Three friends, Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), and Harold Woodman (John David Washington) have been framed for a double murder. They must now navigate the landscape of their past, traveling the world and manipulating their own minds, in order to prove their innocence and set themselves free. With a massive cast of characters, all with their hand in the pot, it’s impossible to know who to trust and who’s a liar. However, there’s one thing they know to be true: everything seems to go back to Amsterdam.
In a year where timepieces and mysteries seemed to play a massive role in the landscape of cinema, Amsterdam dared to be different. Well, it’s the same–but different. Here we are again with another murder-mystery, another film that takes place in the past–but, again, Amsterdam is different. Writer-Director David O. Russel looks to make this film as fun as possible, and he does that in a series of ways.
For starters (because being fun just isn’t enough anymore), Amsterdam is technically sound. Acting, sound, lighting, and just about every other aspect of the film play out in an effective fashion–in a way that supplements the story (which, to be honest, did need a little help) and allows the many characters to come to life.
The aspect of Amsterdam that I found most entertaining is the ensemble cast. It seems like at every turn another A-list actor makes their way onto the screen. Taylor Swift (Liz Meekins), Chris Rock (Milton King), and Michael Shannon (Henry Norcross) are just some of the actors that appear in this film–and every time someone new showed up I couldn’t help but to laugh just a little. Laugh at what the budget for actors alone must have been, laugh at the audacity of Casting Directors Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu to say “we want everyone in this film,” and laugh at the silly roles that many of them played. Again, Amsterdam just manages to be fun, and seeing each and every one of these actors play a role in this story is just the tip of the iceberg.
Amsterdam ultimately becomes an international mystery, one that travels to every corner of the earth, and drags viewers along with it. I often find it troubling when films bounce around from place to place too much. These films can become difficult to follow, challenging to swallow, and ultimately fractured as a result. What Amsterdam does, however, is allow this chaotic traveling to play a role in the story. Obviously in a mystery there is something that viewers are attempting to figure out–and the scattered travel tendencies of the film plays into this. Viewers are thrown around aggressively, often throwing them off the scent of what’s really taking place, strengthening the mystery, and making the game of who-done-it even more fun.
Again, being fun just isn’t enough anymore. There’s a plethora of fun films at the world’s disposal at this point, and there’s rarely a reason to add another to the list. I need my films to be thought-provoking (for the most part), intelligent, and well-constructed. Amsterdam is all of these things. Russell ensures that the film isn’t missing anything and that each and every detail is constructed in a way that will allow the film to thrive. Subtle nuances such as the movement of a character’s eyeballs when they should be reading from a teleprompter or the shift in a character's voice when a reveal of some kind is on the horizon are just a couple examples of the attention to detail that Russell employs throughout. Amsterdam is artfully crafted–and Russell has a firm grasp on all that needed to be accomplished in order for the film to succeed.
I can’t stress this enough, Amsterdam is a fun film that lends itself to success early and often. But, the technical precision that exists throughout the film is equally impressive and equally important. I can understand the issues that viewers may have with the fact that Amsterdam is a bit messy–but I think that plays a role in the entertainment that transcends the entirety of the film. Russell is on to something, capturing emotion, developing a wildly exciting story, and reinventing murder-mysteries and timepieces in a way that allows it to exist on its own in a sea full of both in 2022.
Written & Directed by David O. Russell.
Starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
Comments