Intensive Care (1991 film)
| Intensive Care | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dorna van Rouveroy |
| Written by | Ruud Den Dryver (writer), Hans Heijnen (screenplay) |
| Starring | Koen Wauters George Kennedy Nada van Nie Michiel Hess |
| Cinematography | Jan van den Nieuwenhuijzen |
| Edited by | Sharon V.L. Brown Ton Ruys |
| Music by | Paul Natte |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
Intensive Care is a 1991 Dutch action horror exploitation film directed by Dorna van Rouveroy. It stars popular Flemish singer Koen Wauters[1] in his second and final film role and Hollywood actor George Kennedy. While the movie was not a box office success it did develop a cult following over the decades due to it being hilariously bad and campy.[2][3] It has been shown during the Belgian-Dutch Nacht van de Wansmaak film festival.
Plot
[edit]The famous surgeon Dr. Bruckner suffers a car accident, which leaves him horribly burned and puts him into a coma for seven years. When he awakes at New Years' Night he starts a murdering rampage. As the plot progresses he stalks a girl named Amy, her boyfriend Peter and Amy's brother Bobby and tries to enter their house, while the friends try to fence him off.
Cast
[edit]- George Kennedy as Dr. Bruckner
- Koen Wauters as Peter
- Nada van Nie as Amy
- Michiel Hess as Bobby
- Dick van den Toorn as Ted
- Jules Croiset as Dr. Horvath
- Huub Scholten as Inspector Eddy
- Nora Tilley as Rose
- Arthur Boni as Steven
- Dolf de Vries as Hank
- Barbara Barendrecht as Shirley
- Fred Florusse as John
- Simone Dresens as Christine
- Fred Van Kuyk as Inspector Fox
- Luc Theeboom as Bert
Reception
[edit]The film failed to make a large profit, despite having the hugely popular teen idol Koen Wauters in the starring role, and was demolished by the critics. De Volkskrant reviewed it as: "A movie where every aspect goes so disastrously wrong that it almost seems like a parody." [4] The Dutch version quickly gained a cult following due to its poor acting, unconvincing special effects, and (according to some Dutch traditionalists) bad English pronunciation by Kennedy's co-star Jules Croiset, and a plot hole-ridden story.[2] The car accident that puts the surgeon into a coma has many unexplained explosions. For reasons that are never explained the surgeon goes on a murdering spree and manages to survive numerous attacks that would horribly injure any normal person. To top it all off the actor who played him before the accident (George Kennedy) is now obviously replaced by a different actor, covered in bandages. In one of the most infamous scenes, in the Dutch version, the girl's boyfriend lies on the floor, bleeding due to stab wounds, which causes her to remark: "Moet ik een pleister voor je halen? Jeetje mina!" ("Should I get you a band-aid? Good grief!").[5] The original English version had a different dialogue. The picture was traditionally shown during some editions of the Dutch-Belgian B-movie festival Nacht van de Wansmaak and has frequently been called "the worst Dutch movie ever" by traditionalists. It was honored with the "Mondo Bizarro Award" at the 2001 Rotterdam Film Festival edition.[3][4][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Intensive Care | Nederlands Film Festival". www.filmfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ a b "Salon Indien » Intensive Care (1991)". www.salonindien.nl. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
- ^ a b "Intensive Care (1991) | Premiere & Trailer - Veronica Magazine". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ a b "Boeken, film, muziek, wijn, reizen en kunst bij de webwinkel van NRC". nrcwebwinkel.nl. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
- ^ "Intensive Care ( 1991) recensie". cinemagazine.nl.
- ^ "De Nacht van de Wansmaak - The Final Chapter". www.gorehoundinc.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13.