The all-star cast rivals the ever-growing ensembles of Wes Anderson, and all involved give terrific performances full of spirit and personality. Filmmaker David O. Russell has made some noteworthy, well regarded films. Everyone behind the scenes turned in outstanding work across the board: sharp costume design, impeccable hair and makeup, crisp cinematography and editing, excellent stunts and effects, rich art direction, fine props, and so on and so on. The dialogue is witty, the characters are weird, the scene writing is wacky, and the story is, in turn, well-written, wild, wise, and/or worldly. And unfortunately, none of it impresses nearly as much as it's supposed to. 'Amsterdam' is very well made, there are some cutting ideas in the plot, and this even earns some laughs, but far more than not these 134 minutes come off as little more than a lot of hot air.
From the moment it begins there's an overwhelming sense of falseness to the proceedings; this sense will not change, and it will come to pervade most every facet of the production. Every time one of the many, many big-name stars comes into a scene, and especially when they appear for the first time, they are framed, or the camera zooms in on them, in a manner that's meant to pointlessly accentuate their celebrity (e.g., "Hey! Look who it is!"). Under Russell's guidance the cinematography is also, generally, often tawdrily grandiose, such as when the camera sweeps up from a low angle to look at Margot Robbie - not because the moment is dramatic, but specifically just because the inclusion is meant to wow us. For as unquestionably superb as the acting is, and for all the cleverness of the writing, far too much of that cleverness, and the actors' animated portrayals, come off in context as empty quirkiness and boisterousness for its own sake (e.g., "Hey! Look how silly this is!"). It also takes the better part of one hour for the picture to feel like it's finding its feet, yet at the same time, the narrative and scene writing result in plot development that's a tad sideways, caring about that Gee Golly quirkiness as much as the story on hand.
Even the production values, meeting the highest standards of live-action cinema in the 2020s, are actually kind of a problem; the utmost vividness of the image quality, and of every little detail, is a little too perfect. Speaking of "a little too perfect," the even tone and level-headed verbiage of Christian Bale's narration serves to flatten the vibrancy the feature should carry; consider a preteen child telling a scary story with the undeveloped, matter-of-fact, Just So storytelling sensibility of "This happened. And then this happened. Next, this happened." Much of the plot draws from notions that are all too real - the collusion of capitalist interests, the wealthy and powerful, and those with significant ties in society or government and/or the military; conspiracies to dominate, subjugate, oppress, and install fascist leaders; manipulation, gaslighting, propaganda, and the weaponization of medicine - and urgent, admirable themes of diversity, acceptance of minorities and the marginalized, justice, equality, the pursuit of truth, actively fighting authoritarians, and more. All of this was relevant to the period in question, and remains despairingly, desperately relevant in 2023. Yet too much else about 'Amsterdam' either countermands that substance, or treats it too lightly, or distracts from it: that Gee Golly quirkiness, the most raucous sequences, the utmost perfection of most elements; the most whimsical aspects of the art direction, the exceptional performances that under Russell's direction threaten to become their own story rather than to serve the one being told, the prevailing light tenor; the pointed repetition of key words or phrases ("Amsterdam," "Committee of Five") like they were the Word of the Day in an episode of 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse'; and more.
Everything looks and sounds great in and of itself. I'm a big fan of many of the cast members, and from one to the next I don't know whose performance is stronger. Between Russell's writing and direction, however, the impression that 'Amsterdam' makes is of a movie that wants to emphasize how smart it is, and how well made it is, and how many stars it has, and just how ridiculous its most ridiculous parts are - rather than how important, meaningful, and worthy the narrative is. This title is so self-important that it wants to point to all its "Gee whiz!" factors as its attractants and its strength rather than the earnest substance it has to offer, or the earnest hard work that everyone put into it. We know that Russell can be a great filmmaker. While I haven't watched it in some time, I fell in love with 'I heart Huckabees' from the first time I saw it. Sadly, despite all that it serves up and all that it could and should have been, this 2022 flick just doesn't make the grade, and I think that comes back entirely to Russell. The cast and crew deserved a better film; this should have been that better film. I don't abjectly dislike it, but it feels like no more than half of a whole, and the half that's missing includes the heart and integrity. I'm glad for those who appreciate 'Amsterdam' more than I do, but as far as I'm concerned it's no wonder that this came and went last year with so little fanfare. Better luck next time, everyone.
