Amsterdam introduces itself as a murder mystery, but it never manages to entirely invest the audience in the classic question... whodunnit? Taylor Swift’s portrayal of ‘Liz’ is unsuccessful in igniting a loveable connection with the audience, and quite frankly, we soon forget about her death and lose the plot of the film entirely. (Apologies to all Swifties out there) but perhaps it’s time for Taylor to abandon her acting career and focus just on singing? After all, it has become a running joke on Twitter that all her films are ‘cursed’ to be reviewed badly (see, Valentine’s Day, Cats and The Giver). For a director whose focus is ‘on the characters, not the plot,’ David O Russell only successfully creates one character who we become emotionally invested in; Christian Bale’s character Bert Berendsen.
Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Dark Knight trilogy), unsurprisingly, perfected the character of Bert. As a method actor, Bale is known for going to extreme lengths to get into character, with him losing a record-breaking 63 pounds for his 2004 film The Machinist. Amsterdam is no exception; in a recent interview, Bale says he wore a 1930s back brace every day to feel how uncomfortable it would have been for Bert, and to add a sense of authenticity to his movement. Bale’s performance as Bert is, quite simply, far too good for this film. He makes all the other A-list actors around him look as though they are only acting, whereas with him, we feel a sense of legitimacy in his character.
Bale's performance as Bert is, quite simply, far too good for this film
O Russell is somewhat a creature of habit when it comes to casting, with Bale starring in 2010 drama The Fighter (for which he is, again, highly credited for his impressive transformation), and American Hustle, which De Niro also featured a cameo in. De Niro has also appeared in O Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook and Joy. The height of Robert De Niro’s (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Joker) career came in the twentieth century, particularly with his breakthrough feature in The Godfather pt II, yet he still manages to shock us with his range of characters to this day. While his performance in Amsterdam doesn’t quite live up to his portrayal of Frank Sheeran in Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman,’ De Niro architects a character with ‘The General’ whom we instantly trust.
Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street, I, Tonya) is the strong, independent ‘Valerie’ opposite John David Washington (Tenet) as lawyer ‘Harold,’ with their relationship acting as warm relief from the tensions of the plot. However, the connection we are most invested in is the friendship between the couple and Bert, which pops up time and time again to act as a moral message throughout the film. Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, No Time To Die) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Queens Gambit, Emma) are convincing villains, and Mike Myers (Wayne’s World, Shrek, Austin Powers) provides comedic relief in his portrayal of a government agent. Chris Rock (Madagascar, The Bee Movie) was apparently ‘too funny’ on set for Christian Bale – who it turns out is a massive fan, with his all-time favourite film being Rock’s Beverly Hill’s Ninja – and Bale had to avoid him on set to stay in character.
With the controversy surrounding O Russell, particularly with his sexual assault allegations and his infamous physical attack on Christopher Nolan in 2003 following Jude Law leaving his film to pursue Nolan’s The Prestige (which he soon left), the announcement of Amsterdam sparked annoyance from fans who were shocked so many prominent actors were still willing to work with him. His ‘erratic’ directing style has also received negative feedback from previous casts, particularly George Clooney (Three Kings) and Amy Adams (American Hustle, The Fighter). Despite Bale having to intervene in these exchanges, he is keen to defend his directing style, saying in recent interviews he ‘loves’ the way he is constantly changing the script, despite his castmates looking ‘shellshocked.’ O Russell even asked Bale to ‘be the ambassador’ and explain to everyone his directing philosophy.
Something about Amsterdam resembles Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel), perhaps it’s the political message, stellar cast, Lubezki’s stunning cinematography or the promise of a murder mystery? However, it falls flat of holding Anderson’s same charming appeal, and goes from feeling as though it’s trying too hard, to just being entirely boring.
While Amsterdam’s anti-fascist ending and murder mystery appeal were certainly interesting, it is hard to believe that a cast this good was wasted on a film this underwhelming. It is difficult to determine the exact factors causing the film's lack of traction; perhaps it was the absence of any real connection to characters? The controversy surrounding O Russell? Or that our expectations were too high? While Amsterdam had all the base ingredients for the perfect recipe, O Russell never managed to discover the secret ingredient to make this film an unforgettable experience.