Dog’s Movie House: “Amsterdam” Proves That Mediocre David O. Russell Is Better Than Directors’ Better Efforts!

If that seems like a lot to take in, it is, but Russell directs the film with a mostly smooth hand. The problem is that the film is too long and sometimes shifts tonally from political thriller to a Coen Brothers-like comedy. The shifts are jarring at times and we spend so much time with these characters that we sometimes lose the threads of the story. Thankfully that doesn’t matter as much as in a lesser film as Russell creates some wonderfully offbeat characters and casts some brilliant performers to inhabit them. Bale is wonderful as Burt, a curmudgeon who has a heart of gold. Washington underplays a bit at times as Howard, but he has a wonderful chemistry with both Bale, and Robbie.

Speaking of Robbie, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. She’s not only extremely talented but she has a radiant beauty that reminds one of Grace Kelly or Ingrid Bergman. She gets two wounded Americans to love her instantly, and in the eyes of this reviewer, it’s easy to see why. Russell gets very good support out of such luminaries as Chris Rock, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Robert DeNiro, Anya Taylor-Joy, and others. The cast alone makes “Amsterdam” worth seeing, and the character work compensates for some of the films narrative and tonal shortcomings. It’s an adult-oriented film that deserves to be seen at the theater. 3 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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