Amsterdam (Movie Review)
by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen David O Russell. The man directed a trio of films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars from 2010 to 2013 with The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. It really seemed like he was on the fast track to being an awards darling. But after that trio, of varying quality, he has not made a movie since 2015’s Joy. Far more disturbing for his career has been the fact that Russell has become quite the repugnant figure due to sexual assault allegations in his personal life. It’s sometimes difficult to separate the art from the artist, and this is definitely one of those times.
Still, here we are now seven years after Russell’s last feature film, and after some deplorable allegations, trying to see if he can assert himself back on the scene with a new film, Amsterdam, that’s clearly trying to position itself as an awards contender. He is trying to dazzle us with witty humor, contemporary political messaging based on true events from our past, and a gaggle of big names in a massively sprawling murder mystery. However, regardless of the grand epic this film sets itself up to be, and the talents of its massive star-studded ensemble cast, Amsterdam fails to live up to its potential. In fact, it fails to live up to being anything worthwhile as it becomes predictable, boring, and more likely to put you to sleep than to make you feel like it’s an awards contender.
Amsterdam tells us the (mostly) true story of lifelong friends, and World War I veterans, Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and Harold Woodman (John David Washington) as they go through a tumultuous adventure trying to clear their names after being accused of murder. This is all set to the backdrop of a grimy New York City in the middle of the Great Depression, about a decade before World War II. Their only chance of getting out of this pickle is by aligning themselves with an old friend they met during the Great War, Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), who has access to New York’s high society social circles. With all these resources available to them, it’s a fight against the clock to try to prove their innocence, while they’re being hunted down by a secretive canal with a dastardly plan that goes much further than one measly murder… it’s a plan that goes all the way up to usurping the White House.
A murder mystery that is shrouded in political conspiracy that is based on true events that depict an effort to perform a coup d’état and overthrow America’s democratic government for a fascist regime? Damn, that sounds incredibly interesting. Too bad this movie isn’t interesting at all.
The biggest problem with this film is its screenplay. It’s very poorly constructed, and it gives the game away too much. There are many moments where it starts to build momentum, but then completely undercuts itself with poor editing, bad dialogue, or just switching to an inordinately long flashback for no reason. This inconsistency makes the movie an atonal mess that’s hard to get invested in. I found myself at one point almost falling asleep because it was so slow, inconsistent, and boring. But I fought through it like the professional that I am. Unfortunately, the rest of those in my audience weren’t so lucky. A couple people did fall asleep. I know because I could hear them snoring.
It doesn’t help when our movie starts out with a big mystery, and showcases a dastardly murder, only to immediately flash back 15 years for approximately 30 minutes of run time. It’s these kinds of decisions that pull you out of the film. By the time we get back to the actual murder mystery, we’ve forgotten what we’re supposed to care about. That’s not even getting into how the film is so transparent. There will be many scenes that are presented as being a big reveal that don’t feel very revealing whatsoever because we already knew the answers. Many clues and foreshadowing moments aren’t so much clues as they are giant billboards letting you know what is happening. It’s really hard to build and sustain tension in a film when you already know what’s going to happen.
Amsterdam is riddled with all of these problems.
It also doesn’t help that there’s inconsistency within this massive ensemble cast. This should’ve been a surefire home run with all the names that are attached to this film, but very few of them deliver the goods. I would say that Bale does a great job of completely transforming into an eccentric man who is damaged by the war he participated in. He portrays a loneliness and desire for love that is universally relatable. I can see how his over-the-top accent and hunchbacked performance could be too much for some, but for me he was the best part of the movie. Washington is merely passable in this film, bringing nothing of actual substance to his characterization, or the movie as a whole. Robbie is hampered by a script that makes her character feel absolutely ridiculous. Because of that, I almost could never take her performance too seriously. Not entirely her fault, but she doesn’t do much to save what little she was given to do.
I did find enjoyment in some of the ridiculousness, such as the performances by Mike Myers, Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael Shannon, and Timothy Olyphant who really disappears into his role and becomes unrecognizable. But then there are others who just felt mundane. Zoe Saldaña is given virtually nothing to do, as is the same for Chris Rock. Robert De Niro, who would be the highlight of many films, feels like an afterthought throughout most of this, and Rami Malek continues to make me wonder how he is cast in movies. To me, he is virtually lifeless in this role, bringing no emotional energy or enthusiasm, even when the script demands it. Though, Taylor Swift is quite funny in her short-lived role and quirky end.
I will give tribute to many of the technical aspects throughout this film. Russell is doing a decent job directing, and his framing is well put together, but it’s the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki that is quite stunning. This movie seems to really capture the griminess of 1930s New York and Europe during World War I. The costume work is also quite spectacular. If this movie was to truly be praised for one thing, please make it for its costumes. Well stitched dresses, suits, gowns, and military garb spanning decades is no small feat, but legendary designer Albert Wolsky pulls it off. Even the production design is really well put together. A simple set such as an auditorium banquet hall where an important speech is to be made looks like it’s straight out of a 1930s newsreel.
What’s probably most engaging about this movie is also what’s most frustrating about it. Beyond the fact that the movie is not nearly as engaging as it should be, it has a lot to say politically. Its message is timely, and it’s quite intentional. But, I’m not sure that it pulls off exactly what it’s aiming to achieve. This is frustrating on a film level because it makes the viewing experience that more lackluster, but also on a social commentary level because this is such an important message. One that really can’t be messed up. The movie, essentially, is about the dangers of the ruling class wielding their influence unopposed at a government level. Or, to put it another way, the rise and installation of a fascist dictatorship over a democracy. The fact that this is based on a true story is quite interesting. In the 1930s some people wanted to make an American military general the next Mussolini. The next Hitler. Luckily, back then, people had conviction. They believed in our democratic institutions. That’s why the message is so important, because we’re seeing this very thing replay in America to this day.
Inciting an insurrection and attempting a coup of the government because the person you wanted to win the United States Presidency didn’t win, well that’s not a good look. And the movie draws a direct connection between the attempted insurrection from last year to these events from the 1930s.
And that is what makes this so frustrating. While the movie may state that these are bad actions, it does not fully condemn them. It gives these people a slap on the wrist and moves on, instead of showcasing exactly how horrible this is. A big part of that is because the film doesn’t even really get into the political malfeasance of the conspiracy behind this film until almost two-thirds of the way through the runtime. Before that, it’s just a simple murder mystery with no political alignment whatsoever. Had the movie taken a stand earlier on, it could’ve stood for something special. But in the end, it just feels underdeveloped. The whole of the messaging feels unearned.
So what are we left with? To me, this ends up being nothing more than an overly long, underdeveloped, and boring film. While there may be some smart technical decisions, the editing and direction feels lacking. While some of these performances may be quite interesting, the majority are bland and ineffective. While this is truly an important thematic film, it doesn’t have the courage of its convictions to go all the way with its messaging. Amsterdam is a lackluster film that is boring and sleep inducing at its best, and frustratingly naïve at its worst. You’re better off skipping this and hoping that someone, some day, can do a better job telling this story.
Score: 4/10
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