I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam, now I'm not so sure. This movie has to go down has one of the most colossal wastes of talent in a film since Hail Caesar. Everyone in this movie is trying their best to make it watchable, but David Russell's lack of a good pace really ruins what should have been a great movie. The story is an important one, so kudos to Russell for that, but it's told at a disjointed and slow pace that really doesn't do the story justice. Way too much of this movie focuses on Amsterdam and the friendship between Bale, Robbie, and Washington's characters. It's charming, for a second, and then it frequently disrupts an otherwise engaging story. The movie starts out with a bang, getting you invested in the action and story. Then they literally do a "Well I bet you're wondering how I got here" cliché freeze frame. Russell thinks their friendship is a lot more charming than it actually is. The main plot of this movie, to uncover a conspiracy, is well written and tells a very important (and relevant) part of America's history. Each actor plays their role perfectly, it just seems like some characters are not needed. The second detective? Taylor Swift? Even Margot Robbie's character added little relevance to the plot. The movie (much like this review) jumped around, sometimes referencing scenes we haven't even...scene yet. The chemistry between pairs in this movie worked. Bale and Washington stole every scene, Bale and Saldana, Shannon and Myers, Malek and Taylor-Joy, the pure talent from these actors and their abilities to play off each other gives you a tiny glimpse into the movie this could have been, if not for bad pacing and story decisions. This movie does just enough to justify a lazy Sunday watch when it comes to whatever streaming service unlucky enough to snatch it up.
Score: 5/10
Summary: A disjointed plot, slow pacing, and a misuse of some of the greatest actors of the last few years make this Amsterdam a lot less appealing than the real one. It's real only value is Bale and the important story it tells.