The Mosley Review: Amsterdam
Aw yes. It is the season of the Oscar caliber films that feature the best in storytelling and acting. Well, this film definitely does that in a not so conventional way and I liked it for the most part. When it comes to the "whodunnit" stories set in a period piece that's based on real events, it can be tricky on how you approach it. You want to tell the true story while adding your personal flare while not diluting or trivializing the lives of those that were involved. Its a delicate tight rope to walk especially when its sort of a twisted origin story. This film does deliver all of those aspects while having a fun charm about it. It stayed serious when it was necessary, but also played coy and danced around topics with sometimes nonsensical dialogue. The murder mystery aspect felt fresh in its execution as it jungles with so many characters and all were surprisingly relevant to the plot. There were moments for me where I wish the film stopped diverting from plot forwarding dialogue. It took me out of the film a few times and felt bloated. Like I said before, this film kicks off the season with an all star cast that at this point can be considered generational.
Christian Bale is nothing short of perfection and I loved him as Burt Berendsen. He was quirky and fun as he would narrate the story and go against the grain with his medical practices. John David Washington was great as his lawyer friend Harold Woodsman. He was charming and their chemistry was immediately powerful as they survived World War 1. Margot Robbie dazzles as the artistic and romantic nurse Valerie Voze. The chemistry between her and Harold was great as their love blossom's throughout the film. The bond between the three of them is what held the film together and I enjoyed watching them go on this spiral of a political murder mystery. Rami Malek was great as Valerie's cagey pacifist brother Tom. He was so calm and sometimes intoxicating with his words. Anya Taylor-Joy was truly the most unlikable character in the film as Tom's wife Libby. She would always do her best to discredit and bring down Valerie and Anya portrays this character expertly. Mike Myers was awesome and I loved seeing him do something more dramatic as Paul Canterbury. He still has his comedic charm and impeccable delivery. Michael Shannon was great as his American companion Henry Norcross. The pair of them together was excellent and I loved how they bounced off each other when it came to their double meaning behind their dialogue. Robert De Niro was excellent as you'd expect and this was a cake walk for him as his portrays Gil Dillenbeck whose based on the historical army vetern Smedley Butler. There were some tense moments his character was in and he never flinched.
The score by Daniel Pemberton was light, ethereal and supported the more tension filled moments toward the last act of the film. Visually the film is stunning as we get a romanticized version of Amsterdam and the dirty and progressive view of New York City. The biggest problem I had with the film is that it felt like a parody of itself at times. The story would start to go down this awesome path of discovery as the clues start to form, but then it would quickly dive into a dream state or whimsical story that has almost nothing to do with the moment at hand. I was intrigued by the murder framing of the characters and their efforts to clear their names while exposing a corrupt organization. Not stories about birds and drugs. Writer and Director David O. Russell has brought together yet another all star cast and made a murder mystery that defies convention which was a positive, but also it a detriment to its overall plot. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
