[Movie Review] Amsterdam (2022)
Plot Summary: In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.
Director: David O. Russell
Writer: David O. Russell
Runtime: 2 hours 14 mins
Main Cast:- Christian Bale as Burt Berendsen
- Margot Robbie as Valerie Voze
- John David Washington as Harold Woodman
- Alessandro Nicola as Detective Hiltz
- Andrea Riseborough as Beatrice Vandenheuvel
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Libby Voze
- Chris Rock as Milton King
- Michael Shannon as Henry Norcross
- Mike Myers as Paul Canterbury
- Taylor Swift as Liz Meekins
- Timothy Olyphant as Aaron Milfax
- Zoe Saldana as Irma St. Clair
- Rami Malek as Tom Voze
- Robert De Niro as General Gil Dillenbeck
Review by: Samuel
What I Liked:
I enjoyed Christian Bale’s performance in this one. He is a phenomenal actor and this movie is no exception. He dons a New York accent in this as he portrays a wounded Army doctor, named Burt, who served in WW1. His tone, his walk, his face, and hos words all work to convincingly portray a man who has been through a lot and is in constant pain. This is not aided by his desire to please a wife and in-laws who all but despise him. The looks into a home life are unique for Bale’s character, and that may add to why he was the most compelling for me. This family dynamic actually served to give his character an arc in the film- something lacking for our other main characters.
Despite my feelings on the script (more on that later), I did also enjoy the acting and actors in the film. John David Washington portrays Harold- Burt’s Army buddy and Margot Robbie portrays Valerie- Harold’s lover whom they met during the war. They both do an adequate job of showing their devotion to each other and to Burt, even if the underlying reasons leave something to be desired. Aside from the main trio the movie has all-star appearances and cameos from the likes of Zoe Saldana, Taylor Swift, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor Joy, and Robert De-Niro. I very much enjoyed these surprise appearances to the point that I was waiting with bated breath for the next A-List actor to pop on screen.
Each of the actors were also quite funny in their own way. It seemed like they enjoyed being a part of this movie and it showed; every one of them had a line or a moment that made me laugh out loud.
What I Didn’t Like:
Usually when I have an issue with a film, it is because I notice a script/plot issue, acting inconsistences, strange tonal shifts, or bad production values that overshadow what could have been a decent film. Amsterdam doesn’t have any errors in execution- I believe David O. Russell made the film he wanted to make. It just turns out, that for me, that film is wholly uninteresting.
The movie does have it’s share of pacing issues making a 2 hour movie feel like it’s 3 hours. It also employs the technique of using flashbacks to fill in story gaps, but the flash back come at the strangest times; and when they’re shown, the flashbacks themselves don’t really seem to address the main issue at hand.
That plays into my problem with the story- the trailer marketed this as a murder mystery- it is not that. However, I don’t know what it is supposed to be. It has elements of murder mystery with some added social commentary, and a bit of action. The film seems to change it’s message quite often with characters literally NOT doing the one thing you, the audience member, are lead to believe is all important. For example, during a scene when the movie feels like a murder mystery, it abruptly stops, puts the mystery on hold and shows a flashback that deals with social commentary. So, you are left thinking “why was I shown that, when they are investigating a murder.” It is in this way that the film tries to be many things but never commits to one.
There are also SEVERAL scenes that I classify as “art-house” when there is no dialogue, but the characters are posing and interacting with the scene (usually in slow motion) to create unique looking shots. I’m not opposed to that type of thing, but it didn’t help with a film that was already dragging along.
Summary
Overall, I did not enjoy the film, but I think there’s an audience that might. In my opinion it’s bogged down by a breakneck pace with a dialogue to match (similar to the speed of dialogue in “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”…but not as good); it stretches in too many directions; and the characters, outside of Bale’s Burt, aren’t given enough to make you really care about them.
