Amicus Mortis

Amicus Mortis is a neat little short made by the fine people over at VET-TV productions. Amicus Mortis loosely translates into "Death of a Friend". The film takes place somewhere in the Netherlands and is a great example of a zero-budget film gone right. The plot revolves around two friends and plays in reverse chronological order. One friend is captured and devoured by a Dutch cannibal and by a technicality, is set free. The lonesome friend does not like this one bit, so he decides to seek revenge.

Yeah, we have heard this plot before, but that isn't at fault here. It is a refreshing take on the revenge scene because of a few things including the savagery of the crimes and the few minutes we spent with his friend. They seemed close but we do not know the length of their relationship. All we do know is that his friend is worth killing for. The acting was not great but it is expected. Some movements seemed more forceful and less fluent.


Besides having an entertaining movie, the film boasts an incredible soundtrack. I swear, i have been listening to the song on the main menu for over half an hour. Besides that, we have orchestral, and very tense ambiance which fits very nicely with the mood of the film. Besides from a good story, we get great gore which includes a chainsawed ankle, sledgehammer to the groin (That hurt guys), and a tongue cut off.

What i greatly appreciate about the violence is that they prove in the modern era, you dont need close-ups of shocking gore to make the audience squirm. Each scene is intertwined with a hyper-slide show of pain which holds it together like celluloid glue. It reminds me of the glory days of ultraviolence.

The film could have been a slight bit longer, and they could have added in some more bonding between the family to greater the impact of his untimely death. The only scene that really bothered me was the Bar scene. I had no idea what any of it meant if anything at all except it involved a drunken ex-convict, and the glass breaking over his head looked too fake. All that aside, it was the scene that really showed what it is like to have someone looking out for you.


Another thing i noticed is that when the cannibal cooked him, he used a garlic spice. In fact, it was the same spice that the German cannibal Armin Meiwes used. Coincidence? or a shout out to the notorious man?


The same crew are making a new film which i am also really looking forward to reviewing. The working title is Goatriders: The Last Silver. Amicus Mortis is a good, entertaining, and yet shocking film about what it is like to lose someone you greatly love. If you appreciate hard work in cinema then there is no doubt that this will please you.

-Maq