Initially, Amsterdam was considered a promising Oscar candidate. Last but not least, director and screenwriter David O. Russell is a welcome guest in the Academy circle, as American Hustle, Silver Linings and The Fighter prove. His latest prank was completely lost in the cinema – despite the star cast.
You can now watch the film with a streaming subscription on Amazon Prime.
Amsterdam on Amazon Prime: A great ensemble stumbles through an idiosyncratic historical comedy
At the center of the story are three friends: nurse Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), lawyer Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) and doctor Harold Woodman (John David Washington). They met for the first time 15 years ago. Now they are turned into one big conspiracy pulled.
A murder in New York in the 1930s is the starting point of the story. From this moment on we move through different time levels and encounter each other weird figuresplayed by acting greats such as Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael Shannon and Robert De Niro. And that’s just the beginning of the powerful ensemble.
You can watch the trailer for Amsterdam here:
Amsterdam – Trailer (German) HD
The remarkable cast from Amsterdam is still made up of names like Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, Timothy Olyphant, Rami Malek and Andrea Riseborough. Just as you think you’ve discovered all the stars, Mike Myers and Chris Rock show up, not to mention pop superstar Taylor Swift.
In the end, none of the greats mentioned were able to turn Amsterdam into a success at the box office. The film had a budget of $80 million only $31 million worldwide on again. In the meantime there was even talk of a loss-making business of 80 to 100 million US dollars. Probably no one expected this when the film with this cast was announced.
Amsterdam definitely deserves a second chance. The combination of David O. Russell’s energetic direction, Emmanuel Lubezki’s hypnotizing images and Daniel Pemberton’s driving music alone transform the film into a thrilling trip. Amsterdam is a exuberant meandering through a feverish nightmare that is both humorous and tragic.
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