Amsterdam

Director: David O. Russell

Writer: David O. Russell

Starring: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Ed Begley Jr. (I love Better Call Saul so much)

Reason for watching: Oscar season and new movie with an absolutely stacked cast

Number of times I’ve watched it: first time viewing

***

Money can buy nearly anything. When you are extraordinarily wealthy the rest of the rules do not apply to you. The 1% can have whatever they want, go wherever they want, and basically do whatever they want. The life of the rich seems delightful on the outside. And frankly the idea of being able to buy a house without getting a mortgage or leaving higher education debt-free sounds very nice. But when you are that wealthy the struggles of day-to-day life do not affect you. Life on cloud nine removes one from the grind of regular life that the rest of us have to deal with. Even worse, one can think that they are above the less fortunate and that their opinion on certain political or social decisions does not matter. That opulent life can really separate one from the realities of the world we live in. Amsterdam reflects that in not only the plot of its story but in what director David O. Russell is trying to do with this movie. But guess what? I don’t care about the 1%. And I do not care that much about this movie enough to take it seriously.

Amsterdam follows a trio of detectives: Doctor Burt (Christian Bale), Lawyer Harold (John David Washington), and Nurse Valerie (Margot Robbie). After World War I, this trio spent a few years living together in Amsterdam before going their separate ways for some time. Eventually Harold and Burt reunited in New York where they maintained their friendship. Eventually, they are brought together when the death of a renowned senator does not completely add up. Diving deep into the mystery of his death, the group runs into many zany characters who pull them deep into the mystery. When it all reveals a secret society run by Tom Voze (Rami Malek) and his wife Libby (Anya Taylor-Joy), they turn to decorated marine Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) for assistance in taking them down.

Listen. If you want to view this as a serious story about taking down secret societies or the MAN then you are going to be disappointed. There is not a lot of substance to that perspective. It is hollow, and no message exists here other than the rich are nuts and racist. There are some good jokes at their expense but Amsterdam lacks the subtly it needs to succeed in that category. Frankly, there are too many good movies this year that have already come out that have real actual messages that matter for me to care about this one on a serious level. Just know that David O. Russell tried way too hard and it did not work on that level.

A lot of the talent is just going for broke with the zaniness they are acting with. Bale feels like he’s doing some kind of combination of his work in The Fighter and Dr. Nefario from Despicable Me. It’s funny at times but just off course most of the time. Washington and Robbie get less fun with their roles, but someone has to play the straight man to Bale here. Both of them have been in better work and have done better themselves. Michael Shannon and Mike Myers do well together as two not-so-undercover secret agents of the US government. Myers' insane wit and banter bounces well off of Shannon’s dry comedy. In a shocking turn of events, I actually found Chris Rock to be hilarious. (While I was on his side during the Oscars slap of earlier this year, I definitely considered my opinion of him more in the weeks that followed and realized that I don’t remember him being that funny. Honestly, most of what I remember him from is the Madagascar movies and that Saw spinoff that I don’t care enough about to see.) Everything Rock did in Amsterdam was awesome. He made me laugh almost every time he talked. The serious yet animated delivery of his lines worked wonderfully. I have to give him props.

This movie is so loaded up with talent I can hardly remember everyone who is in it, to be honest with you. Zoe Saldana has about 10 minutes of screen time but her character is so flatly written there is nothing for her to do. Timothy Olyphant does not look as handsome as he usually does, but he does alright as a henchman of the secret society. Most impressive in my mind is Taylor Swift. Only appearing in a minor role at the very beginning of the movie, but no doubt she could not stay long as she is still re-recording all her old music and still making new music. But Swift showed legitimate talent as an actress. Her performance is measured and controlled in a way that celebrities, musicians, or athletes’ performances usually are not. It helps her blend in with the cast and not stand out in a negative way. I hope she acts more and delivers like this again.

Around this world we travel in, the world feels inviting. Soft yellow lighting everywhere gives a feeling of warmth to the world. When our heroes are journeying around 1930s New York City at night it feels like an exciting world. The costumes are well done as well and seem period accurate. Camera work is nothing special to write home about but at least it is better than the Vampire Academy show.

Right at the beginning of August is a prime time to release a quality picture and get some steam going for the awards season. You have all of the final quarter of the year to be in viewer’s and voter’s voices and get their attention. For such an awards-focused release date, I am a little disappointed by this outing from 20th Century Studios. I know David O. Russell is a good director with titles like American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook to his name, but this feels like a wasted opportunity. Too much talent and the proper marketing release date went into this movie for it to come out as mediocre. While the awards season may have begun it has yet to produce a real contender for its coveted prizes.

7/10

Until I see another one.