realize that this is an odd way of recommending another film, but perhaps just as I stumbled upon Amsterdamned after all these years someone else will accidentally ‘discover’ Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr.

Amsterdamned has the structure of a classic Italian giallo from the 1970s but it is set in the beautiful city of Amsterdam during the late 1980s. It follows closely the lonely detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) who basically handles himself as a Dutch replica of Alain Delon. (Like many of Delon’s classic cop characters, Stapel’s detective is always unshaved and like a magnet instantly attracts the beautiful ladies). So after a mysterious killer emerges from the city’s canals and begins to imitate the work of Jack the Ripper, Eric is ordered to track him down as quickly as possible because the gruesome murders are threatening to destroy the city’s tourism-dependent economy. While looking for clues, Eric also begins a romantic relationship with the beautiful museum guide Laura (Monique van de Ven), who eventually becomes one of the killer’s main targets.

Maas also wrote the script for Amsterdamned and while it is incredibly easy to tell that he borrowed from a number of different sources the end result is very attractive. Indeed, everything is done with full awareness of the fact that in order for the material to work as intended there has to be a special ambience that keeps you on the edge of your seat, which is essentially the main reason behind the success of the classic Italian gialli as well. In fact, even the very dark score that Maas composed supports the ambience in the exact same fashion that famous scores from the likes of Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, and Stelvio Cipriani serve various popular Italian gialli.

What gives Amsterdamned a unique identity is its desire to also appeal to action junkies. To be perfectly clear, it is not the type of film that would have made a huge impression on the crowds that flocked to see the newest big-budget Hollywood action film during the late 1980s, but there is European flavor in it that was almost certainly right for people that at the time would have enthusiastically lined up to purchase a ticket for the latest Georges Lautner action thriller.

Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dick Maas' Amsterdamned arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

UPDATE:

The folks at Blue Underground are now aware of the issue that is highlighted in our review and are investigating it. Further updates will be provided as they become available.

The release is sourced from a stunning new 2K master that was completed under the supervision of director Dick Maas. Unfortunately, the end result is incredibly disappointing because the release was very poorly authored. To be perfectly clear, the entire transfer is now plagued with horrible macroblocking and compression artifacts which during the darker/indoor footage basically collapse existing detail and introduce the type of awkward smearing that can be found on problematic transfers that are tweaked with digital tools. There is no such problematic digital work on the new master -- it is very, very beautiful and if it is encoded professionally Amsterdamned will look every bit as impressive as the remastered Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence. I have provided some examples so that it is perfectly clear what the issues are: large and very pronounced artifacts that literally remove existing detail can be seen in screencapture #6, macroblocking and artifacts can be seen in screencapture #11, and very pronounced artifacts and actual digital smearing can be seen in screencapture #18. The color palette is fantastic. The primaries are solid, lush, and very healthy, and there is a terrific range of nicely balanced nuances. Image stability is terrific. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and French Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track was created exclusively for the 2K remaster of Amsterdamned, but I viewed the film with the original 2.0 track and then did some random comparisons with the 5.1 track. In terms of clarity, depth, and especially dynamic intensity the end result could not be any more impressive. To be honest, if there ever were any age-related issues that plagued previous overseas home video releases it is impossible to tell because from balance to fluidity the audio delivers the type of consistent quality that the film demands. I tested some of the action sequences, including the big boat chase, and the 5.1 track definitely expands the sound field. As always, however, I think that the final decision whether to view the film with the 5.1 track or the 2.0 track is yours to make.

Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, writer/director Dick Maas and editor Hans van Dongen discuss in great detail exactly where in Amsterdam and how large portions of Amsterdamned were shot, some of the technical difficulties that the tech crew was presented with (especially during the boat chase sequence), the Dutch government's involvement with the film, its distribution history, the importance role music has for the narrative, the unique sense of humor that permeates the film, etc. The commentary is moderated by David Gregory from Severin Films, and was recorded exclusively for Blue Underground. In English.

• Trailers - two original trailers for Amsterdamned.
  
  1. Dutch Trailer - in Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).
  2. U.S. Trailer - In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Music Video - presented here is Lois Lane's original "Amsterdamned" music video, which was directed by Dick Maas. (4 min).

• Poster & Still Gallery - a large collection of original posters for Amsterdamned, German lovvy cards, archival production stills, behind-the-scenes stills, and home video and soundtrack covers from around the world. The gallery was complied by Gregory Chick with contribution by Dick Maas.

• The Making of Amsterdamned - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the production history of Amsterdamned. Included in it are clips from on-location interviews with cast and crew members as well raw footage from the shooting of the film. The documentary was produced by Hans Heijnen. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (37 min).

• Tales From the Canal - in this new video interview, actor Huub Stapel recalls his involvement with Amsterdamned and discusses director Dick Maas' style and working methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for the new 2K remaster of the film. In Dutch and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (9 min).

• Damned Stuntwork - in this new video interview, stunt coordinator Dickey Beer explains how he entered the film business and discusses his collaboration with Dick Maas on Amsterdamned. The interview was conducted exclusively for the new 2K remaster of the film. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's essay "Canal Plus Murder: The Story of "Amsterdamned".

• Cover Art - reversible cover with original poster art.

Amsterdamned Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am not as enthusiastic about this release as I wanted to be. Here's why: It seems to me that there were two different teams that worked on it. The first, which would be the folks at Blue Underground, basically went out of their way to make sure that Amsterdamned is fully remastered the right way. The new 2K master is flat-out stunning, and it was actually finalized with director Dick Maas' involvement. The release also comes with an excellent selection of informative bonus features, and I want to specifically mention that it is beautifully designed as well. Unfortunately, the people that authored the release did a very mediocre job and I don't know how it passed quality control. To be honest, it literally feels as if the second team disrespected the hard work of the first team. So, something has to change, because all you have to do is take a simple look at the way Blue Underground design their releases to know that they care about quality. The same quality now needs to be demanded from the people that author these releases -- or they have to be replaced. If it isn't too late, I would encourage the folks at Blue Underground to go back to the authoring facility and request that the release is reauthored. UPDATE: The folks at Blue Underground are now aware of the issue that is highlighted in our review and are investigating it. Further updates will be provided as they become available.