Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 19, 2023)
Between 1999’s Three Kings and 2010’s The Fighter, filmmaker David O. Russell made only one movie: 2004’s I Heart Huckabees. Fighter launched a fairly active period for Russell, however.
2012 brought Silver Linings Playbook, 2013 gave us American Hustle and 2015 delivered Joy. After that, though, Russell went back into hiding until his return with 2022’s Amsterdam.
In New York City circa 1933, World War I veteran Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) continues to struggle with injuries he suffered in combat. He operates a medical clinic that specializes in procedures and assistance for fellow former soldiers.
His wartime pal Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) works as a lawyer and brings him a prominent client for an autopsy: Senator Bill Meekins (Ed Begley Jr). Meekins’ daughter Elizabeth (Taylor Swift) suspects foul play in her father’s death, so she takes his corpse to someone Harold trusts.
When Burt and Harold attempt to meet with Elizabeth to confirm her suspicions, a mystery man (Timothy Olyphant) shoves her under a moving vehicle and convinces the crowd on the street that Burt and Harold killed her. As they flee for their lives, Burt and Harold attempt to prove their innocence, a task eventually aided by their WWI friend Valerie Bandenberg (Margot Robbie).
That 2010 to 2013 run earned Russell three consecutive Best Director Oscar nominations, and he got screenplay nods for Playbook and Hustle. All three films received Best Picture nominations.
Given that span of critical success, Joy came as a disappointment. It received mixed notices, though at least it got Jennifer Lawrence another Oscar nomination.
Compared to the reception accorded Amsterdam, however, Joy got raves. Amsterdam received largely weak reviews and found itself with zero Oscar nominations, no mean feat given all the talent involved.
Due to Russell’s reputation, I intended to see Amsterdam theatrically. However, all those negative appraisals prompted me to skip it until I could get the Blu-ray in my home.
Does Amsterdam live down to these bad assessments? Perhaps not, but I can’t claim it offers anything memorable or especially positive.
Russell goes out of his way to create a project with the feel of something from the 1930s. This seems self-conscious and it becomes an unnecessary distraction, as the stylistic conceits don’t help make the story work.’
Neither do the actors, as even with an abundance of talent, the cast fails to add anything. We get a conflicting variety of styles that don’t mesh.
In particular, Bale and Washington feel like they act in different movies. Bale goes broad and borderline cartoony, while Washington underplays to the point of seeming wooden.
Even without these issues, Amsterdam fails to engage because Russell creates a rambling tale without much real purpose. A long flashback to 1918 feels like an unnecessary distraction, as a better-constructed movie would convey the information more succinctly without the extended detour.
The muddled narrative wouldn’t grate as much if the movie built a sense of energy. Instead, it comes across as slow and dull while it attempts an awkward mix of earnest drama, murder mystery and screwball comedy.
Too much of the time, Russell feels more preoccupied with celebrity cameos that actual plot or characters. Amsterdam introduces new roles for little apparent reason beyond the ability to bring in famous faces.
Honestly, Amsterdam never becomes a terrible movie, but it does waste an awful lot of talent. The film rambles too much and never goes anywhere especially interesting.
