Amsterdam (2022)

Amsterdam is the kind of big, swinging studio movie we don’t get enough anymore: a glamorous, oddball 1930s caper that’s equal parts murder mystery, screwball banter, and bruised-hearted drama about loyalty. David O. Russell stages it like a bustling jazz-age fever dream, where the cinematography and production design make every room feel lived-in, smoky, and slightly dangerous, and the story keeps curling into stranger corners without losing its human warmth. Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington form a beautifully off-kilter trio, selling friendship and shared history so convincingly you’ll follow them anywhere, even when the plot turns outrageously ambitious. It’s not for viewers who want a tidy, clockwork whodunit—this one rambles and riffs—but if you’re in the mood for star-powered craftsmanship with an earnest antifascist pulse, it’s a surprisingly heartfelt ride.

Amsterdam is clearly trying to be a madcap, star-studded 1930s caper that mixes screwball comedy with a real political conspiracy, and you can feel the ambition in every scene. The problem is it plays like three different movies fighting for control: the mystery is cluttered, the tone swings from heartfelt to quirky to grim without warning, and the pacing/editing can make important moments feel oddly weightless. If you need a clean, satisfying whodunit or a focused historical thriller, this will likely test your patience, because it’s more interested in vibe, tangents, and celebrity cameos than narrative momentum. That said, Christian Bale commits hard, there are flashes of charm in the friendship dynamic, and the period look is strong—just don’t expect it to come together neatly.