Film: Amsterdam

GENRE: Dramedy
RATING: R for violence and bloody images
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 14 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Christian Bale (Batman Begins, American Hustle)
Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad); John David Washington (Tenet)
DIRECTOR: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, Three Kings)
WRITERS: Russell (American Hustle, I Heart Huckabees, Joy)
PLOT: A couple of veterans are framed for a murder and uncover an outrageous plot.     

FULL DISCLOSURE: The trailer, the cast and Russell brought me in.      

STORY STUFF: While I have enjoyed a lot of Russell’s scripts in the past, I felt the story went all over the place with this film. The detours and rabbit holes make me care a little less as to what’s going on. Quirky characters can be fun but there are too many of them. I like some of the humour but I wish there was more to make the story lighter and far more entertaining. I did enjoy that Robbie’s character goes by Valerie Vandenberg for some of the film. It’s nice to hear my name not only associated with an air force base.  

ACTING STUFF: This is an incredible cast who all get moments to shine and try out their comedic muscles. It is evident they are having fun making this film. It reminds me of Ocean’s 12 though where the cast fun interfered with the plot. Bale, Washington and Robbie make for an entertaining trio. I also enjoyed Chris Rock and Rami Malek joining the ensemble. Timothy Olyphant is a weird choice for this film and is underused for his talents.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I liked the 1930’s production design. The scars and facial recreations are a bit off-putting but work well for the plot. There’s not much else stylistically that stood out to me.

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You have enjoyed previous work from Russell
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Black Panther 2, Blonde