Amsterdam

Director David O. Russell, better known for his work on movies such as “American Hustle” and “Joy” has returned with his latest directorial project in Amsterdam.

Released on the 7th of October 2022, the events within the movie are said to be based on true events, featuring an overload of prestigious names like Christian Bale, John David Washington, Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro, and Chris Rock.

However, is it worth the watch? Let’s dive into the review.

Set in the ‘1930s, we follow three friends, a doctor Burt Berendsen played by Christian Bale, a lawyer Harold Woodsman by John David Washington, and nurse Valerie Voze by Margot Robbie, who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Without a doubt, I went into this film expecting to see magic, getting my mind blown and left speechless, which I was, but not for the right reasons I would have liked.

Amsterdam is rated R, for its brief violence, strong language, and bloody scenes, advertised as a Historical-Comedy with a solid mystery based on true events from the early 1930s.

My first impression about this film has to be about the impressive cast that David O. Russell has brought along to feature on it and yet after watching Amsterdam, there was one actor in particular that left a joker bright smile on my face.

Hands of applause for the man that kept this film on its feet, and that man is none other than Christian Bale.

The character he plays is not only quirky, witty, hilarious, and retable. He wants to be loved, he wants to give his heart and receive the same love back but unfortunately even though his wife cannot give him that, he decides to see the good side of a person.

His best friend on the other side Harold Woodsman is a man of respect, what you give to him will only be given back 10 folds, through surviving on the battlefield together they form an unbreakable bond thicker than blood.

Though it’s when they meet Nurse Valerie Voze that the beauty of friendship, love, and loyalty begins to take center stage in Amsterdam.

I loved seeing all three of them together on screen, it came off so real, it looked genuine and it felt authentic.

My issues with the movie I think are obvious to see and hear, however, for now, I digress till a later stage.

There’s no doubt that Amsterdam could have been regarded as a great movie for the year 2022 however the direction, tone and script were working against the movie instead of with it.

For one of the most outrageous plots in American history, I could not bond with the movie. Whenever you’re given incriminating information that’s meant to build tension, here comes Christian Bale with his quirky self, and you are left with a smile on your face.

Some plots such as the birds felt like they were unnecessarily added to the movie for whatever reason, one may be to deceive the audience as the reveal wasn’t anything too difficult to uncover, two perhaps to lengthen the movie’s runtime or something else, but the plot stood out to the rest of the movie.

The cinematography I loved. Though there were moments when the camera work was shaky at times, it was the close-up camera shots for me that worked well for this movie.

Overall, Amsterdam is an interesting film but leaves you wanting a little more.

The cast plays off and gels together so well, the duo between Mike Myers and Michael Shannon, it’s comical to see these two men trying so hard not to give off agent vibes when first introducing themselves but you can tell that working for some government from the get-go.

The importance of friendship and trust between the three friends is done wonderfully, particularly between Christian Bale and John David John Washington, Margot Robbie I could just give a kiss mwah.

Though it fails to deliver a mind-blowing reveal and captivating conclusion.

I’ll be giving it a 3.5 out of 5 ratings.

Let me know what your thoughts on Amsterdam are in the comments section below. Do you agree or not, if so leave a comment, and let’s get the conversation started.

Thank you for reading another review from, LSR.