The review embargo for David O. Russell’s newest period dramedy, Amsterdam, is no longer active; critics are sharing their reviews about the film openly. Well, well, well… We believe it is safe to say that the third collaboration between actor Christian Bale and the prominent helmer has baffled the minds of critics. Although, the leading trio (Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington) and the rest of the performers have done their job brilliantly.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Amsterdam has received a ‘rotten’ score of 38% (8 reviews). And Metacritic has assigned it a score of 50 (7 reviews). There’s no denying that these ratings may end up tanking the film at the box office. It seems like its star-studded cast and the director’s global prominence are the only things that can save the period comedy.
The Wrap’s Robert Abele has called the film ‘disjointed’. He also pointed out that the movie possesses the traditional ‘David O. Russell’ feel but ends up being a sloppy and unfunny misfire. Plus, he also criticised the film’s climax.
The Hollywood Reporter has declared the movie ‘a chaotic cautionary tale’ but praised its cinematography, costumes, and set design. Additionally, it shed light on many performers not getting proper screen time.
Peter Debruge from Variety believes that the helmer of ‘American Hustle’ has delivered an overstuffed social satire in the form of Amsterdam. He also added: “Russell has an appetite for the chaos that can be uniquely exhausting, and even though this oddball ensemble boasts intelligent ideas and a smorgasbord of against-type performances from A-list names, “Amsterdam” amounts to less than the sum of its parts.”
Set in the 1930s, the film revolves around a trio of three friends: Burt Berendsen (Bale), Valerie Voze (Robbie), and Harold Woodsman (Washington). Chaos comes into their lives after they become the prime suspects in the murder of a well-known American senator. Apart from them, the movie treasures A-names like Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant, and many more.
Amsterdam is highly ambitious. But its tonally-imbalanced and overstuffed nature stops it from becoming a well-made film. It will release worldwide on October 7. Stay tuned for more updates.