The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 9, 2026

Robert Clouse's "The Amsterdam Kill" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actor George Cheung; new audio commentary by critic Frank Djeng and actor and producer Michael Worth; vintage promotional materials; original Hong Kong trailer; and more. In English or Cantonese, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

In the 1970s, popular Hollywood actors appeared in some legitimately odd action films that saw and exploited Hong Kong a lot like John Woo and Ringo Lam’s films did in the 1980s and 1990s. For example, Stuart Whitman became a professional hitman who arrives in Hong Kong to collect a big payment for a job well done but discovers that he has been double-crossed by his employer in Shatter (1974). Joe Don Baker became a strapped-for-cash retired detective and went to Hong Kong to uncover a Chinese relic with supernatural powers in Golden Needles (1974). Tamara Dobson took her groovy character Cleopatra Jones to Hong Kong to track down missing friends in Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975).

All of these films, and others that came after them during the 1980s and 1990s, attempted to replicate the success of Enter the Dragon (1973), which was as crucial about Bruce Lee and his international image as it was about Hong Kong and the locally produced action films’ popularity outside Asia. A few did relatively decent business for their producers, but soon after their theatrical premieres all were forgotten.

Before Enter the Dragon, other foreign films visited Hong Kong and took advantage of its exotic appearance and charm, like Coffin from Hong Kong (1964), Up to His Ears (1965), and The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967), but they were also quickly forgotten. For the same obvious reason, too. Like the 1970s films mentioned earlier, they lacked a magnet like Lee, who could make most everything exotic and its relationship to Hong Kong seem very attractive to a mainstream international audience.

After directing Enter the Dragon and Golden Needles, Robert Clouse returned to Hong Kong with The Amsterdam Kill, a new copycat project. At least on paper, however, The Amsterdam Project reads like one of the most ambitious films Clouse was asked to work on. It unites two legitimate Hollywood A-listers, one excellent but underappreciated American character actor, and one good, undeservedly forgotten American character actor. Unfortunately, of all the films Clouse was involved with, The Amsterdam Project may very well be the worst.

It tells a story that can only be described as underdeveloped. It is impossible to tell whether it was underwritten or abruptly expanded, revised multiple times, and, in the process, badly mismanaged. Whatever the case, the current version of the story just isn’t good, and neither Clouse nor the fine American cast he was paired with could have done even a remotely decent film with it. In other words, The Amsterdam Kill was destined to be a poor film from the get-go.

During a rapidly intensifying gang war, the aging drug lord Chung Wei (Keye Luke) reaches out to former DEA agent Larry Quinlan (Robert Mitchum) with a most unusual offer. The drug lord wants to exit the Hong Kong drug trade and is willing to name its most prominent players and partners in exchange for a massive payoff, an American passport, and transactional immunity. He wants Quinlan to set it up because he suspects that moles have infiltrated the DEA. Quinlan is intrigued by the offer because it presents him with an opportunity to claim back pay and a percentage of the drug lord’s payoff -- which is to be determined by the drug busts the DEA would complete with his information -- but there is a major problem. Some years ago, Quinlan was kicked out of the DEA for stealing confiscated drug money, and his reputation there is terrible. Nevertheless, Quinlan begins talking to his former boss, Howard Odums (Bradford Dillman), and he reluctantly agrees to meet the drug lord’s demands. However, once the DEA begins raiding local drug labs and destroying active distribution networks, Quinlan finds himself in Amsterdam, where bigger players and the frustratingly suspicious local DEA chief (Leslie Nielsen) threaten to collapse his risky deal.

The Amsterdam Kill looks cheap and incoherent, and easily creates the impression that everyone who contributed to it did so just to get paid. Some of its dialogue, for instance, is so bad it almost hurts to watch solid actors like Mitchum and Dillman struggling to validate it. The talents of Richard Egan, playing a high-ranking DEA officer, and especially Nielsen are completely wasted as well.

Arguably the biggest shocker is that Clouse was paired with cinematographer Alan Hume, who had already done multiple episodes of the classic TV show The Avengers (1961-1969) and would go on to shoot such big films as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983), Octopussy (1983), and Runaway Train (1985).

The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Amsterdam Kill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

It is obvious that The Amsterdam Kill has been restored. (Apparently, it was restored in 2K from the original camera negative). Unfortunately, it looks quite disappointing in high-definition. I do not know whether the Hong Kong branch of L'Immagine Ritrovata had anything to do with its makeover, but on this release the majority of the visuals convey many of the issues the lab's work is famous for. For example, there is plenty of tealing coupled with soft, creamy yellow that destabilizes different primaries and entire ranges of supporting nuances. You can see examples here, here, and here. Additionally, these color shifts create anomalies that affect the gamma levels of numerous visuals, and in darker ones, there are often unmissable anomalies. Similar anomalies can be observed on L'Immagine Ritrovata's 4K restoration of Lino Broca's Manila in the Claws of Light. The partially good news is that there are no traces of degraining, sharpening, or contrast boosting. Image stability is very good. I also did not notice any distracting age-related imperfections. My score is 2.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed The Amsterdam Kill with the English track. Its quality is a mixed bag. In most areas, it is fine -- the dialogue is easy to follow and music sounds decent. However, there is too much unevenness, and some of it becomes problematic it exposes other limitations, like strong thinning and flatness. I suspect that plenty of these issues are replicated from the original soundtrack, but there could be more that is age-related as well.

The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic Frank Djeng and actor and producer Michael Worth. The commentators discuss the production of The Amsterdam Kill and its pursuit of realism -- apparently even the London footage was shot on location -- the impressive cast that was assembled for it, and some specific details that make a typical Robert Clouse film. Later, there are also interesting comments about the particular type of action that is highlighted in the film, similar the one that the Italian poliziottechi promoted, and the gritty 1970s drama.

• Amsterdam Memories - in this new program, George Cheung describes his first encounter with Bruce Lee, his trip to and first part in The Streets of San Francisco, and, shortly after, involvement with The Amsterdam Kill. In English. (28 min).

• Image Gallery - presented here is a collection of archival promotional materials for The Amsterdam Kill. With music. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage Hong Kong trailer for for The Amsterdam Kill. With Cantonese text and English subtitles. (4 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with original Hong Kong poster art for The Amsterdam Kill.

• Booklet - a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Barry Forshaw's essay "Mitchum in Amsterdam... and Hong Kong", as well as technical credits.

The Amsterdam Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Clouse struck gold with a couple of films starring Bruce Lee. For as long as films are viewed, they will be revisited. However, the rest of the films Clouse directed are amusing at best. A few, like Gymkata and Ironheart, can be effective nostalgia fixes, but their rivals from the same era are vastly superior. The Amsterdam Kill is not effective even as a nostalgia fix. It wastes the talents of several good actors who likely agreed to do it just to get paid and temporarily change their scenery. I would not describe it as an amusing film, either.