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Amsterdam
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Busy but interesting period dramedy has gore, swearing.
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Amsterdam
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Very Good Movie........go see it.
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What's the Story?
In AMSTERDAM, it's the 1930s in New York, and Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is a doctor working to ease wounded war veterans' pain. His best friend, Harold Woodman (John David Washington), is a lawyer. Together, they're hired by Liz Meekins (Taylor Swift) to perform a secret autopsy on General Bill Meekins, Burt and Harold's former commanding officer, to determine whether he was actually murdered. Shortly after, Liz is shoved in front of a moving car and run over in the street. Burt and Harold are blamed. Flashing back to 1918, during the war, young Burt and Harold are badly injured and sent to the hospital, where they're tended by nurse Valerie (Margot Robbie). The three form a strong friendship, and Harold and Valerie fall in love. After the war, they spend a beautiful period living as a trio in Amsterdam. But flashing forward again to the '30s, Burt and Harold must find a way to clear their names, which involves getting another general, Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro), to speak at the veterans' reunion, thereby exposing the real killers. The characters' past also finds a way of catching up to them, lending a helping hand.
Is It Any Good?
Wildly ambitious and thoroughly complex, this sprawling David O. Russell period piece has a thick, gummy quality as if it were made in a vacuum, yet it's too relevant to entirely dismiss. The airless quality of Amsterdam -- perhaps a result of the combination of the great Emmanuel Lubezki's lush, glossy cinematography and Russell's weird sense of humor -- gives it an odd dreamy effect. It's sometimes a little too easy for your brain to wander away. Describing the plot is a challenge: Even after going on at some length, you might somehow skip over characters played by such heavyweights as Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, and more.
Bale's outsized performance, frequently recalling Al Pacino's scenery-chewing "Big Boy Caprice" in Dick Tracy, is another factor that keeps the movie from feeling grounded; it's like a crazy cartoon in which earthly logic does not apply. (Robbie joins him in that category during the movie's second half, when her character stumbles and wobbles about thanks to a case of vertigo.) Yet while Amsterdam is exceedingly busy, it's not necessarily messy; Russell attacks it with an admirable confidence. And since its 1930s-era political themes appear to still have modern relevance, perhaps it's a movie that will live on through multiple viewings and further context.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Amsterdam's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How are drinking, smoking, and drug use depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?
Is it hard to believe that some Americans supported fascism during the 1930s? How is that theme relevant today?
What do you think of Valerie's artwork made from shrapnel extracted from wounded soldiers? Is it offensive, like some characters say? Is it good for art to shock or provoke? Why, or why not?
How do the movie's setting and era affect the characters' circumstances and situations? How have things changed since then?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 7, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: December 6, 2022
- Cast: Christian Bale , Margot Robbie , John David Washington
- Director: David O. Russell
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Black actors
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 134 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: brief violence and bloody images
- Last updated: August 18, 2023
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