In at least two of his great scenes Amsterdam, by David O. Russell, which opens in theaters on October 28, pays homage to golden Hollywood. It has sets with meticulous historical detail, great riveting dialogue, and solid performances. Especially when Bert (Christian Bale), Harold (John David Washington) and Valerie (Margot Robbie) are together. The chemistry between the actors shines, and the episodes are a glimpse of an idyllic and charming world that is reminiscent of kinder and more emotional times.
Nonetheless, either because the director can’t handle a story based solely on hope, or because of his convoluted script, the film fails.. He does this by falling into a series of commonplaces that are as confusing as they are devoid of meaning, form, and depth. Especially when he analyzes his history in terms of absolute goodness in the confrontation with a vague and obscure enemy.
The result is a story without meaning or form, which for the most part falls apart as a set of approaches. Amsterdam he goes from one point to another without being able to get to the heart of his argument. Is this an ode to friendship? From a curious look at an unusual event in American history? Perhaps a sprawling fantasy about the beauty and power of love? The argument is not resolved by any point and eventually turns into a mixture of unrelated scenes, increasingly awkward and chaotic.
A film that could have been a work of art but wasn’t.
Movie Amsterdam It has everything to become a modern classic. At least that’s the premise that keeps this major production and one of the most anticipated premieres of the year going. On the one hand, we have an Oscar-winning director like David O. Russell at the helm. On the other hand, the cast, which includes, perhaps, the best actors and actresses of the young generation of Hollywood. To make the formula more precise, the production even featured singer Taylor Swift in a role created especially for her.
But that wasn’t enough, and Russell also had a luxurious resale. It’s all embodied by a stellar cast of performers, from comedian Mike Myers to Oscar winner Rami Malek. The story, based on the original idea of the director himself, is built to the glory of kindness, optimism and hope..
What could go wrong with this combination? In fact, there is not a single detail of this tedious mechanism of creating a smile strong enough to hold everything together. The story of Bert, Harold and Valerie is anachronistic in its good intentions. In addition, a nostalgic artifact with a visual that dazzles with its precision and elegance. But both together look unfinished, wrong and, in the end, disappointing.
Namely, when he, with childish humor and without wit, analyzes the entire backing of the mysterious crime. The good intentions of a trio of friends in search of atonement for their past and, in addition, the disclosure of a peculiar crime is as trivial as it is tedious.. For your second tranche, Amsterdam it completely loses its lack of humor and turns into an unfortunate combination of inexplicable events.
Amsterdam, from laughter to boredom is too easy
Because of the contrived ending, the film becomes an incomprehensible heap of narrative threads. Amsterdam tries to clarify what makes us act on what we think is right, regardless of the possible consequences. Even despite the danger it may pose.
Like Billy Wilder or George Cukor Russell wants to show strange ways of compassion, light-hearted fun and a laughing look at the world’s problems.. But the premise is so broad that it falls apart until it disappears as the script moves from one place to another without purpose or reason. Characters lose interest, contradicting their most obvious impulses, or simply turning into caricatures. Worse, in that they’re just bits and pieces to delve into a banal topic that the film doesn’t delve into.
When he gets to the final scene, it becomes clear that Amsterdam it is an emotional manifesto declaring that love will save the world. But Russell’s argument lacks substance, heart, and charm for such a feat.. So much so that it becomes an obvious failure of form and content. Perhaps one of the worst disappointments of the year.
