Amsterdam is a historical drama very loosely based on the "Business Plot". An alleged fascist conspiracy in the United States to overthrow the government of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast comprising of Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Taylor Swift, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro. It follows World War 1 veterans and friends as they witness a murder in the 1930s. In doing all they can prove their innocence they uncover a scheme to overthrow America.
The plot was all over the place. There were too many moving parts that didn’t make sense when they forced them together. During the 1930s the US was still very segregated so some of the interactions in this movie didn't feel historically accurate. It felt like the director, David O. Russell, had a bunch of ideas for different movies and just mushed them all together in a messy stew. It kind of reminded me of another one of his movies, American Hustle, with an ensemble cast where there wasn’t enough character development for anyone to care about any of the people.
Even though the plot, at times wasn't realistic for 1930s New York City, the costumes, hair, and sets did give that feel for the era.
Along with a terrible plot, the script was poorly written, there was too much unnecessary voiceover narration and the jokes weren’t funny.
Even with a plot and script that could have used an entire revamp, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington were engaging to watch. Bale did a great job in his role as Burt Berendsen. He was quirky and caring. Robbie as Valerie, couldn't keep her accents straight but had descent range. John David Washington was unrecognizable at first, without his signature beard, but once I got over that I was able to appreciate his role as well. The three of them had great chemistry together.
Overall this movie didn’t hit the way it was intended. It was a waste of time and an unfortunate waste of the talent in this film.
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