Soul Assassin (2001) User Reviews (51)

Unbelievable Festival of Clichés, in Rhythm of Video-Clip

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 19 October 2005]

In Rotterdam, when Kevin Burke (Skeet Ulrich) is promoted to chief of security of a multinational investment bank, he goes to a hotel with his girlfriend, the executive of the bank Rosalind Bremmond (Katherine Lang), to celebrate and propose her to marry him. However, Rosalind is murdered in the room, and blind of rage, Kevin looks for revenge following the guidance of his chief and mentor Karl Jorgensen (Derek de Lint).

"Soul Assassin" is a horrible movie, indeed a festival of clichés. The story is totally unbelievable and amazingly ridiculous; the characters are not well-developed and the viewer does not know who they are and their motives; the camera seems to be shooting a MTV video-clip; the choreography of the fights is awful, with many closes and cuts. I have seen few Dutch movies, but this one is certainly the worst. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Alma Assassina" ("Assassin Soul")

Junk flick

[=G= · 3/10 · 21 July 2002]

"Soul Assassin" tries to cover up the absence of substance and bucks with hyperkinetics and effects; nice try but no cigar. Shallow, transparent, contrived, and just plain stupid. Let's hope Malkin gets a real job. Pass. (D-)

filmed w/ a permanent shade of blue

[wotge · 4/10 · 6 February 2002]

One of the worst filmed movies i've ever seen. The camerawork was lousy, the screen was tilted to the left _All_the_time_. the colours were awful, there are only one or two scenes that aren't filmed with a blue filter. Even if you can get used to the blue screens, the stroboscopic effects that turn up every action scene (my guess is; lack of budget) _will_ turn your stomach.

Obviously there was _no_ budget for any special effects other than the effects you get if you buy the $100 el-cheapo-fastforward/slomo-mixer.

The fight scenes lack any sense of choreography, i.e. you only see full-scene shots when the 2 "fighters" are walking around each other slowly, the only "contact" shots are extreme close-ups. The same applies for nearly all the stunts/shooting scenes.

At least the story made some sense, in the way that most b-rated action/thriller flics have a story-line. Too bad though that the actors didn't really get a chance to show what they can do (see above.)

In conclusion: If I were you i'd leave this "direct to video production" right down there on the videostore's shelves and rent Jackie Chan's "Who Am I" instead.

Soul Assassin - The Music Video?

[fnurkdabomb · 24 April 2004]

This was absolutely the WORST movie ever made in Holland and I've seen them all! Being Dutch myself, I am ashamed that this "videoclip-type" movie was made with a lot of Dutch effort (actors, production and ofcourse locations).

The story and the acting are so bad and corny that I first thought they made it as an experimental joke. But they MEANT it! Especially the way that this movie was advertised really annoyed me once I saw the finished product. This was supposed to be a movie that would blow us away and it was supposed to be a rollercoaster-ride of action... We were deceived: the plot is worse than a standard action-movie, the blue filter on the images and the weird experimental imaging gives you a headache, and the biggest stunt in Soul Assassin is when Skeet Ullrich rides his bicycle(!) into a canal...! Need I say more...? The director (Laurence Malkin) used to make MTV-videos for rapper Coolio and it SHOWS! My advice: DON'T bother renting this one, you'll kick yourself after if you DO!

Killing the audience with total indifference

[bryant52 · 1/10 · 7 January 2003]

Accomplishing what I had thought impossible, this film moves from intriguing/thriller-worthy premise to absolute schlock within 5 minutes of the opening credits. No story. No characters. No acting. Dubious cinematography (I guess it's just a Blue, Blue World). All this matched by an ending which establishes a new standard for 'lousy'. Given that it was a free rental....I want my money back.

Yes, a Director Can Singlehandedly Ruin a Film

[bababear · 1/10 · 6 May 2011]

It's not easy to do, but a story that had potential simply sinks under very, very bad direction.

In film one of the director's jobs is to tell the viewer where to look. True that. But it does not mean that he should be shouting "Look at me!" when he should be concentrating on story and characterization.

A reported $7 million goes down the toilet in developing this story of greed, jealousy, and revenge. Actors who have done very fine work in the past are simply stranded on screen. That's bad enough.

But for some reason a great chunk of the action is filmed using a blue filter over the lens. This is understandable for the exteriors at night. But it looks more than slightly stupid for scenes in, say, a living room.

The action is sped up in some scenes for no reason whatsoever. And the fight scenes are edited so incoherently that it's impossible to tell who's who are what's going on.

Watching movies directed by, say, Ed Wood can be a fun experience. Catatonic actors, cardboard sets, special effects that totally fail, it's sort of like watching the community theater group perform on the stage in the American Legion hall. You know that they're genuinely trying to do their best and it's easy to root for everyone involved.

Here, the gimmicks just seem to try to cover up undeveloped story arcs.

There is one very good thing about this, though. Director Laurence Malkin directed exactly one more movie after this, in 2006, and has not worked behind the camera since then although he has remained active in the film business. People seeking proof that God created an orderly universe need look no further.

A blue-tinted nightmare

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 20 June 2018]

SOUL ASSASSIN is another cheap-looking Z-grade thriller with the same old plot elements and developments. SCREAM actor Skeet Ulrich plays a businessman who soon uncovers some dodgy dealings and ends up fighting for his life and the lives of those around him when he uncovers corrupt business practices that link back to his own father. This film was made in the Netherlands, but any local style is ruined by the decision to shoot the whole thing in a blue tint that renders it generic and mundane-looking. Ulrich plays this out on autopilot and isn't assisted by any of the other cast members. Some low rent action scenes are filmed in an embarrassing way and the whole thing will have you wanting to switch off half an hour in.

Artsy-fartsy photography does not a movie make

[themoviebuff2003 · 2/10 · 25 June 2006]

This might have been watchable if it hadn't been for the director's experiments in photography-gives you a headache at times. Same crap I saw in the GET CARTER remake, and I can't stand it. All it does is make the story more muddled than it needs to be. The woman who played Karrina (Rena something or other)is sexy and fascinating, and I would've liked to see more of her, but-no(a few sexy hookers, too 8^D). Kristy Swanson and Skeet Ulrich are wasted here. Here's a newsflash-if you're going to do a film, and want to make it 'gritty'-why not just film it in black and white, instead of blue w/ one object in the screen in color? That way it might actually add something to the movie. Everything this director does has been seen before, and besides that, what he does merely serves to detract from the story. A confusing and muddled script only further contributes to disaster. I knew before I read it here that the director had done music videos, because that was what this movie feels like in spots.

Don't see it, It lacks plotline, charachter development and a total lack of dramaturgic presence. MTV cinematography and editing makes it worse. And Waaay to many flashbacks.

[danyael_x · 1/10 · 6 October 2002]

The Name Soul Assassin has little and to obscure relevance for the actual plotline in the film, the actors have been given nondeveloped characters with a hollowfeeling to them. THe plot and storyline is waterd out by an abundant reuse of fottage in annoying flashbacks that does noting to further develop the story, and has been spiced up with exessive gunfighting. The so called "bad guys" are to the brink of total lack of grey brain matter. The Director of Photography and the Director of the movie seems to occasionally forget that it is a thriller they are shooting, and not an MTV musicvideo, by exessive use of stroboscopic effects and fottage that has no relevance for the movie. The only good thing is the end, where thy desided to throw out all rules of "good vs bad guys" classic movies. Thats the only good point.

Skeet Ulrich did a better jop in Chill Factor. It is by far the wors film I have ever seen. No film that I have seen in the conspiracy genre has even been this bad, I thought that X-files the movie was bad. I now know better.

Film bleu

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 25 March 2004]

If there is a new type of film genre, maybe it should be film bleu, as is the case with this movie. First time director Laurence Malkin must be credited with the idea. He has given the film a blue tint in its entirety. The film tries to do too many things and the plot is a puzzle if one doesn't pay close attention. Also, at times, it feels like a rock video without music.

The film shot entirely in Holland moves at a fast pace. Like other thrillers, this one delivers for those people seeking instant gratification in watching it. Sometimes one wonders how can these people in the action scenes survive being shot at with high powered rifles. On the other hand, the scene at the hotel where Kevin's girlfriend dies, is very real: this is what happens to people when they are killed.

The hero, Skeet Ulrich, is put through a lot in the film. Of course, he survives with only a few scratches after what is done to him, otherwise there wouldn't be a film at all, would it? The bad guys are more interesting. The Dutch actors are very good and the backdrop is Rotterdam, with a few detours to Amsterdam and Uttrecht, posing as the first city.

Derek de Lint plays with gusto. Would have loved to have seen more of Rena Owens, the great New Zealand actress, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. And finally, Nicholas Irons, can't deny he is Jeremy's son. What an uncanny resemblance!

An Italian western set in modern day Amsterdam, Holland

[acearms · 3/10 · 7 February 2004]

Some where in this thing called a movie is a plot. A lot like the movie "The Candidate" but with an Italian shoot 'em up twist. I watched this one because I'm a Skeet Ulrich fan, almost turned it off it was so bad but managed to hang in till the end. Beware of this one, it has continuous flash backs which add nothing and only take up time. Cut out all the manure and the movie would of only run about 30 minutes.

Fun, Different and Confrontational

[bjmoxnard · 10/10 · 6 November 2002]

I just saw this on DVD . My friend saw it at a screening at The Directors Guild in LA last year and bought it a soon as the new DVD came out. He said it was different and it was. It's an independently produced action thriller with more on it's mind than the usual low budget explosions and murky pseudo film noir effects. The fast cuts, transition edits, hyper modern music, "industrial blue" tints on some scenes, all act as a counterpoint to a story of betrayal and amoral corporate greed (Enron anyone?). The acting by Skeet Ulrich, Derek De Lint and Antoine Kamerling was a B+ (De Lint was really an A).

You should see this film. Especially if you can see it on DVD so you can get the full impact of the sound track.

What I mean by "confrontational" is that based on the comments I have read people either love this film or are bothered by it's unique differences from the norm. I loved it.

what a disappointment

[winner55 · 6/10 · 19 May 2007]

Beyond an absolutely brilliant performance by Skeet Ulrich as a man trained to be a hit-man for a criminal corporation, there's not much to recommend this film. It's not as terrible as some reviewers remarked - beneath the flashy visuals lies a rather old-fashioned suspense thriller. Unfortunately, the producers were clearly shopping for another "Bourne Identity", and the director, probably a meth-addict, had watched too many John Woo films. I mention this because while I watched the bicycle chase stunts - all too clearly created by the editor rather than the stunt crew - I thought of Jackie Chan's marvelous bike chase in "Project A" and thought to myself, 'gee, that's what this movie needs - Jackie Chan, not John Woo'. But John Woo is the influence here, and since Woo is an arch-stylist, to imitate him you have to have a real schmaltzy but original plot going on beneath the style; and while this film has the schmaltz, it has no originality to speak of. There are glaring references to Hitchcock and Stanley Donen, Samuel Fuller's "Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street" and an obscure thriller based on an Alistair MacLean novel, "Puppet on a Chain" - glaring because the originals were so much better and certainly don't need this sort of 'tribute'.

I won't say this is a bad thriller; some will find it entertaining enough. But it pretends to be so much more - what a disappointment.

Overall a thumbs up -I rented a pleasant surprise - the ending was the real kick.

[Tyra_T · 5/10 · 15 November 2002]

Soul Assassin is about a young man Kevin Burke, (played by Skeet Ulrich) who's the golden boy at his work. It seems like he has everything, nice boss, nice salary, nice girlfriend (a co-worker), and even a healthy rivalry with the bosses' son "Junior" (don't call him that it makes him mad.) It's a big day for Kevin, he's going to propose to his girlfriend - so the boss gives him the afternoon off, the keys to a fancy hotel room and (as it turns out) a promotion to VP of Security.

Kevin and his girlfriend go to the hotel, his future looks bright, everything's going according to plan - unfortunately for Kevin it's not HIS plan. When they arrive at the hotel Kevin tries to set the mood, but his girlfriends a little antsy - - she asks him what the real reason is they're there and looks like she needs to tell him something important when the door knocks, she looks at Kevin..."Go ahead and answer it" (one of his surprises no doubt), she opens the door to reveal a bellboy holding 2 dozen roses with a card that says "Will you marry me?" - - then the bellboy opens fire, and despite Kevin's efforts, the bellboy kills his future fiancee and gets away. Then the story begins...who killed Kevin's girlfriend, and why?

I liked it! :-) A little over-stylized and it felt like a suspense film shot as an action. They used the blue filter so much you wondered why they just didn't shoot in B&W. To be honest, the end was a real hook (and you wouldn't want me to reveal the end would you? ;-))

Skeet Ulrich was amazingly likeable in this role as an ordinary guy, who's pretty much got everything handed to him, but DOESN'T let that interfere with his ability to reason. I've never really liked Skeet until this movie, it was a good choice for him.

My second favorite character was the villain...you don't really know who he is until the end - because everyone's pretty much a suspect but trust me it turns out to be the guy you LOVE to hate. I liked the introduction of the gay hacker, nicely done (and not overdone) - it's rare to see a gay man in a movie who's not totally over-the-top or totally dead-serious. PLUS...they've allowed the gay man to have a brain, which is probably a first.

Some of the dialogue made me smile, like when Kevin' walkin' up the steps to Tessa's apartment dressed in disguise as a delivery guy and some retard's like "Hey, I love your California Rolls" and Kevin says "Thanks, I make 'em myself".

There was a cool bike getaway scene, very nice. A ramp jump to the top of a passing boat saved his life, then he turns around and flips them off. Nice touch (lol). Those bad guys should've trained a little harder in their childhood neighborhood so they wouldn't be left in the dust. I'd also never seen a film made in Rotterdam (that I can remember) so it was a nice different kind of flavor for a backdrop.

Overall a thumbs up, for me it was like "Resident Evil" - the end really pulled it all together and made me think it was a good movie.

verschrikkelijke kutfilm (not a very good picture)

[Mortharer · 27 January 2003]

What I hated most about the film is that the building most of the film is shot in has is located in Amsterdam, but the view is of a bridge in Rotterdam for a resident of Amsterdam this would be his ultimate nightmare.

then in a, i have to say, nicely shot chase on the canals, suddenly, the character played by Skeet Ulrich is in Utrecht. there are too many of these things in the movie to explain.

maybe this is the cause, of the film not getting really good credits in Holland.

An advice to future directors, who want to shoot a film in holland, take notice of the fact, somethings don`t mix, taking the view of the Rotterdam bridge from a Building in Amsterdam as main example.

A stylish action movie: that bike chase was so cool!

[la_piccola_santa · 1/10 · 29 August 2001]

I saw this movie at a screening in LA recently and really enjoyed it: the stylish shots, fast pace, cool editing, funky soundtrack and the whole story engulfs you. This movie gives such a strong sense of how small the world has become. Set in a corporate multinational world with the backdrop of old, beautiful cities and local raw industries of Holland, Kevin, the hardworking and confident American is in the battle of his life to keep his soul alive. A great fusion of Hollywood action and independent filmmaking.

WARNING!!! If you have epilepsy DO NOT watch this movie

[toml-28099 · 1/10 · 7 November 2023]

The overuse of the strobe effect will probably cause you to have an epileptic seizure. It gave me a headache.

This could have been a good film if the director wasn't obsessed with using every trick he could think of. Not only using them but, using them excessively. Once Kevin's girl friend is killed everything is filmed with a blue filter on the lens. Another reviewer suggested this was to show Kevin's loss of soul. If so, then why was it used in every scene, even the ones Kevin is not in? No, I think it was something the director learned in film school and he overused it. This movie is gimmicked up with lots of unnecessary effects, the blue filter, the speed up & slow down effect, the tilt the camera to the side effect, the choppy fight scenes, the flashbacks and, the one I hated the most, the strobe effect. The strobe was thrown in at random and extremely annoying.

The acting wasn't the greatest but was okay. This isn't Skeet's best performance.

Had this movie been made without the unreasonable amount of special effects it could have been a 7. But, when a movie actually makes me sick, yes, I really did get a headache from all the strobes, I can only give it a 1.

this movie sux

[breadmasta · 1/10 · 31 January 2007]

This movie never should have been made...maybe thats why it literally burned through the projector at its first screening at Cannes. The whole idea of timing a movie to be cold and lonely is fine...just don't follow this film's color timing by cranking the wheel all the way to the blue side. Definitely don't time the ENTIRE movie blue either. What ever happened to making movies that made you FEEL the film instead just watching it. Well thats how this one FEELS...like having your hand held by your babysitter as she tells you exact whats happening on the screen (or maybe that would be a blind interpreter). The story was boring, already been done, and unrealistic. Perfect formula for films that go straight to video.

Overall a solid action movie

[BigGuy · 7/10 · 29 March 2003]

I wasn't expecting that much from this movie but was pleasantly surprised. This was actually much better than a lot of the schlock that has been released in the theaters recently. The story was solid and kept my interest throughout. The ending was a little too tidy, but was definitely better than the standard Hollywood ending.

Overall the acting was pretty good. Skeet Ulrich particularly did a good job in this movie and was fun to watch. I also enjoyed Kristy Swanson, although I am a fan so that might be biased.

The one complaint I would have is the cinematography. I really could have done without the blue filter used for almost the entire movie. Sure it indicated the death of his soul, so to speak, but it was annoying, and the splashes of color were too jarring. Also some of the other effects just came across poorly.

Any movie with Kristy Swanson is awesome...Soul Assassin is no exception

[TBDK2113 · 10/10 · 4 November 2001]

The entire plot sealed the fate of this movie. It kept you questioning what happened and what is going to happen. The entire cast Skeet Ulrich (Kevin Burke) to Derek de Lint (Karl Jorgenson) to Katherine Lang (Rosalind) were incredible. And who can forget Kristy Swanson (Tessa). I also like the ending which was unexpected.

In English, but typically Dutch

[marijedebie · 6/10 · 8 August 2001]

A Dutch movie in English, I had never seen it before and I don't know if it's a smart move. Sure, it is the first flashy action movie in this country, I believe, but the Dutch actors talking English is a strange thing to hear. Especially when the use words like Schiphol (the airport) and pronounce them the Dutch way. Asides from this, it was a refreshing picture, for young people (music from Junkie XL, says it all). All in all it was a good effort, more Dutch productions should be this "American", I look forward to it (if the actors learn to pronounce the language the right way)

One of the worst movies ever made in Holland!

[maartenvankrimpen · 6 July 2002]

As my Summary said: one of the worst movies ever made in Holland. Before I rented the movie I´ve read some bad critics about this movie, but I have never thought that it was a so, almost disguisting, movie like this. I´m a 14 years old Dutch boy, and I was shamed by seeing this movie. The crew of this movie gives outsiders the thought that we are people who love sex, drugs and bicycles only. And that´s not true!! There´s a police chase in this movie with bicycles!! How horrible. Only Dick Maas can direct this kind of scenes, not a worse debutant like Laurence Malkin. The only things that I liked were some (guest-)performances from some Dutch celebrity´s, especially Georgina Verbaan as a newsreporter.

a soapstar as a journalist

[Eva OR · 7/10 · 14 August 2001]

it seems like there aren't that many actors in Holland, since they've casted several soapstars to do some ACTING in this film. most of the Dutch THINK their English is brilliant, but I'm sorry to say it's not good enough to make them pass for English-speakers. not that that's what they tried to do in this film, noooooo, in this film the Dutch even speak English to each other. yeah right. but apart from this, it wasn't that bad. they've decided to copy Enemy of the State, by giving everything this blueish look, they have tried to copy the Snatch-like way of putting everything together (except for the frozen images), and ... well... I think the plot is the same as in about a 1000 other films. and still, it was not boring. there's quite some action in it, and if you know Utrecht and Amsterdam, it's rather funny to recognise all the streets and buildings in the film. a 6.5 (skeet & tom were OK)

Moulin Rouge and Soul Assassin and Amelie kick it!

[eeeelectric · 9/10 · 9 February 2002]

I saw this film here in Holland over the summer and again on dvd now here in the stores. It isn't as good as Moulin Rouge for example but after I thought about it both films are busy with the same thing in a way. The editing, the pacing, the camera is fast and I really like that. This idea really hit me when I saw Amelie which is my favorite movie at the moment. All of these movies in different ways are trying to communicate with you on a similar level. One is a musical, one is an actie thriller and the other, I don't know, maybe you call it a "magical". Is that proper English? I don't know and I don't care. I really love Amelie and Moulin Rouge and Soul Assassin are very good too. Amelie is great. 10 out of 10. Same fore Moulin Rouge. And Soul Assassin is 9 out of ten. The action was very strong. The movie techniques were great too. Personally I think the Dutch actors were stronger than the other ones (I was very surprised how good there English was). But I'm Dutch, but not typically Dutch. And this fim is not typically Dutch either. So go see it at your cinema and definitely go see Amelie. It is the best film of the year. At very minimum none of them are boring. They are fun, fun, fun.

A Good Story Diminished with Just too many Flaws

[tabuno · 7/10 · 8 January 2019]

The overall movie storyline is solid and decent, one reminiscent of an action version of The Russia House (1990) that starred Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer based on the spy craftsman himself, John le Carre's novel. Yet as an adaptation into a movie, Soul Assassin has too weak points in its effort. There is a great energetic, pounding Euro-trash sound track that goes well with the locale. There is good cinematography and creative photographic work as well as a nice use of variable film speeds. Yet at some point, the continuing fancy camera work begins to intrude becoming more foreground of the movie instead of the story and performances themselves, sort of like saying see how great and neat a filmmaker I am. Instead of enhancing the story, the constant reminders of the different ways of filming the story seem to become more important than the story itself.

There are other theatrical problems with the movie including the "Hold it!" phrase used by Skeet Ulrich as Kevin Burke at the beginning of the movie along with some other dumb, unintelligent dialogue in this movie. The inter-edited flashbacks of a death scene which during a knife fight were more distracting to both the fighter much less than to the audience. It use was overly cute and unrealistic. There's the rather foolish script decision to go barefoot for who knows how long, to not even try to use a disguise when one's face is plastered throughout town, and the continue dumb idea of going exposed in public. Such excursions into irrationality are probably more of a script device to allow more supposedly unnecessary exciting action chase scenes which unfortunately in one instance turns into a comedic farce. Later in the movie the good guys just don't seem to the have smarts that make for an appealing movie which may be more due to an script and director effort as an excuse to keep up the dramatic action sequences instead of making use of a more intelligent, captivating movie script. An excellent example of competent intelligence operator was scripted for and portrayed by Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State (1998).

Interesting use of an intermittent team of operatives, but It's not portrayed to its full potential. Then there are moments were more than a few operatives would have been expected to have been in play for a number of scenes. Even the nicely emotive ending could have been finesse a bit more with an even greater impact. This movie could have easily been an eight or even a nine but there are just too many flaws that detract from the totality of this movie making it more a seven more unfortunately.