Amsterdam (2022) – Review
In the thirties, there were no robots… Amsterdam suggests otherwise.
Oscar’s (formerly?) Beloved and angry sex pest David O. Russell returns after seven years since his Oscar Bomb Joy. Maybe he shouldn’t have bothered coming back. Amsterdam dropped like lead in theaters back in October of 2022 and was put on HBO Max where it will probably be removed one day. There isn’t much to be said for the film’s chances in the pop culture memory bank but hey! Look! I’m reviewing it! The film stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Anya Taylor Joy, Robert De Niro, Chris Rock and other people you’ve heard of. Even Taylor Swift shows up for a minute or two. A murder is witnessed, a friendship is formed, and a plot is uncovered thus we have our convoluted yet compelling-enough plot. Characters have a penchant for repeating the same words and names so you know who they’re talking about (the word “veteran” and the name “Meekins” rang wind chimes in my brain every time they were uttered). Yes, the script is clumsy but I’m a bit of a sucker for noir storytelling. Though Russell’s dialogue doesn’t do anyone any favors- the cornball sincerity has its moments and so does the story when it’s replicating the tropes of noir classics.
Amsterdam was shot by Emanuel Lubezki which comes as no surprise. The film looks like it was made by a Terrence Malick clone. Russell has a love for low angle shots with no real meaning and blocking which disorients the viewer but never overwhelms in a meaningful way. The film’s perplexing geography is off-putting and doesn’t do the wordy storytelling any favors. Too many moments in the film feel like they were written and edited by AI. There’s plenty of poetry-esque dialogue that confuses rather than enchants. The characters become stiff robots whenever they are having conversations and every exchange looks like the actors were shot at different times. The characters speak in odd, stilted dialogue which Russell has mistaken for beguiling & humorous. The film’s floaty montages work a lot better than the not-so-snappy farcical conversations. Lubezki is great at shooting intimate moments and their intermittent moments of detail. The characters inhabit a familiar golden-sheen Hollywood world but the detailed production design helps make it a livey place. Unfortunately, the way the camera captures this world makes it less exciting to be in it.
There is one major aspect of this film that is watchable and entertaining enough to work. That aspect is Christian Bale’s performance as Burt Berendsen. Bale’s character is a craggy, heavily-accented, glass-eyed, crazy-haired war veteran with a penchant for singing songs and a lot of scars from WWI. Whatever quirks or fun character details they had for other characters were probably scrapped and given to Bale. He’s truly a quirked-up white boy and the one having the most fun here. Despite my appreciation for Bale’s Burt Berendsen, they really should’ve spread the character wealth. Margot Robbie and John David Washington feel left in the dust of Bale’s exuberance. Washington’s character Harold Woodman is a dutiful and loyal friend but woefully bland. Margot’s Valerie Voze is a mix of pixie dream girl and classic Hollywood with neither properly gelling to create a distinct character. Believe it or not, Rami Malek and Anya Taylor Joy are typecast as wide-eyed weirdos that give bad vibes all the way. Their arc is predictable (no spoilers but there’s no real surprise with these guys). I could probably make another paragraph on the different people that show up but I’ll end this by pointing out that Robert De Niro gives the second best performance of the film as a speech-loving general.
Amsterdam attempts to recalibrate your expectations of how a farcical mystery comedy should be paced and executed. Instead of witty and quick-paced, the delivery is room temperature with characters attempting a new form of deadpan. Let’s call it sort-of-alive-but-not-thriving-pan. To Russell’s credit, the film’s odd beat keeps a rhythm by the third act but that doesnt stop the dialogue, performances & blocking from losing the quality of a cold splash of water to the face. The film’s attempt at enchanting bewilderment can sometimes work (these few moments involve Bale and the Amsterdam friends together) but most of it doesn’t work. Russell attempts to spin poetry out of WWI veterans, conspiracy, and friendship but fails to explain why this couldn’t have just been a more standard, workmanlike period piece. If we ever do get another film from this guy (who, let’s be honest, should be in movie jail or even real jail) hopefully, it’s not as indulgent and self-serving as Amsterdam.
RATING: 4 out of 10