DIRECTOR David O. Russell has made some good movies. The film that put him on the map, 1999’s Three Kings, was a film about American soldiers robbing one of Saddam Hussein’s gold caches. The Fighter was a dramatic boxing film with its own charm, and Silver Linings Playbook was an entertaining romance film.
At some point along the way, presumably after 2013’s American Hustle, Russell began shoving big stars into his films, and in this one, it has become overbearing.
The inclusion of acting heavyweights (and Taylor Swift) is an obnoxious affair Amsterdam revels in. Scenes where new characters are introduced, of which there are many, inevitably become a starchaser’s dream.
Every 20 or so minutes in Amsterdam’s arduous 2 hour 14 minute runtime will make the audience question: “Oh, who will play this new person whose name was just mentioned?”
This over-reliance on the ensemble cast gimmick – and I can’t stress this enough – is terrible filmmaking, because it takes the viewer out of the film’s story.
It’s simple immersion-breaking, and in Amsterdam, it feels like the casting was done by an Internet A.I. algorithm.
Speaking of the story, while well intentioned in its finality, due to the revolving door of characters (and actors) that Russell introduces, Amsterdam regularly loses the plot.
Down Russell’s rabbit hole
The story of Amsterdam kicks off with best friends Dr. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and lawyer Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) becoming implicated in a rather abrupt, unintentionally hilarious murder related to another possible murder.
In the middle of a pursuit by the police, and before the duo make their escape in a car, Amsterdam literally slams its foot on the brakes to deliver a flashback showing Berendsen and Woodsman’s past during World War I, when they first became friends.
At this point onwards, the story progressively becomes more messy.
Margot Robbie is introduced as Valerie Voze, a nurse that treats Woodsman, Berendsen and their unit during the war.
Hitting the brakes again inside that first flashback, Valerie becomes the love interest for Woodsman, while also becoming the best friend of Berendsen.
Did you think the story was going to go back to the present for Berendsen and Woodsman to clear their names? Wrong. Amsterdam then segues to Amsterdam after the war, with Valerie, Berendsen and Woodsman spending their days doing art and dancing their nights away.
Eventually, the film circles back around to the murders in present time, further introducing more characters such as Valerie’s brother Tom (Rami Malek), his wife Libby (Anya Taylor-Joy), General Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro), and more.
This film is a mess that could have benefited by not having a bloated narrative, a shorter runtime, and being less self-indulgent on the casting.
That said, Amsterdam’s performances are solid and entertaining, though its a mystery why a method actor such as Bale didn’t physically gouge his eye out to play the one-eyed Berendsen.
Director David O. Russell has made some good movies, but Amsterdam falls on the lower end of his filmography.
The film is currently showing in cinemas.
