VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

liquidcelluloid-1 Network: Fox; Genre: Crime/Mystery; Content Rating: TV-PG (some violence); Perspective: contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)After months of delays and promising promos, Fox's latest crime series "New Amterdam" sneaks out onto the schedule during the 2008 writer's strike. And now we know what the hold up was. The high concept series is a total bore.The premise is a juicy one. John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau) is a New York cop who happens not to be able to die. Several hundred years ago a voodoo curse was put on him, the rules of which stipulated that he would not grow old or die until he found his soul mate and their souls were wed. In the pilot episode, Amsterdam has a heart attack on the subway amongst a crowd of people and nearly dies. Now the hunt is on for the woman who made him mortal, all the while solving the crime-of-the-week while we get flashbacks of Amsterdam at various stages of his life through the centuries. A potentially cool crime premise, feminized so that our hero is looking for a soul mate and reminiscing about his past loves and betrayals.The show has no teeth, no personality. The mysteries are blah, Coaster-Waldau is even more bland than Kevin McKidd in "Journeyman". It looks like a mandate went out to the networks that people might want something more than the usual crime series, there has to be a hook, something interesting to reel people in and - bang - hit them with the same recycled, by-the-numbers mystery they love. In the hands of Bryan Fuller this might have been something, but Fox's assembly line drama trips over itself at the sound of the starter pistol.What I dislike most about "New Amsterdam" is that it inspires nothing more in me than something a pretentious high school newspaper play critic might say. The lead is wooden and lifeless. The story is amateurishly executed. The production would serve as a replacement for Ambien. It pains to me write that as much as it pains you to read it. But that kind of hack work is all that "New Amsterdam" inspires.The show doesn't explore it's two stories. Amsterdam doesn't use the fact that he's been around for decades and can't die toward solving the mysteries. If you really want to see a clever crime series with a wild concept that was actually fully explored and better tied to the murder mystery element, check out Fox's "Tru Calling". Leave "New Amsterdam" in the past where it belongs.* / 4

tjroseman I think it's too easy to say NA is similar to "Highlander," simply because its lead character is immortal. While McLeod cannot die unless beheaded, he, and his fellow immortal Nick Knight, are immortal primarily defined by their supernatural natures. The great appeal of John Amsterdam (or York, or Dutch, or any of his other aliases) is that he is a relatively ordinary man who, by virtue of having lived in New York since the 17th century, has learned much and experienced more. None of us is likely to picture ourselves as McLeod or Knight, but practically anyone can imagine that given the right circumstances, we could be John Amsterdam. He is extremely human, not at all superhuman....except for that one thing. He cannot die, not until he finds and commits to The One. It is refreshing to find a sci-fi story framed in a police setting in which the crimes are the least interesting parts of the hour we spend with him. We want to see more of John with his son, Omar. We want to go back into his past. Unfortunately, I at least have no desire to see him further his relationship with the woman he believes is The One.

Marilou I find the premise for this show really intriguing, and the lead actor Nicolai Coaster-Waldau is just about the best thing on television. He plays this character with depth and the right mix of sadness and wit. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. I hope Fox gives this show another shot next season because I'd love to see more of this story develop. I like the references to the past of New York, a city with some of the most interesting backstory in this country. That alone will give the show plenty to draw on for episodes. I loved the montage of pictures of Times Square...keep the period details accurate though (tee-pees!?)and that the glued beards don't look too cheesy!

subliminal_flux Fox's new series shows some promise. It's got a potent mix of crime, mystery, drama, and even wit, that could be something really good, if given the chance. I'm sure the topic of a man who has lived for many centuries is not new, its problem is that, as far as I know, it hasn't worked on screen yet. I've read countless tales of such people, yet thinking back, I really cant picture it as a film or show. Perhaps this "New Amsterdam" can make it work, its got ability to anyway.On a side note, I'm liking the cast. I just wish I can pronounce their names. Im interested to see what Zuleikah Robinson can bring to the show, though she's only listed to be showing in 2 episodes by IMDb.com, i hope thats not all. You might recognize her from the HBO series, Rome.