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20TH CENTURY

MOVIE INFO

Director:
David O. Russell
Cast:
Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington
Writing Credits:
David O. Russell

Synopsis:
In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

Box Office:
Budget:
$80 million.
Opening Weekend:
$6,444,896 on 3005 Screens.
Domestic Gross:
$14,947,969.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 7.1
English Descriptive Audio 2.0
Spanish Dolby 5.1
French Dolby 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish

Runtime: 134 min.
Price: $34.99
Release Date: 12/6/2022

Bonus:
• “Welcome to Amsterdam” Featurette


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RELATED REVIEWS


Amsterdam [Blu-Ray] (2022)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 19, 2023)

Between 1999’s Three Kings and 2010’s The Fighter, filmmaker David O. Russell made only one movie: 2004’s I Heart Huckabees. Fighter launched a fairly active period for Russell, however.

2012 brought Silver Linings Playbook, 2013 gave us American Hustle and 2015 delivered Joy. After that, though, Russell went back into hiding until his return with 2022’s Amsterdam.

In New York City circa 1933, World War I veteran Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) continues to struggle with injuries he suffered in combat. He operates a medical clinic that specializes in procedures and assistance for fellow former soldiers.

His wartime pal Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) works as a lawyer and brings him a prominent client for an autopsy: Senator Bill Meekins (Ed Begley Jr). Meekins’ daughter Elizabeth (Taylor Swift) suspects foul play in her father’s death, so she takes his corpse to someone Harold trusts.

When Burt and Harold attempt to meet with Elizabeth to confirm her suspicions, a mystery man (Timothy Olyphant) shoves her under a moving vehicle and convinces the crowd on the street that Burt and Harold killed her. As they flee for their lives, Burt and Harold attempt to prove their innocence, a task eventually aided by their WWI friend Valerie Bandenberg (Margot Robbie).

That 2010 to 2013 run earned Russell three consecutive Best Director Oscar nominations, and he got screenplay nods for Playbook and Hustle. All three films received Best Picture nominations.

Given that span of critical success, Joy came as a disappointment. It received mixed notices, though at least it got Jennifer Lawrence another Oscar nomination.

Compared to the reception accorded Amsterdam, however, Joy got raves. Amsterdam received largely weak reviews and found itself with zero Oscar nominations, no mean feat given all the talent involved.

Due to Russell’s reputation, I intended to see Amsterdam theatrically. However, all those negative appraisals prompted me to skip it until I could get the Blu-ray in my home.

Does Amsterdam live down to these bad assessments? Perhaps not, but I can’t claim it offers anything memorable or especially positive.

Russell goes out of his way to create a project with the feel of something from the 1930s. This seems self-conscious and it becomes an unnecessary distraction, as the stylistic conceits don’t help make the story work.’

Neither do the actors, as even with an abundance of talent, the cast fails to add anything. We get a conflicting variety of styles that don’t mesh.

In particular, Bale and Washington feel like they act in different movies. Bale goes broad and borderline cartoony, while Washington underplays to the point of seeming wooden.

Even without these issues, Amsterdam fails to engage because Russell creates a rambling tale without much real purpose. A long flashback to 1918 feels like an unnecessary distraction, as a better-constructed movie would convey the information more succinctly without the extended detour.

The muddled narrative wouldn’t grate as much if the movie built a sense of energy. Instead, it comes across as slow and dull while it attempts an awkward mix of earnest drama, murder mystery and screwball comedy.

Too much of the time, Russell feels more preoccupied with celebrity cameos that actual plot or characters. Amsterdam introduces new roles for little apparent reason beyond the ability to bring in famous faces.

Honestly, Amsterdam never becomes a terrible movie, but it does waste an awful lot of talent. The film rambles too much and never goes anywhere especially interesting.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus D

Amsterdam appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The transfer lived up to expectations.

Overall sharpness appeared good. A little softness crept into the occasional interior, but those instances stayed modest.

The movie usually seemed solid, and I noticed no shimmering or jagged edges. Edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

The palette opted for a heavy amber/orange and teal orientation. Because they went to an extreme, the colors could become almost comical, but the disc reproduced them as intended.

Blacks appeared dark and deep, and shadows showed good delineation. Low-light shots offered nice clarity. In the end, I felt pleased with this appealing presentation.

As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack, it added a bit of zip to the proceedings. A fairly chatty affair, the mix lacked a ton of zing, but it blasted music from all the channels and let the effects fill the spectrum.

A few violent scenes used the soundscape to the most impactful degree. These moments occurred infrequently, though, so street atmosphere became the most consistent element, and those moments created a satisfying sense of place and setting.

Audio quality worked well. Speech was concise and natural, while music – which mixed score and period songs – boasted fine range and vivacity.

Effects gave us accurate, dynamic elements without distortion. Though not an especially ambitious track, the movie’s mix seemed more than acceptable.

Only one extra shows up here: a featurette called Welcome to Amsterdam. It runs 15 minutes, 30 seconds and involves writer/director David O. Russell, and actors Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington.

“Welcome” covers story/characters, cast and performances, historical influences, production design and costumes, photography, and Russell’s work on the shoot. A few insights emerge and we get some decent shots from the set, but this largely remains a fluffy promo piece.

Despite a lot of talent both behind and in front of the camera, Amsterdam sputters. It mixes genres in an unsatisfying manner and never finds a groove. The Blu-ray comes with solid picture and audio but it skimps on bonus materials. Though not an awful movie, Amsterdam nonetheless doesn’t deliver anything especially compelling.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3.3333 Stars Number of Votes: 3
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