Maybe you can try a little too hard sometimes?
David O. Russell is no stranger to big swings, both from a narrative point of view and in his casting. And here have been times that such an effort has paid off, with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle standing as (arguably) his most accessible titles. Amsterdam, however? Well, whatever confidence the filmmaker had in stepping up to the plate didn’t translate in said big swing.
We’re told from the offset that “A lot of (this story) really happened”, which, of course, means that most of it probably didn’t, and the following 134 minutes doesn’t exactly clear a lot of this supposedly true story up with Russell’s script a jumbled, convoluted mess that presents a lot of promising ideas that ultimately remain only half-baked.
You almost have to be impressed with Russell for assembling such a cast and, despite most of their best efforts, still the film remains underdone. I’m talking Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert DeNiro, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, and Mike Myers, to name but a few, doing their darndest and, somehow, delivering individually fine work that never entirely blends as a cohesive unit.
Bale (a Russell regular) plays Burt Berendsen, a WWI veteran and doctor, whose involvement in the war was off the pressure of his well-to-do in-laws who, we suspect, didn’t want the poor chap coming back alive. He did, albeit with a prosthetic eye, but his homecoming was hardly harmonious, with wife Beatrice (Andrea Riseborough, wholly unlikeable) refusing to let him live with her in their apartment.
If that isn’t enough, Berendsen also has to contend with solving a supposed murder and – by association with such an investigation – proving he’s innocent in another. The opening minutes set up this conundrum as he and fellow solider Harold Woodsman (Washington), now a lawyer, meet with Elizabeth Meekins (Taylor Swift, quite erratic in her performance, but earning herself one of the film’s best moments), the daughter of their regiment general (Ed Begley Jr.) who has died under mysterious circumstances. She suspects foul play and calls on the two to solve such a case. We’re unsurprised when things go awry, but, naturally, it isn’t anything an extended flashback can’t help with. Right?
The titular location earns its prominence when we meet Valerie Voze (Robbie, once again proving she can elevate any material with her natural charm), a French-speaking American nurse who tends to both Burt and Harold during their hospital stays after suffering horrific war-ground injuries. Burt’s eye loss leads Valerie to suggest Amsterdam where she knows a duo of “bird watchers” (i.e. spies) (an enjoyable Myers and Michael Shannon) who can help him acquire such a prosthetic. It’s also here where Valerie and Harold fall in love, with the trio living in a sense of reality-detached bliss. It’s all very well and good for the lovers (though, unfortunately, Washington and Robbie have little in the way of romantic chemistry) but Burt wants to go home; why when he’s married to the awful Beatrice is beyond anyone’s guess, but the heart wants what it wants?
Them leaving Amsterdam is where we are brought back to the film’s proceedings, where Burt and Harold are now on the run to clear their names and, through sheer coincidence, run into the long-absent Valerie at the home of Tom (Malek) and his wife, Libby (Taylor-Joy), her brother and in-law, where they hope to put the right steps in place to prove their innocence. Tom, seemingly sweet natured, and Libby, much less so, suggest that decorated general Dillenbeck (DeNiro) could be the key to clearing their names. If it all seems too coincidental, that’s because it is.
It ultimately culminates in a gala event where whoever is innocent and whoever is guilty earn their rightful status. Whilst it’s clear that there’s an interesting story at hand here – I can’t help but think this could’ve been quite an investing espionage-esque thriller if Russell hadn’t seemed intent on making it a “comedy” of sorts – it all just feels like vaguely related narratives have been thrown together in the hope of something sticking. Overthrowing the government and a murder investigation makes for good storytelling, but Amsterdam is never secure enough to know what it wants to focus on and what mentality it wants to adhere to.
It’s also, ironically, to the film’s detriment that it has so many stars on its roster. Bale, Washington, Robbie, DeNiro, Malek, and Taylor-Joy feel like the only significant talent of note that were needed for their roles; Riseborough and Myers make for a good argument too. But in Russell showboating his ability to attract such a calibre of performer, every character reveal is laced with a distracting detachment; almost like each is filmed with the intention of an applause reserved for a sitcom guest-star spot. Whilst it’s great that actors such as Rock and Shannon are comfortable to play in such small roles – same with Zoe Saldana, Allesandro Nivola, Timothy OIyphant, and Mattias Schoenaerts – they don’t add any weight to the story beyond the acknowledgement of “Oh, look, there in this too?”
Perhaps on paper Amsterdam read as a far more interesting, contained story. I can’t deny that certain moving parts piqued my interest, but all too often did they come to a halt, with even such star wattage unable to blindingly distract from its messy assemblage.
TWO STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Amsterdam is now screening in Australian theatres.
