Amsterdam

Amsterdam goes from wacky farce to preachy allegory before finally coming to rest as a sneakily profound riff on finding personal edification, just when it matters.

When all is said and done, storytelling this glaringly flawed cannot be overlooked, and the wonderful elements of Amsterdam can only do so much to glue together this faltering house of cards.

There is something weirdly heavy and foggy in Amsterdam that feels like it’s working against the lightness and nimbleness needed for a caper. It’s the reality of the history, which the movie makes explicit in the closing credits.

David O. Russell’s Amsterdam is very plush in the looks department. Enjoying the costumes and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s lighting and some of Russell’s shot designs will get you through it. But only if you don’t have to listen to it, or track it, or believe in the people on screen.

Russell’s showy directorial pizzazz is very much in evidence, but there’s an edge of desperation to the chunks of exposition that dam the flow of this already meandering tale.

In the case of David O. Russell’s jaw-droppingly terrible, aggressively tasteless, profoundly unfunny and interminably dull conspiracy thriller and would-be comedy “Amsterdam,” the all-star ensemble has less chemistry than a high school freshman on the first day of class.

Amsterdam reaches for something contemporary to say about race relations, concentration of wealth, veterans and fascism but ends up with a plodding, mannerist noise.

I loved this movie! The characters were fantastic! And the people that said it didn’t follow true to a story written by a journalist… Why does it have to? Did anybody see once upon a time in Hollywood? They changed the whole Manson killing story around we’re by the hippies wound up getting killed and the victims survived. That sure didn’t follow anybody story and nobody complained as a matter of fact it got nominated for many Academy Awards!

IN A NUTSHELL: In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Fun fact: The plot is based on an actual conspiracy in 1933 when American bankers and businessmen plotted a military coup to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt to replace him with Major General Smedley Butler. The film was both written and directed by David O. Russell. THINGS I LIKED: The talented cast is almost endless and includes Hollywood A-listers and 3 Oscar winners, as well as 2 Oscar nominees ike Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, and even music icon Taylor Swift! I didn’t expect so much singing! Nice! Does anyone know if those actors were actually singing or dubbed? It’s fun to see comedian Chris Rock in this movie. Rumor has it that Christian Bale refused to talk to him because Christian was so worried Chris would make him laugh on set. Christian Bale was one of the producers of the film. In fact, the entire cast seemed to be having a ball. Watching actors enjoy their roles always makes it more enjoyable for audiences. The cast was so excited about working with the director and each other that they all lowered their regular fees. The set designs and costumes easily set a believable tone for the period. Everything LOOKED great, including all of the actors. It’s the telling of the story itself that prevented the movie from becoming a charming hit. Instead, it’s expected to lose $97 million worldwide. Trying to solve the whodunnit mystery is a fun element of the film, although most viewers won’t care about the answer. It’s said that it cost $80 million to make this movie, partly because the sets had already been built in Boston but, due to the pandemic, the location had to be changed to Los Angeles. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: Unfortunately, the script didn’t measure up to the vast talent of the cast. It’s a matter of expectations not being met that has left most viewers deflated. When we see the impressive cast list, we naturally assume the movie is going to be great. I’ve been to Amsterdam twice now. It’s a beautiful city. I wish the movie had more street scenes to really get the vibe of the city. We don’t even see any of the famous canals in the movie. It’s weird that even with so much star power, I was bored many times and couldn’t wait for it to end. The plot is convoluted and overstuffed. The movie felt like a patchwork quilt, stitched together with loose threads and random pieces of beautiful fabric. The parts were definitely better than the sum in this disappointing movie. It seems to be the victim of 14 different scripts that were worked on during the production. TIPS FOR PARENTS: We see a dead body being dissected in an autopsy We see bloodied soldiers riddled with bullets that must be removed.

Budżet poszedł na obsadę a nie dobrych scenarzystów. Fabuła mocno kuleje i nie prowadzi do ciekawego rozwiązania. Niesamowicie zmarnowany potencjał a szkoda

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Starts strong, then devolves into gibberish. Truly disappointing. Seems to be a political satire of events in the USA lately, indirectly gaslighting the audience. A complete waste of the magnificent pool of talent in these actors. Nice Columbo impersonation by Bale.