Amsterdam is the latest film by David O. Russell. Just like some of his previous efforts such as Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, he assembles an all-star cast for this one and the results prove to be reasonably entertaining enough.
Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington star as a doctor, a nurse, and a lawyer who meet each other during World War I. They become friends and move to Amsterdam for a while before going their separate ways.
Bale’s character practices questionable medicine while only having one good eye. Washington asks him to perform an autopsy on a senator at the request of his daughter (Taylor Swift). Pretty soon, the two become entangled in a murder plot after the daughter herself is murdered and they go on the run.
They soon reunite with Robbie’s character and the three of them try to catch the murderers. Mike Myers and Michael Shannon costar as two eccentric allies who join them on their quest.
Other big names in the movie include Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Robert De Niro who all become intertwined in the case in one way or another.
Amsterdam is another example of a movie where you can sense the cast had a lot of fun making it and, for the most part, I enjoyed watching it. The chemistry between Bale, Robbie, and Washington is engaging enough to help lead us through the maze of this convoluted plot.
The movie’s biggest weakness is the climax which inevitably becomes overstuffed and a little disorganized, but at the same time, an ensemble piece like this is bound to have some of those trappings.
This is a far cry from Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, but Russell does craft a well-written, well-acted, and even funny movie that is somewhat hard to resist.
Grade: B
(Rated R for brief violence and bloody images.)
