- AMSTERDAM
2022 – Thriller – 2h 14m, 2,5 in scale: 1-5
Director: David O. Russell, Interpretations: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Matthew Budman, Arnon Milchan, Antony Katagas
Five-time Oscar nominee David O’Russell returns with a film that aspires to marry historical events with one of his usual dramedy characters. We are in the 1930s, when two good friends and former World War I comrades, Bert (Christina Bailey) and Harold (John D. Washington), discover the murder of their former colonel. As they try to solve the case, they run into a good friend (Margot Robbie) from when the three of them lived carefree in Amsterdam, and, of course, they put her in the… bay. However, things will become complicated, since behind the case is hidden a satanic conspiracy aimed at the fascism of America.
David O’Russell gets even more chaotic than e.g. “entanglement guide”, signing a script that moves in many different directions, not always related or even compatible with each other. The main theme here is the American identity, with direct references to the racial issue, as well as friendship and love, which is the antidote to the “evil” that threatens the world.
The latter is personified in some characters, who rather resemble caricatures and are less convincing opponents of the heroes. It is interesting, however, that the pasts of these heroes pass in front of the camera, helping us to understand them more, even if, again, their stories do not exactly fit into the main narrative.
In general, here script holes, yawns and interruption of the rhythm are a frequent phenomenon, in a film that maintains the subcutaneous humor and genius of the American filmmaker in some of his observations, however, it is quite nerve-wracking in its longer duration. The whole finally manages to stand, and it owes it to some well-written characters and especially that of Christian Bale, who is, as usual, flawless in his performance.
