‘Amsterdam’ Can’t Get Out of Its Own Way

“Amsterdam” is a mess.

Not all messes are the same, of course. Nor does the word suggest “Amsterdam” is unwatchable. Director David O. Russell’s latest, a sprawling collection of pinpoint comic performances and inconsequential asides, is rarely dull.

The film’s vibrant morsels, brief but significant, should add up to something special, an artistic gestalt bound for Oscar glory. Russell’s canon suggests just that (“American Hustle,” “The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook”).

Instead, “Amsterdam” stalls in the second act until the big “reveal” emerges. That calamitous finale finds Russell abandoning any semblance of subtlety or sophistication.

There’s as much to admire here as recoil over, but the glorious cast makes “Amsterdam” worth a look. And...

Proper Review
Oct 6th 2022
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