It may not have superheroes, giant dinosaurs or intergalactic battles, but the movie amsterdam by David O. Russell is not devoid of exciting promise.
A luxury cast, a plot with drawers and full of mysteries, action, humor… On paper, amsterdam has a lot of cards in hand, and seems to offer a nice alternative to superhero and big dino blockbusters.
But does the film live up to its promises? What is really worth amsterdam ? Answer in our review of the film, guaranteed without spoilers.
The synopsis of the film
1933. Three friends, Dr. Burt Berendsen, lawyer Harold Woodman and war nurse Valerie Voze, will have to solve a murder of which they are accused, and reveal to the world one of the most scandalous plots in history. American.
Should we go to see Amsterdam?
Based on the story of the “Business Plot”, an alleged political plot that took place in 1933, amsterdam is the new film from Oscar nominee director David O. Russell happiness therapy, Joy and american bluff.
All at once, a film of investigation and political conspiracy, a great story of friendship and reflection on contemporary America, amsterdam wants to be a choral film having fun with the multiple facets and threads of its plot… but ends up getting lost and tangled in it.
Combining eras, points of view and characters, we find in amsterdam a bit of the narrative frenzy of Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven), or from. the caustic humor of the Coen brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski), without achieving the same level of control.
Twisted and convoluted, the story artificially inflates to feel like a grand game of chess…before dropping like a soufflé. To want to be smarter than the spectator, amsterdam finally forgets to tell a story that holds together, and delivers a story sewn with white thread that the viewer will have understood from halfway through the film.
And if there was only that! This uninspired writing is weighed down by a distended staging. David O. Russell’s floating sequence shots dilute the stakes and the rhythm of the scenes too much, and whether it’s humor, drama, tension, or urgency, nothing works and each sequence misses its effects and its ambitions.
amsterdam thus resembles a poorly assembled tapestry, with all the elements yet there. The artistic direction and reproduction of the 1930s is a great success, the music by Daniel Pemberton is a delight and the five-star cast (Christian Bale, John David Washington, Margot Robbie, Robert de Niro, Rami Malek…) gives all the trouble in the world to add intensity to the whole. Without success.
Oscillating between tones and inspirations, amsterdam ultimately never manages to find its own identity. It is also and above all a shaky film that does not succeed in anything it undertakes, and leaves the spectators disappointed and annoyed. David O. Russell had all the makings of a great movie, and delivers a gigantic mess. Shame.
- Watch the movie trailer:
Where to see other films with Christian Bale?
If you are a fan of Christian Bale, you can always find the actor on the various streaming platforms. Whether netflix offers (only) the cult film American Psycho (2000), the Disney+ service has three films with Bale: the excellent Le Mans 66, The Big Short and Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Try Amazon Prime Video for free >
Finally, on the side ofAmazon Prime Videothese are the movies The Machinist, Hostile and Rescue Dawn which are ready to be viewed. You choose !
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Amsterdam (review): what is the new film with Christian Bale and Margot Robbie worth? – CNET France