Uncaged (Movie Review) – Cryptic Rock
new york had king kong, tokyo had godzilla, and now amsterdam has a man-eating lion on the loose without a cage. 4digital media brings the Dutch film to North America on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, where it will be available on DVD, as well as VoD and Digital HD on all major digital platforms.
In the film, an entire family is murdered just outside the city limits and detective olaf brinkers (rienus krul: out of office short 2018, lekkage short 2019) realizes that his killer cannot be human. Thanks to the input of a local forensic vet, Lizzy (sophie van winden: leef! 2005, rood short 2013), the identity of the murder suspect is quickly discovered and the search From begins a 450 pound man-eating big cat hiding in the middle of amsterdam, much to the annoyance of police chief zalmberg (theo pont: oud geld series, den uyl in lockheed affairs series ).
as body parts begin to accumulate in the once peaceful city, the at5 news channel crew: reporter maarten (pieter derks: holden series) and cameraman dave (Julian Looman: pagan pico series, la serie archivos mallorca)— are cautiously stalking every move of politics in the hope of breaking history. It doesn’t hurt that they have an inside woman: the soft-spoken Dave is trying to woo Lizzy, who is now working closely with the police to catch the furry killer.
Hoping to resolve the situation quickly, the boss initially hires his cousin (victor löw: character 1997, fugue 2000 2000), an experienced quote-unquote hunter. with a degree in the ‘sport’, someone absolutely no one is surprised to see fail. Eventually, Zalmberg listens to reason and hires Lizzy’s ex-boyfriend, one-legged hunting superstar Jack Delarue (Mark Frost: Faust 2000, Mayhem 2017). finally, with a true professional on his side, politics hopes to put an end to the murderous beast, preventing it from making his city its hunting ground.
Originally titled prooi (English: prey) in the Netherlands, where it was released in 2016, uncaged clocks in at 107 minutes, and was written and directed by dick maas (amsterdamned 1988, sint 2010). The film also features the acting talents of marijn klaver (serious crime series, afdeling series), rutger de bekker (sinterklaasjournaal series, levenslied series), mattijln hartemink (koppels series, spa series), kees boot (afdeling series, of 12 van oldenheim series), nienke van dijk (celblok h series, project fear video 2014), and many, many more.
Presented in Dutch with English subtitles, albeit with some English, uncaged is a wonderfully funny mix of horror, suspense, and comedy that’s light-hearted enough to entertain and yet also It has its intense and action-packed moments. consider the film a seriously elevated episode of csi: miami: it’s not just a bloody lion chase, as it also possesses a keen sense of wit. In this, what could have been a gruesome murder spree is given an intentionally quirky and bizarre delivery, creating a unique film that’s capable of appealing to thriller fans as well as those who enjoy comedy and meaty bits. terror. however, to be fair, the deaths throughout the film are likely to be pretty gruesome for anyone who isn’t a seasoned horror lover. so here’s a hint: if watching an episode of bones gives you qualms, then uncaged might not be the movie for you.
You can expect severed heads, thrown limbs, a bone saw, and other meaty parts during the movie’s runtime. unfortunately that time could be reduced by about 15-20 for the US market, with our frequent attention deficit issues. otherwise there are a few bugs here and there, but most can be easily overlooked. perhaps uncaged‘s biggest flaw, if any, is its lion cgi. While it’s completely understandable that having a massive lion running through the streets of the Dutch capital would be next to impossible to shoot, there’s no denying that every time a cgi creation is used instead of a living creature, something is lost. This killer cat is well done, although the size of him seems to change relative to his surroundings from scene to scene.
but none of this spoils the movie. in fact, uncaged is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and much of that is thanks to its stellar cast. In the role of Lizzy, Van Winden does an excellent job of delivering a totally believable performance as the wise vet who loves two very different men. she is daring and never shies away from action, creating a woman who is able to fight man-eaters just as well as men. However, it is co-star Frost, as Jack, who brings much of the comedy along with his appearance. A smart, energetic, one-legged man, Jack lets nothing slow him down as he glides through Vondelpark in his off-road wheelchair. Frost brings to life the lightness and determination of his character on screen, perfecting one of the most outrageous roles to appear on the big screen in years.
Perhaps the most complicated character of all, Looman’s Dave is an attractive and affable womanizer who doesn’t seem to know when to call it quits, until he falls in love with Lizzy. Looman does a beautiful job of toeing the line and remaining a likeable player, never diving into offensive territory. in this he maintains a character that is agreeable and unashamed; the slowly reforming bad boy, so to speak.
many of the other actors have a lot less to work with than these three leads, and they all give wonderful performances, notably krul, pont, de bekker, hartemink and boot. As for the comedy, in the role of theo, löw gives an exemplary performance as a prim, correct and completely clueless hobby hunter. From the moment he appears on screen, we know his character is doomed, but Löw leaps to his death with panache and leaves a lasting impression.
In short, uncaged has a lot of hijinks and goofiness, but that’s because the movie never stops to take itself too seriously. instead, it provides a light-hearted and witty take on the thriller, allowing viewers to truly relax into their cinematic experience and forget their troubles during the runtime. humorous, bloody and utterly unique, uncaged isn’t just another one of those generic thrillers you’ve seen a thousand times before. instead, its quirky mix of genres and wonderful cast bring its story to life with enthusiasm and a huge beast on the tram. For this, Cryptic Rock gives Cageless 4 out of 5 stars.
