This being a completely out of left-field comparison here, but sometimes making a movie is a lot like baking a cake. You add just the right amount of ingredients, follow the recipe accordingly, and (hopefully!) get a good, if basic result. If you are a more “advanced” baker, you may spend more and get the best ingredients possible and add different amounts than the recipe suggests. You may disregard the instructions and experiment with the baking instructions. With any luck, the risk was worth taking, as your cake can turn out to be a gourmet masterpiece far beyond the basic. But all too often, not following the recipe can yield something messy — perhaps with a strange taste, or uneven texture. (Ok, I’ll admit I’ve been watching way too much Great British Bake-off lately, so this is how I’ve been thinking.)
Being a “messy cake” is the best way I could collect my thoughts to describe how I felt about Amsterdam. The film follows three World War I veteran friends; a doctor – Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), a nurse – Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), and a lawyer – Harold Woodsman (John David Washington), who are hired to investigate the 1933 murder of US Senator Bill Meekins by his daughter Liz (Taylor Swift), while becoming the prime suspects in the case. Written and Directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, 3 Kings, American Hustle); Amsterdam, on top of the three above, has an all-star cast including Alessandro Nivola as Detective Hiltz, Anya Taylor-Joy as Libby Vose, Chris Rock as Milton King, Michael Shannon as Henry Norcross, Mike Myers as Paul Canterbury, Rami Malek as Tom Vose, Zoe Saldana as Irma St. Clair, Robert De Niro as General Gil Dillenbeck, and Timothy Olyphant as Taron Milfax.
Getting back to my weird cake comparison, the ingredients were all there for me. A period film about a murder mystery, with an all-star cast of actors I love, beautifully shot, and romanticizing group of friends from diverse backgrounds living their bohemian dream life? On paper, that sounds like the perfect film. And yet, this one left a strange taste in my mouth. O.Russell’s writing style this time around was…uneven to say the least. At times it was a wonderful script, I really “vibed” with what the characters were trying to convey. Other times it was just unnatural. I understand and normally appreciate when characters speak in riddles, but it got a little out of hand in this case. Then sometimes throughout the film, it was the complete opposite! The script would start feeling like a teenager wrote it for the CW, just spelling out very obvious things over and over again. Either way, people just don’t talk like that, even in a murder mystery taking place in the 1930s.
The direction and editing was about as uneven as the writing. It looked great, with lovely cinematography and color editing. But every time I was sort of getting into a scene, it felt like something would interrupt it a bit too quickly. And when I start to expect and get used to this sort of pacing, a scene would drag on for a bit too long. This move really gave me whiplash!
I can at least say for the most part, the acting remained consistently good. Bale created a very interesting and charming character in his portrayal of Berendson, a very kind doctor who definitely has a different feel from your average protagonist. Robbie and Washington were just as likeable — Robbie playing the sort of manic pixie dream girl I can tolerate, and Washington exuded a subtle strength and class though his acting that’s rare to find. The relationships between the characters in general were the most redeeming part of this film, the lead cast in particular. It’s a shame that despite its best efforts, Amsterdam just didn’t quite work for me. While I usually love works of art with multiple genres, this film just didn’t know what it wanted to be, making any attempt at a genre feel “muddy.” Still, it was entertaining enough and pleasant to look at. And like any experimental cake, I can see some people finding this film delicious. As for me, I’ll pass on seconds.
