Russell’s royal reenactment is a bigger mess-up than the original political conspiracy
David O. Russell is a master of big ensembles. He has made a career out of staging well-managed narratives that are foremostly engaging but also vivaciously recreating a piece of history. If the latter fails, the very presence of A-listers makes watching them worthwhile.
Amsterdam is not a good film choice for Russell because he does not have the focus or precision that is needed to make a good movie. His films often get lost in their own imagined worlds, but with Amsterdam, this is a consistent letdown. ..
This period drama feels tedious and random, as opposed to enigmatic and charming. Perhaps that is what Russell originally envisioned but Amsterdam finish very far off. It is a chaotic end product that simply does not work.
The plot thickens when it is revealed that the US Marines were not the only ones involved in this coup. A team of secret agents from the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) was also involved. The MI6 team was led by a man named Allen Dulles, who would later become Secretary of State under Franklin D. Roosevelt. The plot thickens even further when it is revealed that Roosevelt was not the only target of these secret agents. Other targets included King George VI of England and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain.
The men behind the conspiracy wanted to create a new type of dictatorship in the United States, one that would be based on business and economic success. They wanted to emulate Mussolini and Hitler, who had both ruled with an iron fist and killed millions of people. The Committee of the Five wanted Rossevelet gone so that Butler could take over as president.
The film starts with three veterans of World War I being falsely accused of the murder of a bedecked retired general’s daughter. The three actors play the three protagonists in the film. Although Russell claims that Amsterdam is a retelling, one would be inclined not to think that if they go into the film blind without knowing the background of the conspiracy. The film follows the story of these three veterans as they try to clear their names and protect their families from further harm.
The director leaves it too late for the reveal to have a sensationalist impact on the viewer. Instead, he chooses to focus on the trio and how they navigate personal issues and challenges. That creative choice, in hindsight, derails the storytelling and does not infuse any momentum going into the climax for the big reveal.
The film is not bad, but it could use some more excitement and panache. Amsterdam feels like a place where people just go to watch movies and not really enjoy them. The flashback sequences are very slow-paced, making it difficult to follow the story. Taylor Swift’s cameo was a surprise, but it didn’t make up for the rest of the lack of excitement.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Rami Malek play important roles of the Voze couple, but their relationship is too easily antagonized by the audience after such a lukewarm introduction. Russell made it seem like Tom (Malek) was the decrypt mastermind behind the conspiracy; that he was pulling the chains all along but it comes as a compensating attempt to over-sensationalize. That work and change in tone should have come much earlier than the last 10 minutes of the film. ..
In the end, Amsterdam doesn’t come together as Russel hoped it would. The voiceover is artificial and cheap, and the rest of the story is unfocused and unfulfilled.
The biggest film of the year was a disappointment. Russell’s talented cast could not save the film from its many mismanaged priorities. This is a huge blow to the director, who had so much potential with this project. ..
The Amsterdam city government is ending its subsidy program for small businesses. The decision comes as a surprise to many business owners, who say the subsidy has helped them grow and create jobs. The subsidy was first introduced in 2006 and was designed to help small businesses in the city reach a level of profitability that would allow them to compete with larger businesses. The program has been criticized by some business owners as being too generous, while others say it has helped them grow and create jobs. The city government says the subsidy will be discontinued effective September 1st, 2020. Business owners who have received subsidies since 2006 will be able to apply for a new program that will provide financial assistance up to $5,000 per year.
