‘Amsterdam’, the film with Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and Robert De Niro that points to fiasco of the year

Bringing together actors like Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek or Anya Taylor-Joy in the same film inevitably generates such high expectations that they can only be met by creating a seventh-generation masterpiece. art.

At that point is director David O. Russell with amsterdama film that has just been released in the United States (it will be released in Spain on October 28) and has provoked a barrage of criticism from specialists who are deeply dissatisfied with the final result of one of the most anticipated productions of 20th Century Studios by 2022.

The slab of having one of the most ambitious casts of recent times has weighed on the film even before it hit theaters because, in addition to the aforementioned performers, it also has other figures such as Timothy Olyphant or Chris Rock.

The plot follows the shared story of war veteran doctor Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), his partner Harold (John David Washington), and nurse Valerie (Margot Robbie). Three friends who met during World War I and 15 years later end up immersed in a mysterious murder.

In fact, the film is named after the Dutch city where Burt, Harold and Valerie live together during the post-war period, exploring their feelings and longings for life.

“The film has a bit of everything, but the plot really revolves around the personality of the three protagonists, who convey a message of friendship and loyalty,” argued Christian Bale in an interview with EFE prior to the release.

However, the development of the script begins to unravel until it connects with the case known as the Business Plot, a conspiracy of wealthy businessmen who planned to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.

For experts, the convoluted plot, with constant time jumps and the appearance of new characters, is nothing compared to the confusing mix between fiction and reality that Russell displays in “Amsterdam.”

“Much of this actually happened,” reads the indicative with which the film begins to give way to a narrative in which it is difficult to discern which fragments come from fantasy and fiction provided by the filmmaker and which do not.

“Characters inspired by real people are used, but in fictional situations combined with events that did happen in the history of the United States and that are unknown to most,” said Bale, who took advantage of a small subsequent silence to try to give it more consistency. to your explanation.

“For me, it opened my eyes a lot, I had not seen anything like it before,” added this British actor acclaimed as The Dark Knight for his roles in the saga Batman.

On the other hand, amsterdam At times it embraces the genre of historical drama to transit in others through comedy, thriller and even have parts with musical overtones.

The work avoids labels in a creation in which Russell acts practically like a goldsmith trying to make the pieces fit under his supervision as director, screenwriter and producer.

“I was there when Russell started jotting down his first notes on this film on a napkin (…). He had thought of my character years before, so I saw him working for a long time on this project,” Bale confessed to EFE.

The uniqueness of amsterdam will measure its impact at the box office this weekend at the same time that Russell checks if generating such high expectations before a premiere implies, or not, hitting a stumbling block that is sometimes impossible to overcome.