Oct 5

Oct 5 'Amsterdam' film review: Cluttered, meandering mystery-thriller-comedy fails A-list ensemble

Writer-director David O. Russell's latest film 'Amsterdam' (in theaters Oct. 7) is a mess on several vectors: a tonally inconsistent, meandering murder-mystery bloated with excess quirk that wastes a stellar ensemble cast.

In short: In the 1930s, three friends (Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie) try to solve the mysterious death of military general - but end up entangled in an conspiracy that threatens democracy.

Unfortunately 'Amsterdam' was flawed from its very inception. Russell desperately tries to shoehorn a murder-mystery angle into the real-life Business Plot of 1933 - an attempted coup to install a Mussolini-type leader in America - while peppering in some relationship drama between estranged friends. Taken on their own, each one of these storylines could have worked as their own standalone stories - but 'Amsterdam' is a haphazard mashup of historical narrative, mystery-thriller and friendship drama.

The actual Business Plot itself - wherein a decorated Marine general testified before Congress, detailing a plot to create a fascist organization to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt - warrants its own film. But in 'Amsterdam,' this conspiracy is merely tacked on at the end, in a rushed effort to cram the real-life events into an already cluttered film. The script is so clumsy in its ham-handed effort that the third act actually begs the question 'who is the protagonist here?'

The first two acts diligently follows three friends trying to solve a murder - before the story makes a weird pivot, handing third act control over a new character (played by Robert De Niro) who is barely mentioned at all in the first act and only shows up at the end of the second act. The three protagonists are all but benched, with very little influence over the third act, while the story's ultimate conclusion completely hinges on De Niro's character - a man the audience barely knows, has very little attachment to and never gets a solid bearing on his inner character. This is especially frustrating because this new character's actions are inherently, fundamentally rooted in his beliefs in democracy and American leadership. But this script's rushed effort to turn a modest mystery into much grander plot denies the audience insight of any depth into this pivotal character.

Stepping back just a little bit only adds to the frustration with 'Amsterdam' - because the three main protagonists apparently only serve to hand over their murder-mystery flick to a feckless political thriller starring De Niro's character. This is annoying because one of the only aspects of 'Amsterdam' that genuinely works is the dynamic between the film's three protagonists: a struggling doctor (Bale), his best friend and lawyer (Washington) and artistic nurse (Robbie). Their relationship is the glue that holds the entire story together - these three, very different personalities are united in an unlikely but rather sweet friendship. Their natural chemistry justifies the lengths they go to as they try to clear their names. These three performances make the trio’s relationship genuine - which is absolutely critical, because if this core relationship felt false, literally none of this movie would work.

One of the more salient points that 'Amsterdam' manages to make is the effect war has one those on the frontline and how combat forges life-long bonds. Despite being the titular city, very little of the actual plot actually takes place in the Dutch city. Amsterdam is instead the backdrop for an idyllic, carefree era in the trio's lives - separate from the Great War frontlines and the toil awaiting the doctor and lawyer back in the United States. In the context of this film, Amsterdam is more of a concept - a bohemian lifestyle free of responsibilities - than just the city where the doctor and lawyer convalesced after World War I. Yet another squandered opportunity 'Amsterdam' bobbles is reconciling idyllic, romantic phases of life with the unheralded obligations back home. Thankfully the filmmakers were wise enough to cast Bale, Washington and Robbie as the main trio as they navigate a grander conspiracy and the echoes of an estranged friendship.

For a plot set during the Great Depression, anchored in characters forever changed by the ravages of World War I, who are implicated in a murder while trying to solve another questionable death which was itself possibly connected to a clandestine group trying to rule the world ... 'Amsterdam' is weirdly silly. And its comedy is out of place. At point one, the trio meets with a British entrepreneur (played by Mike Myers) when some random guy throws a drink in the British man's face ... to which Myers replies "Drinks on me. Literally." This irrelevant moment adds virtually nothing of value to the plot, doesn't make any meaningful contribution to the Brit's character and is just one of many misguided attempts at humor in 'Amsterdam.' Despite many, many attempts at humor - only a couple moments are close to funny. And sometimes rather than attempt outright humor, 'Amsterdam' tries for quirk - that only slows the movie's momentum. One socialite businessman goes on a rather lengthy diatribe detailing his annoyance with a fellow bird watcher who raids bird nests - a little rant that has the most minimal of payoffs (as the audience does meet the nest raider). This already cluttered movie just doesn't needs its impotent attempts charmless eccentricity.

It's disappointing to see such a star-studded cast - which includes five different actors who have either been nominated or won an Oscar for acting - frittered away in 'Amsterdam.' Everything reeks of stunt casting. Taylor Swift is in this film - a point only worth noting because it is easily forgotten by the time the credits roll. She's in and out of the film before the audience knows what hit them. Matthias Schoenaerts ('The Mustang'), Andrea Riseborough ('Birdman') and Michael Shannon ('The Shape of Water') are likewise boxed into thin, forgettable supporting characters.

To its credit, 'Amsterdam' looks like it was pulled right out of the 1930s. Some pretty great production design articulates the free spirit air of the trio's routine of art and dancing in Amsterdam, the austere propriety of Manhattan social elite and the beleaguered New York City just trying to survive the Great Depression. This attention to era-specific design is the single strongest and most consistent aspect of 'Amsterdam.' It's almost worth watching the film while muting the volume.

Final verdict: 'Amsterdam' is three movies thrown into a single movie - and the totality doesn't work. The muddled, cobbled together plot doesn't rise to the quality of its cast.