Amsterdam

I could not decide if I liked this movie as I was watching it. I knew it was unique with fully loaded star power and great performances but the pacing and story had me scratching my head and even bored at times. I kept checking how much longer the movie had (HBOMax) more than a few times but didn't give up on it. I'm glad I stayed with it. It's a 2 1/2 hour movie but when I finally reached the two hour mark all of a sudden the two previous hours I invested paid off. The story came together quickly and had a surprisingly satisfying ending. This movie is definitely not for everyone. It requires a lot of patience and your full attention but I found it a worthwhile endeavor. Much of it is based on real events. A who's who of A-list actors throughout giving solid performances. Critics panned this movie unfairly in my opinion. What Director Russell created was no easy task. Beautifully filmed with many memorable scenes. I would definitely recommend watching it.

I love this movie. I enjoyed every scene and I had no trouble following the plot. I read reviews by professional movie critics that made me realize not all movie critics have the intelligence and imagination we expect them to have.

It was a work of art and and important historical story. The culture of our current society is very similar to that of the period of this movie. I believe that explains why many powerful people in the movie industry would be critical of this production and of the director and writer David O Russell. I think those critics would be more impressed by the greed and influence of the Committee of the Five. Not me! I'm all in with Harold, Valerie and Burt. Art, love and beauty is what truly matters in life.

Can't see why there are so many negative reviews unless it's right wing trolls or the typical american cluelessness about the country's past (and present) and painfully limited attention span. GREAT cast. You have to be patient with films like this and I'm sorry that that's enough to turn off so many people. The editing is a bit rough at times but not enough to warrant the negativity.

Now I have to meet the required character count so feel free to ignore the rest of this review and GIVE THIS MOVIE A CHANCE! I'd watch these actors in almost anything so I was happy the indifference to this film turned out to be unjustified.

IN A NUTSHELL: In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Fun fact: The plot is based on an actual conspiracy in 1933 when American bankers and businessmen plotted a military coup to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt to replace him with Major General Smedley Butler. The film was both written and directed by David O. Russell.

THINGS I LIKED: The talented cast is almost endless and includes Hollywood A-listers and 3 Oscar winners, as well as 2 Oscar nominees ike Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, and even music icon Taylor Swift!

I didn't expect so much singing! Nice! Does anyone know if those actors were actually singing or dubbed?

It's fun to see comedian Chris Rock in this movie. Rumor has it that Christian Bale refused to talk to him because Christian was so worried Chris would make him laugh on set. Christian Bale was one of the producers of the film. In fact, the entire cast seemed to be having a ball. Watching actors enjoy their roles always makes it more enjoyable for audiences. The cast was so excited about working with the director and each other that they all lowered their regular fees.

The set designs and costumes easily set a believable tone for the period. Everything LOOKED great, including all of the actors. It's the telling of the story itself that prevented the movie from becoming a charming hit. Instead, it's expected to lose $97 million worldwide.

Trying to solve the whodunnit mystery is a fun element of the film, although most viewers won't care about the answer.

It's said that it cost $80 million to make this movie, partly because the sets had already been built in Boston but, due to the pandemic, the location had to be changed to Los Angeles.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Unfortunately, the script didn't measure up to the vast talent of the cast. It's a matter of expectations not being met that has left most viewers deflated. When we see the impressive cast list, we naturally assume the movie is going to be great.

I've been to Amsterdam twice now. It's a beautiful city. I wish the movie had more street scenes to really get the vibe of the city. We don't even see any of the famous canals in the movie.

It's weird that even with so much star power, I was bored many times and couldn't wait for it to end.

The plot is convoluted and overstuffed. The movie felt like a patchwork quilt, stitched together with loose threads and random pieces of beautiful fabric. The parts were definitely better than the sum in this disappointing movie. It seems to be the victim of 14 different scripts that were worked on during the production.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: We see a dead body being dissected in an autopsy We see bloodied soldiers riddled with bullets that must be removed.

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A quirky genre-bending caper with a political bent seems right up David O. Russell's alley. Unfortunately, this movie just never gels. At all. It feels like 10 different movies with 10 different casts, even if those casts are flat out jaw-dropping. I enjoyed some of those movies more than others (e.g. The farcical scenes when Russell pretended to be Wes Anderson), but every time I started getting interested in a plot or enjoying a performance, the whole thing swerved. And more often than not it served right off the road.

Also, was Bale doing a Peter Falk impersonation? I kept waiting for him to light a cigar and say, "Just one more thing..."