Misusing Two and a Quarter Hours

Amsterdam is a film got released to theaters about a month ago, and I've been thinking about how exactly a film can be such a monumental letdown in so many ways. It's a mystery that's not mysterious, a comedy that's not funny, the most boring "thriller" I've ever seen.


The film is about three friends who get framed for the murder of a young woman in the 1930s that need to uncover a conspiracy plaguing all of New York and clear their names. having read that, that sounds like a really exciting film, right? What if I told you it starred Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Chris Rock, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor Joy, Rami Malek, and the list goes on? You would be super excited to see it, right?

So was I. Unfortunately, the film misuses its cast and premise in such a spectacular way that it's still astonishing me as I write this a full week after having seen it. The film starts with exposition about one of the protagonists, Bale's character. 15 minutes in, we've met two of the three main characters, and we see the murder happen. The incident has been incited. At this point, I was excited for the plot to start moving. The film has established its story, gotten the plot moving, and introduced its characters. 

It is at this point that the film stops the story and takes us back to the height of WWI.

...

What?

Right, so the movie stops what it's doing to explain the backstories of Bale's character and his best friend, as well as his love interest and the third friend of the trio, Margot Robbie. An hour into the movie now and we've gotten nowhere. Margot Robbie is missing from the equation, and the other two are floundering around New York trying to evade the police and the mob at the same time, which sounds exciting, but somehow it is actually incredibly boring. Next, we find ourselves in some guy's house, Anya Taylor Joy is there as his wife. The two reconnect with Margot Robbie, who is the guy's sister, and the guy shows up and he's Rami Malek. The groups talk to each other, we learn nothing, and they leave.

The pacing is so wonky, and the plot is so convoluted that the film can never give itself a chance to breath. It's constantly moving from one plot point to another. In other films, this might keep the audience on its toes, but no. Because it moves so fast, it never gives a single plot element or new character enough time for the audience to get invested, so by the hour and a half mark, they're left confused, bored, and wanting to do something else. For the sake of solidarity, I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it is very lame and dumb and has no setup or payoff, and the whole thing feels like a massive waste of time. 

Do not see this movie. 

What's even worse is that the trailer made the film look incredible. It leads you to believe that it's a witty, comedy filled thrill ride with a superstar performer at every turn, and it could not be any less of that. What a disappointment. 


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