AMSTERDAM

Based on real life events Amsterdam tells the story of a pair WW1 veterans who get embroiled in a murder conspiracy and a mysterious shadow organisation with nefarious intent,

Amsterdam has easily the best cast you will see in cinema this year, featuring, amongst others, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Anya Taylor Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro; Taylor Swift; Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Mike Myers, Beth Grant, Timothy Olyphant and Chris Rock.

The worry with a cast of this size is always going to be that each individuals talents get diluted, with nobody giving the performance they are capable of. 

It is testament, then, to Amsterdam that each actor gets their own moments to shine, and each gets to bring their own unique voice to proceedings. There are conversations to be had on David O. Russell as a director, his methods would be described in most industries as toxic, but one thing that is undeniable is his ability to get the best out of his cast, even when their screen time is limited. Chris Rock and Taylor Swift are the most prominent examples of this. Both of them likely have less than five minutes on screen, but each leave their impression on the audience in their own ways.

Christian Bale is great as Burt, and the anxious ticks he gives to perforce will certainly cement it’s place as the most eye catching of the film, the real stand outs are Margot Robbie and John David Washington, as Valerie and Harold respectively. Robbie especially is great, her desire for adventure, as we meet her in the titular Amsterdam, born from the realities of her upbringing, and what awaits her in America. 

Her performance is one of joy and pain. Of the desire to keep what she has, and later for the longing of having lost it.

John David Washingtons is also a performance is joy and pain, but in his case, far more muted than Robbie’s. He has built for himself a life after war, and a life after Amsterdam. To the outside world it may even be a life that seems happy, until Valerie comes crashing back into it, and the pain begins to seep out.

I tend to try to not read other reviews of a film before I have written my own, but I’ve been told that Amsterdam has been criticised in some quarters for having a plot that is difficult to follow, and I have to disagree with this. 

While it can be said that, certain plot points feel a little rushed, especially toward the end, and more time could have been spent on some of the films reveals, David O. Russell’s script managed to keep it’s many moving pieces just on the right side of comprehensible. I never once felt lost, and was constantly engaged throughout.

The script itself kept things moving at a quick pace and, despite a few second-rate pieces of dialogue, stays, for the most part, sharp and witty, being consistently funny from start to finish

Amsterdam is also an incredibly stylish film. Oscar winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, The Revenant) brings a semi-Wes Anderson feel to a lot of the shots, with everything - cast and set - meticulously arranged. He ensures that not a moment of the 134 minute runtime is wasted, resulting in Amsterdam being one of the few two-hour-plus films of recent years to not outstay it’s welcome.

Indeed, I would have welcomed another fifteen minutes, to flesh out one or two of the more rushed reveals.

Daniel Pembertons score further adds to the style of the film, setting it up immediately as a slightly screwball caper, and listening to it outside of the film immediately transports you back into its world (which is incredibly useful when trying to write a review days after initially seeing it). It is a fun score, which fits perfectly into Amsterdams jigsaw.

David O. Russell may now be entering a slightly unknown landscape in his career. Following Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, Amsterdam should have been more of a crowd pleaser, however a loss of - at the time of writing - $60m dollars at the box office suggests that this has not been the case. Amidst ever present controversy about his on set behaviour, and what can only be described as a commercial disaster, where he goes next, if anywhere at all, will be interesting to see.

For me, however, Amsterdam promised to be a star-studded, escapist caper, and for the most part it delivers on these promises. It is engaging, and funny, featuring some great performances from the entire cast. It may not have won the critical plaudits Russell may have come to expect, but it was exactly what I was hoping it would be.